The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is asking the Government to support councils struggling to pay the bills in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown.
Five councils have declared that they might need to issue emergency spending controls, known as section 114 notices, due to the impact of lockdown on local government income. The notices are effectively a form of bankruptcy declaration.
Leon Livermore, Chief Executive of CTSI, said: “The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for individuals, businesses, and local government services. Local government officers and trading standards professionals are key workers due to their involvement in the contact made to over 100,000 UK businesses and advising over 50,000 on the Government’s business closure rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trading standards has proved to be an essential service during the crisis and will be vital for the UK’s economic recovery as we leave lockdown.
“Due to the austerity measures of the last decade, leading to ongoing cuts, trading standards services are stretched.
“The Government has said that it has a comprehensive plan in the works and we look forward to reading it as soon as it is launched.”
