News
COSLA agree to trading standards future workforce proposals
Posted 20/12/17
Following a lengthy review designed to better protect consumers and tackle the heavily declining numbers of trading standards staff, COSLA (the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) has responded to proposals to address the future delivery of Scottish local authority trading standards services.
The review followed the 2014 Audit Scotland report 鈥� Protecting Consumers, which concluded 鈥渢he long-term viability of councils鈥� trading standards services is under threat and urgent action is needed to strengthen protection for consumers.鈥�
The Society for Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) Workforce Survey 2017 revealed that there had been a 22% fall in Scottish trading standards officers across the last five years.
The proposals agreed by council leaders, committed COSLA to continue to work with governments to ensure consumer protection is properly resourced throughout Brexit and to immediately consider workforce pressures and develop a proposal for securing the future workforce. Finally, leaders were asked to consider how trading standards might be reorganised to be more resilient.
In response to the proposals, COSLA recognised that 鈥渕any local services face similar pressures to those of the Trading Standards service and that this service cannot be considered in isolation鈥�, also noting that Brexit is likely to place further pressures on Trading Standards and that 鈥渋t is important that the workforce issues are examined in more detail鈥�.听
However, COSLA fell short of agreeing to a full reorganisation of trading standards, as many other local services also suffer from similar pressures. COSLA recommended leaders consider the Improvement Service proposals in their local context, and offered to support local authorities in tackling the workforce issues, whilst looking at how trading standards services can align with future local authority structures.
51黑料 is disappointed in the lack of a formal commitment to reorganise and properly resource services. 51黑料 Chief Executive, Leon Livermore, said: 鈥淲ith evidence of haemorrhaging staff numbers and consumer protection under threat, we鈥檙e concerned that numbers will continue to decline while the recommendations are implemented.鈥�
鈥淲hilst we鈥檙e encouraged that action is being considered to protect and strengthen the trading standards workforce - and ensure there are suitable resources to tackle Brexit - we feel urgent and immediate action must be taken to ensure trading standards and consumer protection remains sustainable and effective in Scotland.鈥�
