, "9":"xxxx The first cut is the deepest In his Autumn Statement on 3 December, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said that local councils will not have to face any further cuts beyond what has already been announced. State funding for councils has dropped nearly 40 per cent since 2010. Osborne has also committed to providing multi-year budgets for local government. This, he said, will help councils to plan for the future, hopefully enabling them to provide greater security for staff and for members of the public who depend on the services they provide. Responding to the statement, Local Government Association (LGA) chairman Councillor David Sparks said: The chancellor has confirmed that local services will not face additional cuts next year, on top of those already announced. In doing so, government has acknowledged the huge contribution councils have already made to balancing the countrys books and the fragile financial position in which this has placed many local authorities. The LGA was busy at the party conferences earlier this year, promoting its publication, Investing in our nations future: the rst 100 days of the next government. Although pleased by the lack of further cuts, it re-emphasised its commitment to the main points from the publication: the need for central government to work with councils to address local governments projected funding gap and for greater devolution to free councils from Whitehall and allow them to set their own priorities. Although the Autumn Statement has been generally well received, the chancellor did say that the government intends to continue restraining public sector pay until the deficit is dealt with later in the decade potentially bad news for trading standards officers. The Budget is expected in late March 2015, before the general election on 7 May. UK consumers unaware of product recalls According to a survey by Electrical Safety First, 47 per cent of people have never seen a product recall notice. This means that millions of potentially unsafe devices may still be in use in the UK. A major contributing factor is likely to be that only 33 per cent of consumers say they always fill in registration forms many people are not aware that these forms are used in recalls of unsafe products. Also, 35 per cent of respondents say they are reluctant to complete these forms because they believe their contact details are likely to be used to target them with unwanted marketing material. The charity was especially concerned that five per cent of those surveyed which can be extrapolated to more than two million UK consumers admit to consciously ignoring a recall notice, largely because they either underestimate the risk, or do not want the hassle or expense of returning faulty goods. The issue was raised at the charitys Product Safety First Time for Change conference in November. Saying Bah Scambug to bogus mail Above right: Councillor Rupert Simmons, East Sussex County Council lead member for economy A festive day of action was held in Sussex last month to support people who have fallen victim to scams. Trading standards teams in East and West Sussex teamed up with the National Trading Standards Scams Team to run Operation Bah Scambug on 15 December. Officers in both counties made personal visits to confirmed scam victims to offer support and advice to help stop them handing over money for bogus lotteries, prize draws or clairvoyant scams in the future. The National Trading Standards Scams Team, hosted by East Sussex Trading Standards, receives intelligence from a number of sources, including seized mailing lists, plus information from several national partners, all of which it passes onto local councils. The lists contain details of people who have been targeted by scam letters, including invitations to take part in bogus lotteries and prize draws. People who reply to a scam letter for the first time are put on these sucker lists and their details sold to criminals around the world, leaving them even more vulnerable to becoming a victim again in the future. Victims are often unaware that they have been defrauded, believing the prizes offered are genuine. The crackdown started thanks to a national campaign, launched in April by the National Trading Standards Scam Team, which is now being rolled out across England and Wales. l Anyone who is concerned about a possible scam, or is worried about a friend or relative, is asked to contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 040506. DEREKS STORY PATRICIAS STORY CL AIRES STORY Patricia, a 61-year-old living alone in a rented flat in Hastings, had been sending increasing amounts of money to companies in Australia, believing she would be entered into a lottery with the chance to win substantial amounts of money. She was adamant that the lotteries were genuine but, after providing copies of all the letters she received, agreed to a visit from a trading standards officer and began to understand she had been Derek, from Eastbourne, was about to post a cheque to a bogus company Claire lives on her own in Lewes. After the victim of a scam. she came to the attention of trading Officers were able to assist Patricia in standards, officers arranged a joint visit when he came to the attention of the contacting the companies concerned in conjunction with the county councils National Scams Team. to ask them to stop writing to her and adult social care team. Officers went to his address and, after to get her name added to the Mailing The 59-year-old had been sending they spoke to him it emerged he had Preference Service and Post Office money to a bogus lottery in Australia been tricked into spending more than mailing list to reduce the amount of in the hope of winning large sums 5,000 on scams, including taking part unsolicited mail. of money. in bogus lotteries and making up-front They also supported her in contacting Officers were able to tell Claire payments for goods and services that her bank to try to stop potential future that there was no lottery and it wasnt never materialised. payments to these companies, and genuine. They offered her guidance arranged for clear warning markers about scams and how to avoid replying to the numerous letters he was to be displayed on the communal being tricked. They also contacted receiving and sending cheques. entrance to her property, telling cold the company in Australia, which has callers to stay away. confirmed it has taken Claires name off The 78-year-old has now stopped He is now assisting the scams team by collating the mail he receives and She has now stopped making further its mailing list. has appeared on national television payments to bogus companies and has to tell his story as a warning to other seen a big reduction in the amount of money to Australia and is instead saving potential victims. unsolicited mail she receives. the money in her bank account. Claire has now stopped sending CLICKPICS / ALAMY News "