The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has published its 2024 manifesto, calling for phased additional investment from the government, rising to £100m across four years. CTSI said investment is needed from the government to better protect abiding businesses and consumers.  

CTSI’s three priority areas set out for the next government include:

• Build back trading standards services to better protect consumers and law-abiding businesses through additional investment of over £100m over the course of the next four years
• Create more confident consumers by putting in place greater levels of protection, for example by appointing a Consumer Champion
• Develop a regulatory system that supports business innovation and growth, which includes clearer legal duties for online businesses

Phased investment includes calls to provide £14m for an apprenticeship fund and £20m for local authorities with ports and borders to tackle illegal products entering the UK.

UKVIA launches crackdown initiative

John Herriman, chief executive of CTSI, said: “Our manifesto sets out the bold and necessary action we believe is vital to protect consumers and law-abiding businesses. 

“The UK’s trading standards profession is at the heart of protecting consumers, and we provide a significant layer of defence, but this layer has been decimated in recent years, with the consequence that consumers are at an all-time high of being ripped off, and susceptible to buying products that may be substandard, counterfeit or dangerous. 

“Now is the time that we must build back the trading standards workforce so that consumers can once again be confident, which is vital for the UK’s economic growth and prosperity.”

Polling of trading standards officers released in early 2023 suggests that they are struggling to deal with the volume of intelligence that they’re receiving on the illicit vaping market. 61% of enforcement officers said they don’t have the resources to tackle the illicit trade in tobacco and vaping.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “The work of trading standards is essential in ensuring the safety and legitimacy of the products that retailers sell. The main theme of this report is a need for more resources to put trading standards services on a more sustainable footing.

“Trading standards resources have been stretched to breaking point while the government commits inadequate funding to deal with major issues, such as the illicit tobacco and vaping markets. We will continue to work closely with our trading standards partners and Surrey and Buckinghamshire though our industry leading Assured Advice scheme, and highlight the need for officers to have additional funding to be able to do their jobs effectively.”

Read more news and advice on trading standards