Freedom of information response

What is the name of the Local Authority your Trading Standards Service covers?
If you operate as a combined service, please enter the names of all the Local Authorities that fall within your service.
Section 1 - Resources
What was the total budget for your local authority Trading Standards Service for the 2023-24 financial year (1st April 2023- 31st March 2024)? 

What was the total budget for your local authority Trading Standards Service for the 2022-23 financial year (1st April 2022- 31st March 2023)? 

What was the total budget for your local authority Trading Standards Service for the 2021-22 financial year (1st April 2021- 31st March 2022)? 

In the 2023-24 financial year (1st April 2023- 31st March 2024), what proportion of your Trading Standards Service’s funding came from the following sources?
If you do not have the exact figure, please provide an approximation
Source    % of funding (please sum to 100%)
Central government local authority funding    
Other central government or regulator funding for specific functions    
Devolved government funding    
Regional funding    
National Trading Standards or Trading Standards Scotland funding    
Primary Authority Partnership funding    
Other, please specify    

How many full time equivalent staff, including contractors, work in your service? Please enter a numerical value next to each category.
Staff type    Permanent full time    Contractors    Part time
Professionally qualified staff undertaking Trading Standards work (this includes staff holding DCATS, CTSP, DTS or equivalent qualification).            
Other professionally qualified staff undertaking Trading Standards work e.g. Environmental Health Officers             
Other staff undertaking Trading Standards work e.g. apprentices             
Administrative/support staff.            

For which of the following do you have Trading Standards officers with specialist competencies in the area? 
Specialist competency    Yes/No
Unfair commercial practices    
Consumer Rights Act breaches    
Prices and pricing practices    
Motor trade    
Travel and holiday industry    
Renewable energy and home improvements    
Doorstep crime, including rogue trading    
Product safety    
Intellectual Property    
Metrology / weights and measures    
Age-restricted sales    
Food standards    
Animal feed    
Animal health and welfare    
E-crime - this includes email scams, phishing, fake websites or copycat websites    
Consumer Advice    
Other (please specify)    

Do you share any of the following services with Trading Standards departments in other local authorities? If so, who do you share with? 
Area    Shared? Y/N    Who with?
Fair trading         
Product safety        
Intellectual Property        
Metrology / weights and measures        
Age-restricted Sales        
Food Standards        
Animal feed        
Animal health and welfare        
E-crime - this includes email scams, phishing, fake websites or copycat websites        
Consumer advice        
Other (please specify)        

Section 2 - Demand and prioritisation

[If you record these figures] How many referrals and notifications did you receive to your services in the April 2023- March 2024 financial year in the following categories?
Category    Referrals    Notifications
Overall        

[If you record these figures] How many of the referrals received in the financial year 2023-24 did you take forward / investigate?
If you do not formally collect this information, please provide an estimate
Category    Number of referrals investigated
Overall    

Of those referrals that you did not take forward, approximately how often have the following been reasons why?
Reason    Always    Often    Sometimes    Rarely    Never
We did not have the staff hours required                    
We did not have the relevant specialist skills                    
The referrals did not merit investigation                    
The referrals did not fall into our priority areas                    
Other, please specify                    

Approximately what proportion of your investigations pertain to the online activities of a business?
1.    0-10%
2.    10-20%
3.    20-30%
4.    30-40%
5.    40-50%
6.    More than 50%

What are the top three priority issues for your service?

Can you set out any aspects of your remit that you have had to de-prioritise over the past five years?

Section 3 - Enforcement activities/outcomes 

In the 2023-24 financial year (1st April 2023- 31st March 2024)…
We appreciate that you may not collect all of these figures – please answer for any you do collect
1.    How many routine (i.e. not responding directly to a complaint) inspections on businesses did you carry out?
2.    How many seizures of unsafe/non-compliant products did you make?
3.    How many hours of advice did you provide for businesses on their obligations under consumer law (excluding Primary Authority advice)?
4.    How many hours of advice did you provide for businesses for which your service holds a Primary Authority relationship?  
5.    How many voluntary undertakings did you secure from businesses?
6.    How many test purchases did you carry out?
7.    How many cautions did you issue?
 
[If you record these figures] How many enforcement orders and formal warning notices did you serve in the following categories in the 2023-24 financial year?
Category    Formal warning notices    Enforcement orders
Overall        
Food standards         
Motor vehicles (sales & repairs)        
Home improvements         
Travel and holiday industry        
Illegal tobacco & alcohol        
Property – including lettings and estate agents        
Fair trading -  including pricing, terms and conditions and descriptions of goods        
Product safety        
Other        

[If you record these figures] How many criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions did you bring forward in the 2023-24 financial year?
Category    Criminal    Civil
Overall        
Doorstep crime - this includes all rogue trading that takes place at the consumer's home        
Scams - this includes mail fraud, telephone scams, and any other outright criminal activity that takes place from a distance (but excludes online fraud)        
E-crime - this includes email scams, phishing, fake websites or copycat websites        
Food standards         
Motor vehicles (sales & repairs)        
Illegal tobacco & alcohol        
Offensive weapons sales        
Property – including lettings and estate agents        
Fair trading -  including pricing, terms and conditions and descriptions of goods        
Animal Health        
Product safety        

Please could you provide a copy of your latest enforcement policy?

Please enter any other comments or additional information that you feel is relevant.