Agenda item

1.     The proposal to create a new Joint Trading Standards Service with Buckinghamshire County Council with effect from 1 April 2015 be approved.

2.     That the Executive functions of the Council, which are within the remit of the Trading Standards service, shall be discharged by a newly constituted Joint Committee to be established with Buckinghamshire County Council with effect from 1 April 2015 be agreed.

3.     That the Joint Committee will comprise one Cabinet Member from each partner authority, together with another member from each who may attend regularly in an optional advisory and supportive capacity but who would not form part of the Joint Committee itself be agreed.

4.     The responsibility for agreeing the detail of an Inter Authority Agreement with Buckinghamshire, and other related issues including establishing the Standing Orders for the Joint Committee, be delegated to the Strategic Director for Customers and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Services.

5.     The responsibility to amend the Council’s Constitution to reflect the changes arising from the report be delegated to the Director of Legal and Democratic Services.

Reasons for Decisions:

The creation of a new joint Trading Standards service will enhance services for residents and business in Surrey and in Buckinghamshire.

A new joint service will enable both local authorities to achieve the Medium Term Financial Plan targets, and will position the service better to generate further income in future years.

The Cabinet Member for Community Services introduced the report and explained that the proposal was a natural continuation from the 2012 Public Value Review and recommended the creation of a joint Trading Standards Service between Surrey and Buckinghamshire.

The new service would provide an enhanced service for residents and businesses in both counties. It would also ensure future service resilience, whilst at the same time reducing costs. The cashable savings would equate to approximately 12% of the joint service delivery costs by year 4.  The alternative for each service would be service delivery reductions which would reduce both the protection for residents and the support for local businesses.

She commented that Buckinghamshire County Council had agreed the proposal at their Cabinet meeting the previous day and that the Communities Select Committee had also reviewed the proposals and voted in favour of the approach.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care stated that he welcomed the approach and that it was a fantastic development for the Trading Standards service.

Following agreement of the recommendations in the submitted report, Councillor Margaret Ashton from Buckinghamshire County Council spoke to explain her enthusiasm for the joint service and confirmed that Buckinghamshire Cabinet had agreed wholeheartedly with the approach yesterday. She asked Members to note the importance of the work done and how it should be used as a promotion tool to other local authorities who may be considering similar options. She expressed particular thanks to the officers from Surrey and Buckinghamshire for the work they had done and that she looked forward to working together in partnership.

RESOLVED:

1.     The proposal to create a new Joint Trading Standards Service with Buckinghamshire County Council with effect from 1 April 2015 be approved.

2.     That the Executive functions of the Council, which are within the remit of the Trading Standards service, shall be discharged by a newly constituted Joint Committee to be established with Buckinghamshire County Council with effect from 1 April 2015 be agreed.

3.     That the Joint Committee will comprise one Cabinet Member from each partner authority, together with another member from each who may attend regularly in an optional advisory and supportive capacity but who would not form part of the Joint Committee itself be agreed.

4.     The responsibility for agreeing the detail of an Inter Authority Agreement with Buckinghamshire, and other related issues including establishing the Standing Orders for the Joint Committee, be delegated to the Strategic Director for Customers and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Services.

5.     The responsibility to amend the Council’s Constitution to reflect the changes arising from the report be delegated to the Director of Legal and Democratic Services.

Reasons for Decisions:

The creation of a new joint Trading Standards service will enhance services for residents and business in Surrey and in Buckinghamshire.

A new joint service will enable both local authorities to achieve the Medium Term Financial Plan targets, and will position the service better to generate further income in future years.