Facilitating economic recovery

Facilitating economic recovery

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fficient, competitive and judiciously policed markets are essential to any return to positive and stable macro- economic growth.

Growth is secured through the support given by trading standards to business which includes the targeting of rogue traders who inhibit legitimate businesses, harm vulnerable people and damage our communities.

Trading standards engage with businesses through working partnerships to guide them through the regulatory framework so that businesses

Trading standards currently save consumers at least £347million a year by tackling businesses that trade unfairly and by advising members of the public. Stronger trading standards could further contribute to the UK’s economic recovery3.

thrive. We want businesses to be reassured that trading standards are outcome-focused and that decisions are risk- assessed, adhering to the Better Regulation Agenda.

1.Trading standards is committed to understanding business better and is focused on targeted risk- based delivery over and above unnecessary routine intervention. Resources are targeted to where it matters via intelligence-led analysis of data.

For example, the counterfeit market causes serious economic loss to retailers, traders and industry as well as the detrimental impact on local communities and national interests. The cost to the UK economy of the counterfeit market is £1.3billion. The Proceeds of Crime Act used by trading standards generates a massive disincentive to illegal traders to continue operating in the informal

³ Office of Fair Trading, Trading Standards Impact Evaluation Report 2009.

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The Anti-Counterfeiting Group, The Scale of Counterfeiting. 5 This is known as the Home Authority and Primary Authority principle.

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economy. Removing fake goods from the marketplace could release up to £3.5billion consumer spend into the UK economy4.

2.The proportionate enforcement activity of trading standards protects compliant businesses. Trading standards recognise that within business there are different compliance needs and preferences of interaction with enforcement services. The interface that exists between trading standards and business demands that enforcement is proportionate. Building on these long-standing relations, trading standards continue to gain a greater understanding and awareness of how individual businesses operate and how they can be advised to best and most effectively comply with the law5.

3.Trading standards recognise that consistent and accessible Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12