Please note that prior to May 2017 the below response relates to the Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Service covering those County areas and after that date to the Devon, Somerset and Torbay area.
*FTE = Full Time Equivalent
| 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | ||
| 1 | Please tell us what budget your authority allocated for Trading Standards services per head of local population (i.e. net cost per head of local population) for each of the following financial years: | £2.55 per head of the population | £2.35 per head of the population | £2.36 per head of the population |
| 2 | Please tell us the number of posts (headcount) which have been deleted in your authority’s Trading Standards service in: | 0 FTE* | 4.8 FTE* | 2.3 FTE* |
| 3 | Please tell us the number of Trainee/Student Trading Standards Officer posts (headcount) which have been deleted in your authority’s Trading Standards service in: | None – we do not have formal Trainee / Student Trading Standards Officer posts | ||
| 4 | Please tell us which of the following services your authority currently provides and any you have ceased providing at any time since January 2014 by ticking the relevant boxes: | Currently providing | Ceased providing at any time since January 2014 | |
| Weights and measures | Yes | |||
| Fair trading | Yes | |||
| Product safety | Yes | |||
| Food standards | Yes | |||
| Consumer credit | Yes | |||
| Animal health and welfare | Yes | |||
| Agriculture | Yes | |||
| Licensing and age restricted sales | Yes | |||
| Consumer advice – 1st tier | No | |||
| Consumer advice – 2nd tier | No | |||
| Consumer education | No | |||
| Business advice – home authority | No | Yes – we now operate Primary Authority | ||
| Business advice – primary authority | Yes | |||
| Laboratory services | Yes | |||
| Road traffic | No | |||
| Approved trader scheme | Yes | |||
| No Cold Calling Zones | No | |||
| 5 | Please provide figures for the following activities for each of the financial years identified by filling in the boxes below: | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
| Number of enquiries and complaints requiring a response | 1760 | 1692 | 2800 – Includes changes to recording methods, as well as merger with Torbay Trading Standards | |
| Number of enforcement visits | 2535 | 2012 | 1580 | |
| Number of programmed inspections | 460 | 448 | 304 | |
| Number of informal cautions, letters of advice and written warnings issued | 11 Service Warning Letters | 5 Service Warning Letters | 9 Service Warning Letters | |
| **Service Warning Letters are a formal disposal route that can be used when an investigation report is submitted | ||||
| Number of simple cautions issued | 6 | 1 | 9 | |
| Number of prosecutions commenced | 12 | 7 | 10 | |
| Number of age restricted test purchases (e.g. alcohol and tobacco, solvent, fireworks, knives etc) | 98 mystery shopping purchases |
24 formal test purchases 31 mystery shopping purchases |
27 mystery shopping purchases | |