Reassurance Needed over Trading Standards and Food Safety

As Labour's Environment spokesperson on Dundee City Council, I have sought reassurance over trading standards and food safety services provided by Dundee City Council in light of a report published by Audit Scotland called Protecting Consumers.

I will be seeking a meeting with officers from the council's Environment Department to go over this report and see how Dundee does in this context. The Audit Scotland report raises concerns about the long-term viability of trading standards services I want to make sure that services in Dundee are robust. People in Dundee expect goods and services to be offered to them fairly and honestly and I am sure that for the most part that is the case. When there is a problem, however, the people of Dundee need to know that there is adequate protection in place.

The report from Audit Scotland offers a check list for councillors and I want to go through this with officers to make sure that Dundee City Council is doing all it can to protect the people of Dundee when it comes to buying goods and services or buying food. In these difficult financial times for local authorities perhaps trading standards and food safety might not seem like a top priority but the consequences of getting this policy wrong could be tragic.

I would hope that officers of Dundee City Council will be able to offer me the reassurance that I am seeking, but I feel that it is important to ask the questions.