Agenda item

That the Statutory Service Plans in relation to the Food Safety, Health & Safety and Trading Standards work undertaken by the Council be endorsed.

The Cabinet received a report which sought endorsement of the Statutory Service Plans in relation to the Food Safety Service, Health & Safety Service and Trading Standards Service.

The plans had been developed in accordance with the national requirements set out by the Food Standards Agency, Health & Safety Executive and Department for Business and set out the standards for service provision, monitoring and auditing arrangements.  The Cabinet were briefed on a wide range of activities such as initiatives to intercept counterfeit goods, support vulnerable people victims of rogue traders and the successful Primary Authority scheme, all of which contributed positively to Five Year Plan outcomes.  The teams worked closely with other Council departments as part of an ‘Open for Business’ approach to support the local economy.  It was noted that commercialisation of the services was ongoing and increased cost recovery helped to offset the cost of service delivery.

In response to a question about engagement between the food & safety team and public health team, Commissioners were informed that there was joint working on a number of programmes to promote healthy eating including the Takeaways Project which encouraged some takeways to reduce salt, fat and sugar and increase healthier options.  There was also discussion about whether food hygiene standards were generally rising in Slough.  It was noted that the number of businesses with published ratings under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme had risen by 9% in the past year and the team worked with premises with a rating of 3 or below to improve their standards.  The impact of spending reductions on service provision was also considered and it was stated that whilst the teams were performing well, further reductions could increase risks to service provision in the future.

The Cabinet commended the team for their work and agreed to recommend endorsement of the plans to full Council on 21^st July 2015.

Recommended –  That the Statutory Service Plans in relation to the Food Safety, Health & Safety and Trading Standards work undertaken by the Council be endorsed.