Which? reveals trading standards postcode lottery leaving many consumers exposed to crime, dangerous products and blatant rip-offs
In a comprehensive Freedom of Information request into trading standards’ capacity and performance, the consumer champion contacted 187 trading standards services in England, Wales and Scotland - receiving responses from all of them.
The responses expose shocking differences in staffing levels depending on where people live and services in some areas stretched to the point where it is impossible for them to effectively carry out essential work like intercepting fake and dangerous products, rooting out misleading food claims and cracking down on cowboy builders.
The hollowing out of enforcement services has left some areas with fewer than one trading standards officer per 100,000 people and created situations where small teams of enforcement staff are responsible for enforcing certain areas of compliance by some of the world’s biggest businesses.
Which? found two local authorities that have just one full-time trading standards officer and shockingly low levels of enforcement by a number of services.
There are three London boroughs with only one or two members of staff in their trading standards team, amounting to less than one per 100,000 people living there. Enfield has the smallest team, with 0.43 staff per 100,000 people. By comparison, trading standards for Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay has 67 total staff and 3.7 staff per 100,000 people. Lancashire County Council has 55.6 total staff and 4.44 per 100,000 people. In Orkney, there are almost five trading standards staff covering the islands – the equivalent of almost 21 staff per 100,000 people.
Liverpool City Council, with 5.5 staff in total (1.11 staff per 100,000 people) and Barnsley Borough Council, with 3.1 staff (1.26 staff per 100,000 people), were among the areas found to have low staffing levels.
The impact of funding cuts on the action taken to protect consumers is clearly evident at Enfield Council. It cut its trading standards team from four officers to 1.5 in 2023 - leaving the reduced team of staff responsible for enforcing almost 300 pieces of legislation.
Enfield managed one prosecution and six seizures of products in the financial year 2023/4 but no routine inspections, test purchases or cautions, reflecting the limitations imposed by slashing staff numbers in trading standards departments.
The best staffed areas per head of population were mainly rural, with 11 Welsh authorities in the top 15. This may be because of differences in the approach of devolved governments as well as demographic and geographical issues.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has previously said that spending on trading standards services has been cut by more than 50% over the past decade and staffing levels have fallen by 30%-50% over the same period.
About two thirds of trading standards services that answered Which?’s question about allocating resources said that low staffing levels meant they could not investigate tip-offs at least some of the time. They are facing a constant battle in choosing where to focus resources, and some say they are having to deprioritise traditional areas of work and routine inspections.
Funding generally is a big factor, but Which? believes the government should commit to a comprehensive review of trading standards and use its current spending review to think about how improvements can be made to get better value for money even with current budgets. This should include looking at prioritising resources more effectively, better use of intelligence, sharing of services to make better use of limited resources and a greater role for national regulators.
Trading standards reforms would support the government’s economic growth mission. Better enforced consumer protections help competition because people feel safer shopping around and have the confidence to spend their money. It also helps responsible businesses who sell legitimate products and train their staff not to be undercut by unscrupulous traders.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
“Our research shows that trading standards is no longer fit for purpose. Millions of people face a postcode lottery, which dictates whether they get adequate protection from crime, dangerous products and blatant rip-offs.
“The government could be spending taxpayers’ money more wisely. Without urgent reform to the current system, there could be disastrous consequences for consumers, responsible businesses and economic growth. Which? is calling for the government to look at overhauling the consumer enforcement system as part of its spending review, with more scrutiny of its effectiveness, better use of intelligence, sharing of services and more oversight and accountability.”
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
- Which? sent freedom of information requests to 187 trading standards services covering England, Scotland and Wales, to gather information about their resourcing levels, demand on their services and their enforcement activities. The requests were sent in July 2024 and the final response was received in November 2024.
- Graphics showing the postcode lottery can be found here and here.
- The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has five staff in total (3.42 per 100,000 people) but is also the primary authority for eBay, in addition to its other trading standards duties.
Case studies
Joanna
When Joanna posted on a local Facebook group in autumn 2023 to get recommendations for someone to clean gutters and check her roof, she found a trader who agreed to initial work costing about £860.
Once it was done, he said the roof would only last two years and gave a quote to replace it – saying it would be cheaper as the scaffolding was in place. She agreed, but now says: ‘It was the biggest mistake I ever made.’
The work took twice as long as estimated and the roof leaked. The trader returned four times, creating more problems. He cracked a window and damaged a window sill by dropping a tile on it. He did not even have a permit for the scaffolding. Joanna contacted Citizens Advice. After a generic reply, Citizens Advice did not answer her emails or calls. She contacted the Confederation of Roofing Contractors, which told her West Yorkshire trading standards were aware of the firm and had had five other complaints.
She was told trading standards would contact her, but heard nothing. She’s had to hire another firm to sort the roof. The saga has cost more than £10,000. She does not know if the trader is still operating.
Gwyneth
Around Christmas 2023, Gwyneth bought her 18-month-old grandson a cube with locks and switches for a child to fiddle with, from website Jackie’s Kids. But she says it started to break and bits fell off, and she felt it put her grandson at risk. Gwyneth contacted the firm but had a generic reply and said her follow-up responses were ignored. She contacted local trading standards in Powys and got an automated email asking her to contact Citizens Advice. She did so, but waited 19 minutes on the phone giving up before her call was answered. She emailed trading standards several times without a satisfactory answer. The toy was still for sale more than six months later. Powys trading standards said it reported the issue to the Office for Product Safety and Standards but as the toy had come from abroad, it could not take any further action.
Right of reply from Jackie's Kids
“The WonderCube, referenced in your email, has been a product we’ve closely monitored. While this product was tested and certified for sale, and appropriate safety warnings were clearly displayed, we take customer feedback extremely seriously.
“After receiving reports about the WonderCube, including concerns about potential breakages, we conducted thorough additional testing within our team and engaged directly with customers who raised issues. It is important to note that the WonderCube passed all required safety tests and was certified for sale, meeting established standards at the time. However, to ensure the utmost safety and address any potential concerns, we made the proactive decision to stop selling the WonderCube. The product will not be reintroduced unless significant improvements are made and it successfully passes updated safety certifications.
"While we strive to respond promptly to all customer inquiries, we acknowledge that some feedback may not have reached the appropriate channels. Since this case, we have improved our feedback systems to ensure such concerns are addressed more effectively and promptly in the future."
Additional comments
Valerie Simpson, chairperson of the Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers (ACTSO), said:
“We believe that real investment is needed to support new apprentices into the profession and the existing well-established regional and national framework. However we do not believe that another review of consumer protection structures will address the issues.”
Fiona Richardson, Chief Officer for Trading Standards Scotland, said:
“The declining workforce coupled with an increasing range of legislation to enforce is creating serious issues for the service. Prioritisation and effective use of intelligence is required to ensure trading standards can continue to prevent and tackle consumer detriment.”
John Herriman, Chief Executive at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), said:
"We welcome this latest research from Which? which does reflect many of the challenges and issues that we have highlighted for some time. In 2024, we called on the next Government to provide greater investment in the Trading Standards service to protect consumers and businesses, and to review the funding model to put the service on a more sustainable and secure footing.
“This is crucial because an effective Trading Standards workforce is the backbone of a strong economy, underpins consumer and business confidence and ultimately, supports the Governments' aim for economic growth. Our workforce is also critical in helping protect the public from unsafe products, financial loss and harm, and we are at the very forefront of identifying new and emerging risks.
“We are acutely aware of the financial pressures that Local Authority Trading Standards services have faced over at least the last decade. These constraints have necessitated Local Authorities to continually adapt and innovate. It is a testament to the hard work of Local Authority teams how the profession has evolved and is rolling with the punches. Recent initiatives to future proof the profession include investing in new apprenticeships, adopting an intelligence-led model to help prioritise work, and building effective partnerships both locally and nationally and these have yielded some impressive results. Last year Trading Standards helped to prevent over £600Million of consumer detriment and our work has helped to save lives and protect consumers.
“We, along with other partners in the Trading Standards profession are very keen to fully understand the findings from the Which? Survey. Together with regulators, national and local Government and others partners we will continue to work to identify these and other issues to help us to anticipate, plan and respond to these and other challenges.”
About Which?
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