Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
Implementation Plan 2011-12
High Priority Programmed Interventions
Inspection Type
Service Operational
Target (minimum)
Priority(1)
Completion
date
HR premises
328
High
End Sept 2011
100% ‘home authority’
premises
98
High
End Feb 2012
BWC Re-audits
40
High
End Dec 2011
75% attendance at
livestock markets
404
High
End Mar 2012
100% Livestock abattoir
premises
102
High
End Mar 2012
Comments
Some alternative interventions to HR premises – not all
visits.
75% of livestock markets to include 100% pig markets
(statutory requirement) Reduce visit times. Use home
authority approach.
North – 56, South – 12, East – 20, Mid – 14
Low risk: quarterly attendance at some point during operating
hours
Medium risk: Monthly attendance at some point during operating
hours
High risk: Weekly attendance at some point during operating hours
100% livestock haulier
premises
100% livestock dealer
premises
Maintain & Exercise
Animal Disease
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22
High
End Dec 2011
North – 5, South – 6, East – 2, Mid - 9
14
High
End Dec 2011
North – 6, South – 4, East – 2, Mid - 2
High
End March
2012
Exercise to involve
TSFP businesses
Develop and execute animal disease exercise
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
emergency contingency
plans
(Trading Standards
Farming Partnership)
£30,000
High
£10,000 – contingency for Fair Trade and complaints
samples and Home Authority samples
£3,000 - safety projects
£8,000 – food projects
£9,000 – feed projects
see project lists for details
End Feb 2012
Sampling Programme
Risk Assessed Inspections
Inspection Type
Service Operational
Target (minimum)
Farm Visits (Food &
Feed Hygiene & Animal
By Products)
300
Priority
High
Completion date
End Mar 2012
Comments
Targeted from welfare or ABP complaints and minimum 500
postal record checks
Minimum level for market surveillance purposes.
Targeted from self-assessment checks and safety complaints.
Petroleum Licensing
Inspections
12
High
Audit checks also at metrology inspections
End Feb 2012
10% Minimum level for market surveillance purposes.
Explosives
 All Year
Licences
 Standard
Licences
 Registrations
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


4
High
15
15
End Feb 2012



100%
100%
10% Minimum level for market surveillance purposes
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
W/B Inspections
20 weighbridges
Medium
End Feb 2012
Over 1 week at least – may change once scheduled research
project is completed (RLS)
High Priority Demand Led Activities
Indicative Target(2)
Inspection Type
100% businesses
compliant with
legislation at end of visit
process
End June 2012
Target based on previous year’s
activity
75
High
End March 2012
Target based on current rate of
take up
221 tests done in the Metrology
Laboratory over the 2010 / 11
year and additionally field
officers carried out 83
verifications.
High
End March 2012
Target based on previous year’s
activity



Consumer Complaint
Handling
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Comments
High

New Business
Interventions
Completion date
100%
BWC New Members
Metrology Verifications
Priority

350 new businesses
interventions
123 primary visits (35%)
227 alternative interventions
Complaints Received in
2010/11 = 2476 direct to TS
and 5495 via Consumer
Direct
Complaints Investigated in
2010/11 = 2997
Target based on previous year’s
activity
High
End March 2012
Nature of intervention based on
assessed need and relevant
partnership opportunities
Target based on previous year’s
activity
High
End March 2012
Nature of intervention based on
assessed criminal elements
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
Business Enquiries
Formal Criminal Reports
Formal Civil/Licensing
Action Reports
Received in 2010/11 = 2476
direct to TS and 46 via
Consumer Direct
High
End March 2012
Target based on previous year’s
activity
26 in 2010/11
High
End March 2012
Target based on previous year’s
activity
None in 2010/11
High
End March 2012
Target based on previous year’s
activity
Key Intervention Area: Age Restricted Products – Alcohol and Tobacco: For details see Annual Plan
Activity
Mid Devon CAP
Responsible Retailer
Scheme
Objectives & Targets
Objective
Investigate the feasibility of the creation of a Mid
Devon Responsible Retailer Scheme and the
feasibility of carrying this out
Target
Draft report indicating feasibility of project and
options as to structure and scope of
responsibilities- including provision of the scheme
via BWC
Objective
If feasible- set up a Responsible Retailer Scheme
within Mid Devon CAP which will provide a
“quality system” for the members in terms of Age
Restricted Product “Due Diligence”
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Priority
Completion
date
High
End
September
2012
End March
2012
Comments
A Mid Devon community
survey commissioned in late
2010 showed that 48.6% of
people disagreed or strongly
disagreed that their
town/village was a safe and
social place to be of an
evening at weekends.
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
Targets

To draft the scheme’s policies and
documentation including:
 Standard Operating procedures
 “New Deal” agreement on market
surveillance by Mystery Shopping/ Test
Purchasing (Market Surveillance
Policy)
 Membership Terms and Conditions
 To obtain non retail sector partners to
contribute to running of scheme
 To obtain press coverage and publicity for
launch of scheme and two more press
releases
Mystery Shopping
Project
Objective
Carry out scoping exercise to identify implications
for the service of mystery shopping as a market
surveillance tool in the arena of Age Restricted
Products
Set up a “Mystery Shopping” process for market
surveillance for Age Restricted Products by
Devon Trading Standards with Adult (18 yr old
staff) to carry out mystery shopping testing of
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End
September
2012
High
End
September
2012
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
“Challenge 21/25 policies”
Targets
 Preparation of scoping documents
including usage policy, risk
assessments
 Preparation of procedure documents
 Recruitment of mystery shopping staff
 Training of mystery shopping staff
Activity
Review of ARP
Operating Procedures,
Including Test
Purchasing
Objectives & Targets
Review all elements of current operational
procedures relating to Age Restricted Product
Test Purchasing
Create a “Devon” ARP policy identifying what
areas would be proactively enforced and what
would be reactively enforced and which would
result in signposting only. The circumstances for
action in each case will be identified.
Tasks


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Develop Devon ARP policy
Review and redraft operational
Priority
Completion
date
Medium
End
September
2012
Comments
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service

procedures for test purchasing
Develop an officer training program for
Test Purchasing Work

Develop officer training on how to carry
out ARP advice visits including the use
of NPOANS
 Procedures for setting up a C A P will
be formalised into a Best Practice
Guide
Tobacco Control
To carry out further test purchasing work at retail
Non Mainstream Outlets level using DH monies previously allocated for
Tobacco Vending Machines. This would be
targeted at outlets not covered by previous TP
operations- such as specialist tobacconists and
those premises selling
High
End October
2011
High
End October
2011
Targets (10 Visits)
 To create a target list of premises that
are non mainstream retailers of
tobacco products (i.e. non grocery/
newsagents tobacco outlets- such as
headshops/ specialist
tobacconists/market stalls)
 To carry out age restricted test
purchasing of tobacco products
Niche Tobacco
Products
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Monitoring the supply of niche tobacco products
following project undertaken in 2008/09;
Complete funded Swercots
(South West Region Chief
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
Officers of Trading
Standards) projects from
2010/11 regional projects
Advising businesses on regulatory compliance;
Establishing chain of supply to identify
importers/wholesalers.
Targets
Identification of outlets in Devon selling niche
product
Test purchase of product for analysis at 4
premises
Advice to all such outlets
Identification of wholesaler/suppliers of product
Service Improvement & Development Work
Objectives & Targets
Activity
Restructure existing
support activities into
new TSConnect Team
Develop Intelligence
Analysis facility within
TSConnect team
Develop facility to report
on outcomes and impact
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




Agree through TSMG role and scope of new TSConnect
team
Resource and develop new team

Develop agreed intelligence analysis facility,
Submit business case for funding
Implement new IT systems and develop staff with
appropriate skills
Submit regular monthly reports in agreed format to TAG.


Develop agreed reporting facility
Develop appropriate methodologies and staff skills
Priority
Completion date
High
31/08/11
High
31/12/11
High
31/12/11
Comments
See TSConnect task &
finish group action plan
Be prepared for
development in civil law
activities and consumer
landscape review
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service
of TS work.


Review the Service
Communications Policy
Review Career
Progression Scheme








Develop Quality
Monitoring Policy and
Procedures




Produce New Sampling
Service Level
Agreement
Provide professional
development training
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


Produce regular reports evidencing outcome and impact
of Service work
Review and agree new Communications Policy with
TSMG
Review terms of reference for TAG
Re-invigorate staff suggestion scheme
Review agile working requirements in terms of
communication
Review existing scheme in light of Service reorganisation
Submit TSMG report on CPS for TSConnect team
members
Develop and mainstream IMS,
Implement comprehensive quality monitoring and audit
systems
Maintain UKAS accreditation for the lab, achieve E2
standards for designated weights
Develop APP management, user group, administration
and monitoring
Review complaints about service delivery procedures
and monitor complaints
Maintain databases for licensing (poisons, explosives,
petroleum, sampling and feed hygiene)
To meet customer satisfaction targets in our monthly
quality monitoring surveys (95%)
New service level agreement and full tender process
needs to be completed.
Consider joint SLA with Cornwall and / or business
partnership with service provider.
Complete DCATS training for officers in 2011/12 training
programme
Med
31/07/11
High
31/07/11
High
31/03/12
31/12/11
30/06/11
31/07/11
31/07/11
31/03/12
quarterly
corporate report
High
31/03/12
High
31/03/12
DCATS – Diploma in
Consumer Affairs and
Devon County Council Trading Standards Service



Review and produce
necessary performance
returns
Develop use of social
media
Develop website and ezine delivery
Lead on Service Spatial
planning

Review current reporting requirements and agree through
TSMG new performance returns

Produce TSMG report outlining objectives of social media
use
Implement agreed projects
Provide a high standard of self help and on line
information
Work with corporate colleagues to secure appropriate
facilities for Service need post Dec 2012
Develop income generation elements of our work as
agreed through TSMG
Develop administration and financial processes for
payments




Increase service Income

Trading Standards
Develop in-house training and exam centre facility for
DCATS courses
Provide training for specialists
Provide analyst training for TSConnect team
High
31/03/12
Low
31/03/12
High
31/03/12
Low
31/03/12
High
31/03/12
See Income Generation
Plan
30/06/11
Intelligence Led Projects: Project list is updated and prioritised on an on-going basis by the Tactical Assessment Group.
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