National enforcement priorities
Regulatory services must address the needs of their areas while remaining an effective part of the UK legal system. This dual responsibility can present challenges. It was in response to these that the Rogers Report in 2007 introduced the national enforcement priorities, for local authorities to use when allocating resources to meet the expectations of communities and businesses. The underlying intention was to address risks common to all or many. One of our statutory responsibilities is to refresh the national enforcement priorities for England and Wales. These state the outcomes that matter to citizens and businesses. They do not dictate what is necessary, but provide a focus for meeting national needs using local solutions, while promoting collaborative working across council boundaries.
National enforcement priorities in England
Air quality, alcohol licensing, food hygiene, fair trading, workplace health and animal health are the present national enforcement priorities for England. We are currently refreshing the list and compiling a new set for consultation. In this we are guided by our expert user group, the members of which are drawn from local authorities and professional and representative bodies. We are also building on our research work in 2008 to assess the approaches of seven councils. This highlighted key findings and some examples of good practice meeting local and national priorities.
NEP Project - Final Report (05/05/2009 PDF - 170 KB / 26 pages)
NEP Project - Interim Report (21/10/2008 PDF - 1 MB / 16 pages)
National enforcement priorities in Wales
Following a formal consultation process, we worked closely with the Welsh Assembly Government, national regulators and Welsh local authorities to prepare the first set of four national enforcement priorities for Wales, which were published in July 2010.
- Protecting individuals from harm and promoting health improvement
- Ensuring the safety and quality of the food chain to minimize risk to human and animal health
- Promoting a fair and just trading environment for citizens and business
- Improving the local environment to positively influence quality of life and promote sustainability
These reflect the fundamental principles of One Wales - accountable, citizen-centred public services - and the Strategic Framework that sets out the outcomes that the Welsh Assembly Government wishes to achieve. We are now focusing on embedding them in the planning and delivery of regulatory services.
NEP Wales Final Report Welsh (28/07/2010 PDF - 750 KB / 25 pages)
NEP Wales Final Report (28/07/2010 PDF - 730 KB / 25 pages)
NEP Wales Annex: Supporting Evidence for the Selected Priorities
(28/07/2010 PDF - 490 KB / 14 pages)
NEP Wales Consultation Response (28/07/2010 - 416 KB / 7 pages)
