Noticeboard

The waiting game

Noticeboard The waiting game Since September 2014, Liverpool Council and CTSI have been eagerly awaiting Manchester High Courts decision on whether a judicial review would be held over funding cuts to the citys trading standards service. It was hoped that a hearing would help to establish a threshold for what a minimum trading standards service looks like. On 5 May, the permission hearing that would decide whether a judicial review could take place was due to be held. Here, CTSI chief executive Leon Livermore speaks about why CTSI supported the legal challenge and the importance of the case. Do you know a local hero? Its time to look up from those to-do lists for a moment and nominate the people in your community who have made outstanding contributions to consumer protection, because its Hero Award season. Most of you are familiar with the Hero Awards, one of the most popular events at the annual CTSI conference. For those who are not, we are looking for nurses, carers, local councillors, community organisers, trading standards ofcers and other local residents who have gone above and beyond to protect the vulnerable in their community. Last year CTSI added a media Hero Award in an effort to recognise presenters, journalists and broadcasters who cover consumer protection. This year, were adding yet another award. Because relationship building between Citizens Advice Bureaus (CAB) and trading standards ofces is a critical component of effective consumer protection, we want to recognise outstanding CAB and trading standards partnerships. The partnership may involve a local or national campaign, a new initiative, or directly relate to a consumer protection outcome. Hero Award nominations must be sent to CTSI via pressofce@tsi.org.uk by 31 May. Winners will be announced on 2 July at the CTSI annual conference in Bournemouth. More information, including the nomination form, can be found on CTSIs website. TRADING STANDARDS CONVERSION COURSE UNDER CONSIDERATION CTSI, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and the University of Birmingham are currently considering developing a Food Hygiene conversion course for trading standards officers. The course will cover topics such as microbiology, food manufacture, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and practical food inspection. Upon completion, officers will have covered the taught component of the Higher Certificate in Food Control (HCFC), which is one of the new baseline qualifications for Food Hygiene and Food Standards specified in the FSA Food Law Code of Practice. The course is still in the development stages, but preliminary details are as follows: G The course will be aimed at trading standards officers with a Food Standards qualification, awarded by CTSI. Public or private sector experience in this field is also a requisite G The cost is expected to be 2,050 per candidate G It will be jointly accredited by the CIEH and CTSI G Upon completion of the course, candidates will be required to complete a period of work-based learning and professional assessments, including a portfolio, developed by the CIEH and CTSI G The course will run from either November 2015 to April 2016, or May 2016 to October 2016 It will be delivered through a mix of e-learning and on-campus practical sessions (about 15 days will be hosted on campus in five, three-day blocks). Staff at the university are seeking expressions of interest and views on the proposed course. To register your interest, or to make comments, please contact Madeleine Smith. Leon Livermore joins Twitter Following through on a challenge from youth parliament member Toby Jeffery, CTSI chief executive Leon Livermore has ofcially joined the Twitter throng. Livermores updates give equal weight to meetings with partners, football matches and back and forths with fellow trading standards professionals. Press teams are always a bit nervous to unleash unedited chief executives into the public sphere, but Livermore is a natural. Follow him @LeonLivermore Berkshires 5th Tilehurst Guides received a CTSI Hero Certificate of Commendation in 2014 for creating a Guides Loan Shark Challenge Badge. The project took a year and involved the whole group. After submitting and choosing artwork designs for the badge, the girls educated themselves about illegal lenders, debt, money management and budgeting. From left: Leon Livermore, Kim Jakubiszyn, Katie Taylor and Kirsty Jones, of 5th Tilehurst Guides, and John Peerless New commercial director joins CTSI team CTSI has welcomed new commercial director, Nikki Pasek, to its team. With more than 20 years experience working in local government, Pasek joins CTSI from Cambridgeshire Trading Standards, where she launched several consumer and businessbased initiatives, including the Ask Cedric website and Community Alcohol Partnerships (Cap), which were piloted in Cambridgeshire. Pasek has served on CTSI Council and Board, and has experience as a head of service, a position she held in Cambridgeshire from February 2013. In that role, Pasek worked closely with businesses, helping to develop one of the largest primary authorities in the country. I am very passionate about trading standards and recognise the value that our area of work brings to both businesses and local communities, Pasek said. Having been a head of service in a local authority, I am fully aware of the pressure services are currently under and the difficulties many trading standards staff are facing. I believe the institute is key in helping to ensure a long-term sustainable future for the profession and wanted to be involved in that work. By leading and developing our commercial operations, I believe I can personally contribute to helping to ensure that the trading standards profession goes from strength to strength. In addition to her trading standards achievements, Pasek was named The Guardians public servant of the year in 2004 and was awarded an MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours in 2010. TAKING COUNCIL From the perspective of a fairly recent elected member, Sue Powell offers a round-up of the latest CTSI Council meeting It was good to welcome some new branch reps and to catch up with existing members at CTSIs Spring Council Meeting at Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness, in March. Before embarking on a very full agenda, the day started with a minutes silence in memory of Steve Whitehouse from the Welsh Branch. Paid roles Performance to date Lead officers Education, Conference and the College of Fellows Paid roles Carol Bradys report as chairman of the Board included an update on CTSIs budget, and how this will look in future, depending on the priorities set by and for CTSI. In a tribute to the work that goes into running both the Remuneration and Appointments Committee, and the Audit and Finance Committee, it was suggested that key positions on both bodies should be remunerated. Performance to date The role of the branch rep Breakout sessions Breakout sessions Three breakout sessions covered: Councils engagement with policy issues; what a strategic trading standard authority should look like; and what we would like to see in a product recall system all very topical issues that will ensure CTSI makes the most of new opportunities in these areas. As a relatively new member of Council, I have been surprised by the number and breadth of subjects covered in such a short period at Council meetings. Do look at the papers and minutes on CTSIs website to learn more about the governance of CTSI. All of us on Council are there to represent your views as CTSI members, so please make a point of speaking to your branch rep, or to one of the three nationally elected members, if you have anything that you feel should be raised. Chief executive Leon Livermore gave an update on CTSIs key performance indicators. Some were puzzled and concerned about an apparent lack of promotion of Business Companion the website that explains trading standards law. As this is a Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) initiative, he explained that CTSI relies on BIS funding to publicise the site, and needs to avoid spending its own resources on promoting pieces of work that are the responsibility of other government departments. We also heard that CTSI has refocused its communications resources to get the best from limited resources. Melissa Dring is taking over responsibility for the communications team, following Suzanne Kuysers move to exible retirement, and plans are afoot to strengthen the link between policy and communications at CTSI. Lead officers After the lead ofcer reports, David Templeton, one of CTSIs lead ofcers for metrology, gave an excellent presentation explaining the wide remit that he and his colleagues share, outlining their work over the past year. Education, Conference and the College of Fellows After summarising the latest batch of examination results, Phil Owen, CTSI services director, told us that CTSI is considering a change to the process on reective statements for a short time, based on feedback at the last Council meeting about their cost. Plans for the 2015 CTSI Conference in Bournemouth are well underway, and Phil Bottomley, registrar with the College of Fellows (CoF), said the CoF is receiving nominations for Fellowship for 2016. A copy of Robert Grices book on hallmarking was on view and has been made available to all CTSI members. The role of the branch rep Mark McGinty, CTSI chairman, summarised the role of the CTSI Council representative to provide clarity and consistency. Although the principles in his document were broadly accepted, there was a lively discussion over some of the points he had included.