NewsCouncil crackdown on rogue traders pays off New research has shown that a joint approach to cracking down on rogue traders has resulted in fewer businesses slipping through the net. Companies with a high risk of operating in the black economy are being tackled by fraud teams as part of the Better Business Compliance Partnership programme, with the focus on rogue traders flouting multiple regulations. Five local authorities – Cheshire, Cornwall, Ealing, Hertfordshire and Manchester – have joined forces with the police, the Food Standards Agency and the Department for Communities and Local Government to target those breaking multiple rules, from food standards breaches to employing illegal workers. Each council developed different approaches based on local needs but, across each one, evaluation found that joint working helped target resources more effectively to crack down on businesses breaking the law. In Hertfordshire, a tool was developed to record and share data, as well as send warning signals to other agencies, while taxi-licensing officers were trained to identify fudged, fraudulent documents. The partnership programme was launched in October 2014 and a qualitative evaluation of its work is available from www.gov.uk Communities minister Marcus Jones said: ‘Rogue businesses cut corners and provide a shoddy service to their customers and staff. What’s more they are costing councils and agencies the hard-earned cash of taxpayers through inspections and violations. ‘By sharing data, joint visits and acting as each other’s eyes and ears, fewer rogue businesses can slip through the net. ‘I’d encourage all councils to see what more they could do to ensure their legitimate businesses can compete on a level playing field.’ A second phase of the programme will test the effectiveness of data science in helping to tackle a range of non-compliance by businesses in Ealing. Scale of food crime in UK assessed for first time The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the first assessment of food crime in the UK. It examines the scale and nature of the food crime threat to the UK’s £200bn food and drink industry. Undertaken by the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), the Food Crime Annual Strategic Assessment (FCASA) found little evidence to suggest that organised crime groups had made significant in-roads into UK food supply chains. However, as the food and drink sector represents 11 per cent of the UK economy and the likelihood of detection is relatively low, the report concludes that a significant risk to consumers and legitimate businesses from serious fraud remains. The report identifies a wide range of vulnerabilities and risks across the food industry, and will inform the NFCU’s priorities over the next year. Andy Morling, head of the NFCU, said: ‘This assessment confirms that, while the UK continues to have some of the safest and most authentic food in the world, we must remain vigilant to ensure we keep it that way. ‘The NFCU was established in the wake of the horsemeat episode. That came at a huge cost to the UK food industry, not just financially but also in terms of reputation. It illustrated why it is vital for the food industry, law enforcement agencies and regulators to work together to combat the threat of food crime. ‘This is the first time we have had a law enforcement capability focused exclusively on food-related crime. Working in partnership in this way ensures other agencies with a role to play in tackling food crime are not working in isolation.’ Conducted on behalf of the FSA and Food Standards Scotland, the FCASA will be carried out annually. Which? research has uncovered hundreds of cases of washing machine glass doors shattering or cracking – and, it says, two in five are Beko appliances. The consumer champion first reported on defective washing machine glass doors in 2012, and says that, since then, the flow of incidents has continued. Combining a variety of sources, it has now identified 280 reports of washing machine, washer- dryer or tumble-dryer doors cracking or shattering, often leaving shards of glass scattered across the floor. The oldest incident dates back to 2010, but it says there are more recent reports. Of the 280 known reports, Which? says 115 (41 per cent) concern Beko machines, with Hotpoint second (10 per cent). Which? estimates that Beko’s market share is between 10-20 per cent, which it says indicates that the issue of exploding Beko machines is disproportionately high. Beko defended the findings, saying: ‘The issue is extremely rare. Out of more than three million washing machines sold by Beko since 2010, there have been 115 reported incidents, less than 0.003 per cent.’ Watchdog names best – and worst – mobile phone providers The latest mobile satisfaction survey by consumer watchdog Which? has revealed that Vodafone and EE are failing on customer satisfaction, while online provider giffgaff tops the table. Vodafone and EE scored 49 per cent overall, joint second bottom, with one in 10 EE users rating customer service and ease of getting in touch with the company as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. Giffgaff – which has no shops or call centres, operates online and offers pay-as-you-go (PAYG) Sim cards alongside unlocked handsets – came top of the survey. Asda Mobile came second, with its PAYG service rated highly for value for money, while Tesco Mobile occupied the third spot. Alex Neill, director of campaigns and communications at Which?, said: ‘Our latest survey once again shows that the major mobile providers are still failing on the basics of customer service.’ The annual survey questioned more than 4,000 members of the public. hundreds of faulty washing machines uncovered by Which? probe cold callers forced to display phone numbers Direct marketing companies registered in the UK will be banned from withholding their phone numbers under a new law announced by Baroness Neville Rolfe, minister responsible for data protection. From 16 May 2016, direct marketing companies will need to display their phone numbers when making unsolicited phone calls – even if their call centres are based abroad. It is anticipated that this amendment in legislation will not only improve consumer protection, making it easier for people to refuse and report unwanted marketing calls, but will ensure the Information Commissioner’s Office can investigate and take enforcement action against callers who persistently and deliberately break the rules. Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: ‘This is another important victory in the fight against nuisance calls. With marketing firms now being forced to display their numbers when making calls, it will make it much easier for people to report them and enforcement action to be taken when companies break the law.’ uk Bills too large to scrutinise properly, warns draughtsman A parliamentary draughtsman has warned that the length of new Bills is becoming so great that parliament is unable to scrutinise them properly. In a report published by the Centre for Policy Studies, draughtsman Daniel Greenberg shows how the average number of clauses within Bills has doubled. The 1960 Annual Volume of Public General Acts – the official edition of all Acts passed that year – was 1,200 A5 pages long, while in 2010 the same document had grown to 2,700 A4 pages. Greenberg suggests that to counter the trends, increasing publicity and transparency on the degree of parliamentary scrutiny of Bills could be effective. He proposes introducing two new elements to the legislative process. First, that the explanatory notes for a Bill should record the level of scrutiny it receives in each House and, second, that this information should be put into a yearly review to be debated in both Houses. Entitled Dangerous Trends in Modern Legislation... and how to reverse them, the report was published on 8 April. alePh Studio / ShutterStock SergeBertaSiuSPhotograPhy / ShutterStock