The Forum will receive presentations in relation to the following:
a) Electronic cigarettes and Electronic Shisha bars.
b) Rogue Traders
Minutes:
Ms Maxim, Trading Standards Manager, from the County Councils Trading Standards Service gave a presentation in relation to two issues which had been raised at the previous meeting.
a) Electronic cigarettes and Electronic Shisha Bars.
It was reported that the Service would continue to work with colleagues in Public Health to address concerns regarding the health implications of the growth in the use of E-cigarettes. Currently there was no legislation in place in relation to E-cigarettes though legislation was being drafted in relation to the underage use of E-cigarettes and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency was to introduce regulations in 2016 regarding use of some E-cigarette products to support attempts to stop smoking. Current legislation regarding smoking in public places did not cover E-cigarettes though in some cases organisations had imposed a similar ban on use of such products on their premises.
With regard to smoking in buildings it was reported that whilst the Borough Council had prohibited smoking tobacco inside its buildings the same legislation did not apply to E-cigarettes and so would require the Council to widen the scope of its smoking policy for public buildings. It was noted that a Shisha bar in Burnley had closed down though similar businesses operated in Manchester.
Ms Maxim reported that much of the work of the Trading Standards Service was intelligence led and often reports from the public would prompt investigations and enforcement action. In response to a report that products were being sold which enabled consumers to construct their own E-cigarettes Ms Maxim asked for details to be passed to her outside of the meeting so that she could refer the matter to colleagues for investigation.
b) Rogue Traders
Ms Maxim gave a number of examples where Rogue Traders had manipulated elderly or vulnerable people into paying for expensive and often unnecessary work on their property, often starting with a minor repair which then escalated into further expensive work. In addition such traders often shared information about their victims and so a resident could be targeted by others in relation to building work, roofing, windows, driveways and burglar alarms.
It was noted that the Trading Standards Service operated a Rapid Response Team which was able to attend a property with the Police at short notice when the trader was present. In those cases there was then an opportunity to negotiate with the resident/trader as to what action would be taken. Details were given of a number of successful prosecutions which had resulted in prison terms, suspended prison sentences, unpaid work being undertaken by the trader and the payment of compensation. In response to the suggestion that the Service adopt a more aggressive approach towards Rogue Traders Ms Maxim explained that Trading Standards Officers were highly reliant on evidence from consumers to identify the traders and in many cases victims did not report incidents because they felt ashamed. Also in some instances residents were actually content with the work which had been done even though it may have been of very poor quality. Furthermore, prosecutions were often difficult due to a lack of evidence that a particular trader had done the work in question and so it was suggested that the public ask for written quotations/receipts, pay by cheque not cash and even take photos during the work as these would all provide valuable evidence in the event of a problem later.
Ms Maxim added that the Service continued to educate and empower the public not to deal with doorstep traders in the first place, through various initiatives and publicity, including the annual Rogue Trader Week. When considering having work done the public were also recommended to use the Safer Trader Scheme which provided contact details for reputable companies/tradesmen.
The Chair thanked Ms Maxim for her attendance and the presentation.
Agreed: That the presentation is noted and that members of the Forum continue to promote the work of the Trading Standards Service, particularly with regard to rogue traders, in their areas.