Trading Standards Service Plan 2024 to 2025
2.0 Core Functions
The Trading Standards Service aims to promote open and competitive markets whilst empowering consumers, making it easier for them to resolve problems. Only in a safe and fair trading environment, which protects both consumers and reputable business activity, can the local economy succeed and flourish.
The Service's key areas of responsibility can be shown as follows:
Responsibility | Description |
|---|---|
Business Advice | Providing advice and assistance to businesses on all aspects of Trading Standards legislation to raise their awareness and help them comply with their legal responsibilities. |
Consumer Advice | Advice and assistance for consumers with problems and disputes arising from the supply of faulty and misdescribed goods and services. |
Fair Trading | Protecting against scams, tackling counterfeiting, doorstep crime, disrupting the informal economy and dealing with misleading statements about the price, quality or description of goods and services. |
| Product Safety | Monitoring all consumer goods to ensure that they are as safe as possible and do not present a risk to health. |
| Age Restricted Sales | Ensuring age restricted products such as alcohol, tobacco, videos, e-cigarettes and fireworks, are not supplied to children. |
| Food Standards | Ensuring that food is correctly described and labelled throughout the supply chain, including in relation to food allergen information, and that compositional and nutritional standards are met. |
Weights and Measures | Work relating to the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment in use for trade and the accuracy of quantity declarations made on products. |
| Consumer Credit | Monitoring the consumer credit licensing regime and ensuring transparency in credit transactions, documentation and advertisements. |
Agricultural Standards - fertilisers and animal feed | Registration and inspection of designated animal feed establishments and ensuring that both fertilisers and animal feeds are correctly labelled, safe to use and do not present an on-going risk to animals and the human food chain. |
Road Traffic | Checking compliance in weight restricted areas to prevent heavy goods vehicles from using inappropriate roads and routes, in order to protect buildings, roads and bridges, reduce congestion, protect the environment and help keep pedestrians and other road users safe. |
Financial Investigations | Using an Accredited Financial Investigator to restrain and or confiscate the assets of an offender under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. |
Alcohol Control | Duties as a Responsible Authority under the Licensing Act 2003, especially in protecting children from the harm caused by alcohol. |
Tees Valley Measurement Centre | Tees Valley Measurement is jointly funded by Stockton, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland Trading Standards Services and is subject to a formal partnership agreement. The Centre provides a specialist metrology facility for partner authorities and makes available a specialist calibration service for local industry. |
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