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Rotherham
Metropolitan
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hbourhoods and 4dults.Services, Directorate Neighbourhoods
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My Reference: ,
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Date: . It- !-';'-'I +: -
DS - Mr D Swaine 26'h February:2007 I I ,
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Nigel Cates, , ,
strategy and Planning team
The Office of Fair Trading
Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London
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OFT - Annual Blanc20071 08,-
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I write on behalf of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to response to the
consultation.
OFT Vision
The vision should, highlight the OFT's role in supporting Trading Standards Service
delivery .in.line with the governments better regulation agenda.
L
OFT Structure
The OFT, through ,its structure' needs to show clear links with :the Local Better
Regulation office and evidence its relationship with the work of the Better Regulation
.Executive and Cabinet Office. This would ensure that the OFT's role to co-ordinate and
champion Trading Standards Services 'form part of the government's better regulation
agenda. The OFT's structure also needs to ensure sufficient focus is given to supporting
Trading .Standards Services to deliver services in line with the governments Better
Regulation'Action.Plan. . , . ,
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Performance framework and obiectives
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Objective;:. Deliver,highFimpactoutcomes
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1 i r * T t
Removrng Barrrers to Work
upporting New Bus~nesses INVESTOR IN PEOPLE
We believe the OFT is well placed to contribute to the development of legislation to
place the LBRO on a statutory footing and that its knowledge and understanding of
Trading Standards Services would greatly assist this process. We also feel very strongly
that the OFT has a key role to play in the development of any legislation to formalise the
'Home Authority' referral process.
Objective 2: To be a centre .of intelligence and excellence
The dissemination of information from Consumer Direct and the regional intelligence
network needs to develop in line with the government's wider e-government agenda.
Any such developments should be aligned with the delivery of e-government priority G6
to ensure local authorities are not burdened with duplicate intelligence sharing
networks.
The performance management of consumer direct needs to be aligned to the wider
changes to local authority regulatory services performance reporting. This will help to
ensure consistency and enable local authorities to evidence consumer satisfaction
levels in line with referrals passed from consumer direct.
Objective 3: To work in partnership
ld
The OFT s h o ~ ~ utilise its knowledge of Trading Standards Services to inform the
setting up of the LBRO in partnership with Cabinet Office. This partnership should give
bZsedl approach+toregulation-in-
particular regard to the development a 66K6istentm'ri5k
line with the Hampton review principles. The OFT should also contribute to the
governments proposals to implement the recommendations of the Macrory review of
penalties. This will help to ensure any, changes to the penalty regime support the
effective and efficient delivery of Trading Standards Services. Furthermore the OFT
should influence national priority setting by contributing to the Rogers Review of
Regulatory Priorities. ,.
1 Objective 4: To develop the OFT as an organisation
The OFT should set an example to Trading Standards Services on providing a
structured and rewarding career. This will help to support the work being done to
address the nationwide retention and recruitment problem. It would be advantageous to
link this to any plans to review the qualification and corr~petenceneeds of enforcement
officers and the niove towards a more vocational professional development process.
To conclude I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for accepting our response
to the consultation and enabling me to outline our views.
Yours sincerely,
n
Daniel Swaine
Trading Standards and Business Partnership Manager
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