From the editor-in-chief Chris Fay Editor-in-chief chrisf@tsi.org.uk Staying positive amid the gloom and doom Like most people reading this, I’ve worked in the public sector in times of austerity – and, when I was in the newspaper industry, redundancies were like an unwelcome annual tradition. In one former workplace it was often said that ‘complaining about cuts was like complaining about the weather’; I stole the phrase from an old Army pal, who would say the same about the food on camp. What I’m trying to say is that complaining has become a popular British pastime in certain occupations, but one that is increasingly regarded as futile. Local government cuts have become the norm, so there is little interest from the press and public who – let’s face it – have their own problems. But my views come with a caveat. Just complaining about the cuts is like complaining about the weather, but CTSI was never going to do just that. With that in mind, there are two things I would urge you to do. First, if you’re a head of service, please complete the workforce survey – and, if you’re not, ask the boss if they have yet. I’m assuming that your service has suffered further cuts but, if it hasn’t, tell us. Which brings me to my second point – tell us about the work you are doing to enable business and boost our economy. Think of TS Today as the Yellow Pages – not just here for the nasty things in life. While we do understand the pressure the service is under, we always need to hear about the positive stories – no matter how small. Thankfully we often do and, in this month’s edition, we highlight another area where trading standards can help some of the most vulnerable in society – crushing hidden care-home fees. Elsewhere, we take a more in-depth look at the car-clocking and teeth-whitening issues that were in the headlines recently and – as we launch the workforce survey – look back at the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland’s audit and how members deploy their staff. Thanks for reading,