News Peterborough and Cambs plan to beat cuts with shared services A proposal has been announced for Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council to share trading standards services. The move is part of the continued efforts by both councils to find ways to save money in the face of further cuts. Peterborough would act as the hosting authority and it is expected that efficiencies would result from reduced systems cost, and lower annual regulatory subscriptions and memberships. Existing offices in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire would be retained, and officers would continue to operate from their current bases under a fully integrated management team. Councillor Irene Walsh, from Peterborough City Council, said: By collaborating with our neighbours in Cambridgeshire to create a joint trading standards service, we can deliver a stronger, more resilient service, [including] more effective interventions against increasingly sophisticated criminal activity. It will also mean we can better handle major incidents, such as animal health disease outbreaks, and provide an enhanced offering to support business growth. With increasing pressure on budgets, we must make sure we work hard to get the best value from our spending, and find more efficient and cost-effective ways of providing services. Peterborough has existing contractual arrangements in place to deliver a trading standards service for Rutland County Council. Cambridgeshire county councillor Mac McGuire said: This new joint initiative makes perfect sense in helping support our local businesses while meeting the financial challenges ahead. It means improved joint working and sharing of intelligence to stop criminals and fraudsters targeting the most vulnerable in our communities. After a full consultation, if agreed, the shared service arrangement is expected to come into force on 1 April 2017. E-cigarettes less toxic and safer chemicals by analysing the saliva and urine of long-term e-cigarette and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) users. Scientists found that people who started using e-cigarettes or NRT for at least six months, instead of smoking regular cigarettes, had much lower levels of toxic and cancer- causing substances in their body than people who continued to use conventional cigarettes. However, those who used e-cigarettes or NRT while continuing to smoke didnt show the same marked differences, highlighting that a complete switch is needed to reduce exposure to toxins. Istock.com/rIchlEgg A study funded by Cancer Research UK has added to the growing evidence that e-cigarettes are a much safer alternative to tobacco, and suggests the long-term effects of these products will be minimal. The research, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, compares body-level exposure to key New powers to crack down on laser attacks People who shine laser pens at pilots or train, bus and taxi drivers will face fines of thousands of pounds, or a jail sentence, under stronger new powers designed to protect the public. Under the Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill, shining lasers at any transport operator will become an offence. Currently, it is only an offence to shine lasers at pilots, and offenders face fines of up to 2,500. But police do not have the powers to tackle and investigate effectively the inappropriate use of laser devices against aircraft, trains, buses and other forms of transport. At the moment, the police have to prove a person endangered an aircraft when shining a laser, whereas the new law will mean they only have to prove the offence of shining the laser. The topic hit the headlines recently, after several aircraft were endangered by lasers which have the potential to blind pilots temporarily being pointed into the cockpit. Anna Soubry, then junior minister for small business, industry and enterprise, criticised trading standards for failing to do enough to stop dangerous laser products reaching consumers. Speaking of the proposed change to the law, Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, said: Shining a laser pointer at pilots or drivers is incredibly dangerous and could have fatal consequences. There are around 1,500 laser attacks on aircraft every year in the UK, and we know there have been similar attacks on trains and buses. What I am announcing are plans to give the police effective powers to investigate and bring those who misuse lasers to justice. The powers and penalties for the offence will be outlined in upcominglegislation. Steve Landells, Flight Safety Specialist at the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA), said: BALPAwelcomes this move to tighten the law on lasers. Any move to give the police and authorities more powers to tackle this real and growing threat to flight safety is a good thing, and we are pleased the government has included action on lasers in this bill. uk firm provenance creates online product passport Disruptive technology company Provenance has developed an app to enable retailers and customers to track a product from origin to point of sale. Founder Jessi Baker describes Provenance as a software platform that businesses can join to create a passport to products we can trust. Behind every product is a complex chain of people and places, and thats a really important part of why people buy things, she adds. Insisting that such transparent supply chains will be commonplace in five years time, Baker cites Brighton firm hiSbe as a pioneering food and drink company thats using Provenance to illustrate the supply chain of its products online. Provenance is about making that information transparent not only to shoppers, but also to businesses, all along the supply chain.