Trading Standards Service Plan 2025 to 2026

The Borough of Stockton-on-Tees covers an area of 20,393 hectares and is an area of contrasts - a mixture of busy town centres, urban residential areas and picturesque villages, whilst also maintaining a strong industrial presence. The population of almost 200,000, living in approximately 86,000 households, is increasing steadily, with a 2.8% rise recorded over the last seven years.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has a vital role to play in providing quality services to the people of the Borough. The Council is performing strongly and is committed to improving services for local people through strong leadership, effective partnerships and investment in priorities. This is reflected within the Council's Powering Our Future Programme.

Operating effectively with a growing demand for services alongside continued budget restrictions, provides a real challenge for the Council. 

However, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has always been recognised as a customer-focused council that delivers value for money and makes effective use of its resources, through strong political and executive leadership, good governance and talented, committed employees. It is these attributes, alongside a planned approach to managing tight budget allocations, that has helped the Authority in protecting frontline services.

Within this setting the Trading Standards Service provides an important regulatory function, carrying out a range of duties aimed at protecting consumers and reputable businesses. This protection is provided in relation to virtually the full range of personal and household goods and services, from the purchase of daily necessities to the arrangement of a mortgage.

Through advice, education, enforcement and partnership working, the primary aim of the Trading Standards Service is to provide a fair and safe trading environment for the benefit of consumers and reputable businesses in Stockton-on-Tees. 

The service planning process for Trading Standards is vital in ensuring that resources are allocated to priority areas, which meet the needs and wishes of local consumers and businesses. Taking steps to review, develop and modernise service provision underpin this process and help to identify possible service efficiencies.

Any feedback on this plan would be welcomed and can be made in writing to Trading Standards, 16 Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1TX, by telephone on 01642 526560, or via email at trading.standards@stockton.gov.uk.

The Trading Standards Service aims to promote open and competitive markets whilst empowering consumers, making it easier for them to resolve problems. Only in a safe and fair trading environment, which protects both consumers and reputable business activity, can the local economy succeed and flourish.

The Service's key areas of responsibility can be shown as follows:

Through advice, education, enforcement and partnership working, the primary aim of the Trading Standards Service is to provide a fair and safe trading environment, for the benefit of consumers and reputable businesses in Stockton-on-Tees.  

In striving to meet this aim, the Trading Standards Service undertakes a number of activities including:

• pro-active, intelligence led market surveillance work to ensure legal requirements are met and consumers can shop with confidence. This includes sampling and testing of goods and carrying out business inspections to identify problems before they cause harm
• advice and support services for businesses to ensure that they can get things right at an early stage and meet their legal obligations. This includes the testing and certification of weighing and measuring equipment and providing tailored business advice
• providing specialist advice and information to consumers to enable them to make sound, safe and well-informed choices and to help with problems concerning the supply of faulty and misdescribed goods and services
• responding to complaints from local consumers and businesses and investigating breaches of consumer protection legislation to help prevent harmful and hazardous business practices, prevent detriment to consumers and reputable business and to ensure public safety
• working in partnership with a number of different organisations and bodies such as other council services, the Police, the North East Regional Investigations Team and the Citizens Advice Consumer Service, to underpin all of the above activities and to develop and improve service delivery

To help achieve its aim, the Service has identified five key service priorities:

1. ensuring a safe, fair and competitive trading environment
2. supporting reputable businesses
3. contributing to public health and wellbeing
4. protecting the vulnerable
5. providing an effective and efficient service

Each priority has a number of actions and activities identified for the period of this Plan. These are set out in more detail in Section 10 and Appendix 1.

Trading Standards sits within the 'Our People' corporate theme and also makes important contributions to all other corporate themes:

Our People - people are safe, healthy and protected from harm

• ensuring the safety of all consumer goods
• dealing with doorstep crime
• tackling rogue traders
• protecting the vulnerable from mass marketing scams
• promoting the wellbeing of children through work to prevent underage sales
• tackling illegal money lending
• creating No Cold Calling Zones in designated areas
• regulating food standards including provisions around allergens, labelling, and compositional requirements
• tackling the supply of counterfeit and illicit tobacco
• enforcing controls on the display, advertising and labelling of tobacco
• restricting the supply of non-compliant vaping products, including sales to children
• protecting children from the harm caused by alcohol
• promoting healthy eating and nutritional standards
• promoting home safety initiatives
• working closely with partner agencies, both locally and regionally, to tackle rogue traders in targeted operations

Our Places - a place that is vibrant, clean and attractive

• regulating estate agents, letting agents and property misdescriptions
• registering and controlling the activities of animal feed establishments
• monitoring weight restricted areas on roads throughout the Borough, to protect the environment, reduce congestion and keep pedestrians and other road users safe
• testing the accuracy of 'green' claims
• regulating rules on construction products, hazardous substances and packaging requirements
• enforcing regulations concerning the safety of fertilisers and pesticides
• monitoring the provision of Energy Performance Certificates and Display Energy Certificates
• acting as a responsible authority under the Licensing Act to help regulate entertainment activities, late night refreshment and sales of alcohol

Our Economy - a thriving economy where everyone has an opportunity to succeed

• promoting a fair, safe and equitable marketplace
• providing comprehensive business advice and support
• providing a high quality consumer advice and information service
• undertaking risk based, comprehensive inspections of local businesses
• active targeting of rogue traders and trading malpractice
• tackling product counterfeiting
• providing a high quality weights and measures calibration service for local industry

Our Council - a council that is ambitious, effective and proud to serve

• maintaining professional competency frameworks
• ongoing commitment to train staff and update skills and knowledge
• ensuring very high levels of customer satisfaction
• using an Accredited Financial Investigator to help ensure that criminals do not benefit from their criminal conduct and that where appropriate, their assets are confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002

National Trading Standards Board (NTSB)

NTSB is a group of Chief Trading Standards Officers, representing all regions across England and Wales. The work of the Board is funded by the Government as part of changes to the consumer protection landscape and the development of an enhanced role for Trading Standards. The National Trading Standards Board provides leadership, support and resources to help combat consumer and business detriment across regional and national boundaries.  A lot of work has been carried out pulling together a national strategic assessment for Trading Standards based on intelligence to identify those areas causing the most detriment to consumers and businesses.

For 2025 to 2026, National Trading Standards Board has identified the following priority areas:

• mass marketing fraud and scams
• doorstep crime and cold calling (including energy fraud)
• illicit and underage sale of vapes
• illicit tobacco
• lettings and estate agency
• used cars
• fair trading - other misleading practices
• intellectual property
• animal feed work

The National Trading Standards Board has also recognised that the internet and especially social media is a selling platform of choice for rogue traders and is therefore a cross cutting issue across all priorities. As such eCrime is embedded across all the key priority areas of work, in particular looking at those enablers that allow criminals to function, for example, web site hosting, payment providers, fulfilment houses, bank accounts, intermediaries.

Another cross cutting theme and enabler is serious and organised crime groups, working across regional and national boundaries. It is also recognised that the cost of living crisis will have an impact on each priority area.  

These priority areas provide a focus for regional and local regulatory activity and collaborative working with partner organisations, delivering national outcomes through local action. Local authorities are empowered to use local discretion and autonomy to select the most appropriate ways to meet the regulatory priorities in their locality.

The Service has considered these national priority areas when setting its own key priorities for 2025 to 2026.

North East Trading Standards Association (NETSA)

North East Trading Standards Association is a regional partnership of the twelve north east local authority Trading Standards Services, working to enhance local service provision and to contribute to meeting local, regional and national priorities. North East Trading Standards Association has sub-groups focussed on specialist areas such as product safety and metrology, which report directly to the Executive.

The North East Trading Standards Association Executive provides strategic direction and is made up of the managers from the region's Trading Standards Services and Regional Investigations Team. The Executive's work is supported by a Regional Coordinator funded via the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB).

North East Regional Investigations Team

The North East Regional Investigations Team is a small team of enforcement officers responsible for tackling level 2 (regional) and level 3 (national) criminality. Whilst the team is funded via the National Trading Standards Board, governance is provided through the North East Trading Standards Association Executive. Work can be allocated to the team via the North East Trading Standards Association's National Tasking Group or North East Trading Standards Association's Regional Tasking Group (a subgroup of the Executive).

Regional Intelligence Analyst

A Regional Intelligence Analyst, funded by the National Trading Standards Board, works with Local Intelligence Liaison Officers from each Authority to improve intelligence collection and analysis and to develop intelligence sharing with other enforcement agencies including the three regional Police forces, HMRC, NCA and others.

National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) Teams

The National Trading Standards Board oversees a number of directly funded national teams that undertake enforcement action and co-ordinate national enforcement projects in specific areas, including:

• The National Estate and Letting Agency Team, jointly based at Powys and Bristol Trading Standards, is the UK's lead regulator under the Estate Agents Act 1979 and the Tenant Fees Act 2019
• The National e-Crime Team, based at North Yorkshire Trading Standards, aims to protect consumers and businesses in England and Wales from internet crime and online fraud
• The National Scams Team, based at Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, has introduced a referral system allowing local authority officers to engage with local victims on a one to one basis. They also gather intelligence on mass marketing scams and scam victims and raise public awareness of the damage caused by such scams

Citizens Advice Consumer Service (CACS)

Citizens Advice Consumer Service is funded by the government to provide first tier telephone advice on consumer issues. Enforcement actions and the more complex consumer problems, including those requiring follow-up casework are referred onto our specialist officers to deal with at a local level. A referral protocol exists to help ensure the efficiency of the referral process and all cases are referred to local officers via a secure web portal. Officers regularly provide feedback to Citizens Advice Consumer Service on any service issues that are identified.

The Trading Standards Service structure is outlined below.

Trading Standards Manager

Trading Standards Officer (x2 full time equivalent)

Trading Standards Enforcement Officer (x2 full time equivalent)

Trading Standards Adviser

Trainee Trading Standards Officer (Apprentice) (x2 full time equivalent)

For the financial year 2025 to 2026, the budget for the Trading Standards Service is £442,242. This includes a contribution to the running of the Tees Valley Measurement Centre. A summary is provided below:

Looking at the level of work undertaken, how it is carried out and assessing customer satisfaction levels can be used to indicate if service provision is being targeted appropriately. Some headline figures include:

Service demands

The Citizens Advice Consumer Service gives first tier telephone advice on consumer issues.  The more complex problems and those requiring follow up casework are referred onto our specialist Trading Standards Adviser.

Most complained about subject areas

Customer satisfaction levels 

Satisfaction levels remain exceptionally high for those using the Trading Standards Advice Centre.

Redress levels

This is the amount of money that the Service has obtained in redress for local consumers and businesses.

Trading Standards has to face the challenge of operating effectively in light of an evolving regulatory landscape and growing demands for service. We have summarised some of the main challenges.

Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill

In May 2024, the Government passed the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill, which is the most significant reform to competition and consumer protection laws for over 20 years. The Bill creates a number of new consumer protection rules and regimes, including a replacement for current unfair trading legislation and new rules around subscription traps, fake reviews, drip pricing and hidden fees. The new legislation will come into force in stages from April 2025.

Food Standards Delivery Model

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is working to review the current food standards delivery model and introduce a new model that addresses the perceived shortcomings in the current system and supports Local Authorities in effectively targeting their resources for food standards controls. Work is ongoing to update the current data management system, so that the new model can be fully incorporated into working practices for food standards inspections.

Training Needs and Qualification Framework

There is a lack of qualified Trading Standards Officers both regionally and nationally. This has resulted in the adoption of a 'grow your own' approach, with 3 apprentices now in post, 2 of whom are shared with Licensing. One of the apprentices is looking to complete animal feed and food standards qualification in November 2025. In addition, both current Enforcement Officers are aiming to complete the full professional qualification framework by November 2025. Whilst adding pressures in the short to medium term, this approach is seen as vital to help future-proof service provision.

Scams Awareness

An ageing population and the cost of living crisis means that there are more residents vulnerable to rogue traders and mass marketing scams. To raise awareness of these issues, the Service has signed a partnership agreement with the National Scams Team to identify and support victims in Stockton-on-Tees. Where appropriate, officers will also continue to introduce No Cold Calling Zones in suitable locations throughout the Borough.

Financial Investigations

The Service no longer has its own in-house Accredited Financial Investigator (AFI). However, in certain cases, it is important that action is taken to restrain and or confiscate the assets of offenders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. As a result, available Accredited Financial Investigators from other local authorities and regulatory partners will be commissioned to undertake such work, as and when it is needed.

Smoking and Vaping Legislation

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is currently working its way through Parliament and is expected to be in force by Autumn 2025. The Bill makes it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born after 1 January 2009 and also contains a raft of provisions to regulate how vaping products are manufactured, packaged, displayed and promoted.

The Government has also introduced a ban on the sale of single-use disposable vapes, coming into force on 1st June 2025. This new legislation is aimed at protecting the environment, given it is estimated that over 5 million disposable vapes are discarded every week, resulting in a large amount of single-use plastic ending up in landfills, along with valuable materials like lithium and copper.

The service planning process helps to identify the key areas of work that support national, regional and local objectives and priorities. For 2025 to 2026, five key service priorities have been identified. Related project work and targets against these key priorities are detailed at Appendix 1. 

The key service priorities are:

1. Ensuring a safe, fair and competitive trading environment

The Service aims to combat those traders who operate illegally, putting consumers at risk and placing reputable businesses at a trading disadvantage. To do this, the effective use of all available intelligence and related information will continue to play an essential role in highlighting emerging issues and targeting resources at the areas that will have the greatest impact.

2. Supporting reputable businesses

The majority of businesses want to comply with the law and the aim of the Service is to provide support and advice which is accessible, clear and easy to understand, whilst at the same time cracking down on rogue traders who are looking to flout the law. This will help reputable businesses to flourish and will, in turn, help promote and sustain economic growth within the Borough. 

3. Contributing to public health and wellbeing

The work of the service contributes to a healthy, safe and vibrant community. This can be evidenced in a number of areas, including the work carried out involving product safety, age restricted products, tobacco and alcohol controls, food labelling, allergens, composition and nutrition checks and animal feed hygiene controls.

4. Protecting the vulnerable

The Service is committed to tackling rogue traders, especially those who target older or vulnerable residents in their own homes. This is often done through direct enforcement action, but in addition over 130 'No Cold Calling Zones' have been established around the Borough. 

A partnership agreement has also been signed with the National Scams Team which will help officers in identifying, advising and educating those local vulnerable consumers who are being targeted by scam mail and other mass marketing scams.

5. Providing an effective and efficient service

The Service continues to look at ways in which to develop, modernise and improve service provision. Given the financial challenges facing the Authority it is important that the Service is cost effective and offers value for money and gives priority to the areas that are most important to its residents, businesses and partners.   

Citizens Advice Consumer Service 

Can be contacted for consumer advice.

The opening hours for the Service are: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Telephone: 0808 223 1133

Visit the Citizens Advice Consumer Service website for further information.

Trading Standards Advice Service 

This service operates a telephone appointment system from Monday to Friday.

Morning appointments: 10am to 12pm

Afternoon appointments: 2pm to 4pm

Telephone: 01642 526560

Email: trading.standards@stockton.gov.uk

Visit our Trading Standards page for further information.

Trading Standards Enforcement Section

Located at 16 Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1TX. Please note, this building is not open to the general public.

Telephone: 01642 526560

Email: trading.standards@stockton.gov.uk

Visit our Trading Standards page for further information.

Ensuring a safe, fair and competitive trading environment

Objective - To work closely with partners and other agencies where appropriate to coordinate, target and improve regulatory activity

Objective - To ensure the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment in use for trade

Objective - To work closely with regional regulatory partners on areas of shared concern

Objective - To ensure that food products are safe and accurately described

Objective  - To ensure that designated animal feed establishments are appropriately registered and do not present a risk to animals or the human food chain

Supporting Reputable Businesses

Objective - To ensure that traders selling goods and services online are complying with distance selling and e-commerce rules

Objective - To receive, record and disseminate intelligence on rogue traders in accordance with national protocols

Objective - To ensure that local retailers are complying with the new rules banning the sale of single-use vapes

Objective - To ensure that food sold at catering establishments within the Borough is safe and accurately described

Objective - To ensure that Trading Standards enforcement work is targeted effectively at businesses who are causing significant detriment to consumers and reputable businesses

Contributing to Public Health and Wellbeing

Objective - To ensure that local catering establishments are aware of their legal responsibilities with respect to food allergens

Objective - To ensure that vaping products on sale within the Borough are safe and comply with legal requirements

Objective - To tackle the sale of counterfeit and illicit tobacco in order to disrupt organised criminal activity and assist in efforts to reduce smoking prevalence

Objective - To reduce underage sales of alcohol, cigarettes, vapes and other age restricted products and ensure that all effective enforcement options are considered

Objective - To ensure that transport hauliers are complying with environmental weight restrictions in designated areas

Participate in Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) campaign advising local e-bike and e-scooter repairers and modifiers of their responsibilities under product safety legislation

Protecting the Vulnerable

Objective - To disrupt criminals who target the elderly and vulnerable in their own homes

Objective - To identify and support vulnerable consumers targeted by junk mail and other mass marketing scams

Objective - To raise awareness of doorstep crime amongst local residents

Objective - To support vulnerable consumers suffering with dementia who are being targeted by nuisance telephone calls

Objective - To raise awareness of current consumer protection issues and increase the profile of the service

Objective - To raise awareness of fraud issues and related scams

Providing an effective and efficient service

Objective - To ensure that the Trading Standards Advice Service continues to provide high quality advice and information

Objective - To inform stakeholders with regard to service priorities and related performance

Objective - To increase the number of qualified Trading Standards Officers, using a 'grow your own' approach, to help future-proof service delivery

Objective - To ensure that the Service's regulatory processes comply with the requirements of the new Food Standards Delivery Model

Objective - To ensure that officers have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their functions effectively

Objective - To recover, where appropriate, the financial benefit that an offender has obtained from criminal conduct