Partner Article

New board to uncover rogue traders

The Government has announced plans to make the new Citizens Advice Service a champion for consumer information across a range of sectors and a new National Trading Standards Board.

The new Citizens Advice service will take on the responsibilities from Consumer Focus to represent consumer interests in unregulated sectors, while a new technical Regulated Industries unit will work with the energy and postal services sectors.

Despite the introduction of a new service, Trading Standards will continue to play a critical role in protecting consumers and businesses, and a Government investment of £10.5 million will help to build on local expertise and strengthen cross-boundary working mechanisms.

It is hoped that the new system will make it even easier to catch unscrupulous traders.

Consumer Affairs Minister Norman Lamb hopes that the new reforms will ensure that the UK has the right system of help, advice and protection for consumers.

He said: “For too long people have been faced with an array of different bodies for advice and support, but its not always clear who to turn to first.

’The Citizens Advice service will become the publicly-funded voice of consumers, championing their needs and empowering them to make the right choices for themselves.

“A new National Trading Standards Board is exactly what we need to combat priority areas such as loan sharks and internet scams.”

As part of the reforms, a new National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) will bring together representatives of Trading Standards from England and Wales to prioritise, fund and coordinate national and regional enforcement cases.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has also set up a task group to look at how best to deliver the landscape changes in Scotland in both the short- and long- term.

The NTSB will be responsible for gathering important intelligence from around the country to combat rogue traders, and tackle priorities such as internet scams, illegal money lending and other enforcement issues that go beyond local authority boundaries.

Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice said: “This is good news for consumers. With consumer advice, advocacy and education all under one Citizens Advice service roof, consumers will get a service they know and trust. One that helps them resolve their problem, learn how to avoid similar issues, and get involved in making sure the same thing doesn’t happen to other people.

“Citizens Advice has a strong history of advising consumers and championing their problems at a national and local level. We’re pleased that this decision will now allow us to do more to help consumers in this way. We will work closely with Consumer Focus and the Government to ensure a smooth transition for the benefit of consumers.”

Competition authorities are set to play a key role in protecting consumers, following changes announced last month. The new Competition and Markets Authority will now be responsible for ensuring that effective competition is present across all markets in the UK economy for the benefit of consumers, whilst also allowing more effective co-ordination with Trading Standards.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .