Boots Uk And Nottinghamshire County Council Sign Up To New Regulatory Partnership
Boots UK, the UK's leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, has signed up to a pioneering scheme for better local regulation, creating an innovative partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council as its single point of contact for trading standards issues across the UK.
Primary Authority (PA), run by the Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO), provides companies with reliable and consistent regulatory advice from a single source - the Primary Authority - when dealing with key aspects of environmental health, trading standards and licensing services. Government estimates suggest the scheme could eventually save business across the UK up to £50 million a year.
Councillor Mick Murphy, Nottinghamshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said:
"Our Trading Standards team has enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Boots over the years and welcome this opportunity to be able to build upon that in the future by signing up to a Primary Authority agreement.
"The arrangement will allow us to continue to provide support and advice to Boots, a major company in the county, on complying with Trading Standards regulations." LBRO Chair Clive Grace said:
"Businesses like Boots invest hugely in compliance. They want the confidence that their investment won't be challenged by one local authority once it's agreed by another. Primary Authority delivers this assurance. We have built PA on sound foundations. Boots and Nottinghamshire can rely on them in using the scheme to their advantage and that of their customers and communities."
Primary Authority is available to all businesses, regardless of size, which operate across two or more council boundaries including small and medium-sized enterprises which trade over the internet.
For businesses a primary authority partnership will mean consistency of local inspection and enforcement activity. Currently businesses can run the risk of prosecution even if they follow official advice if local inspectors disagree about how to interpret regulations. This lack of consistency can also result in discrepancies in protection for consumers, workers and the environment.
For local authorities primary authority will provide the opportunity to influence compliance nationally via the primary authority giving advice to its partner business as well as saving other local authorities resources by allowing them to focus inspection activity where it is most needed.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The Primary Authority scheme was designed by the Better Regulation Executive and approved by Parliament as part of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008. Primary Authority came into law on 6 April 2009.
2. Primary Authority partnerships are available to any business that trades across two or more council boundaries, regardless of size. Small businesses that sell from websites, for example, have the same access to consistent advice about trading standards and health and safety rules as big manufacturing or construction companies. The scheme will improve compliance to the benefit of business, consumers and communities.
3. The Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO) helps local authorities improve their environmental health, trading standards, fire safety and licensing services - reducing burdens on businesses that comply with the law while targeting those who flout it. It was incorporated as a government-owned limited company in May 2007. Following the commencement of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 on 1 October 2008, it now operates as an executive non-departmental public body, accountable to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills through the Better Regulation Executive. LBRO is governed by an independent Board, has a staff of around 25 and is based in central Birmingham. It has a remit that covers the whole of the UK, and works closely with the devolved administrations to ensure our work in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For further information about LBRO please visit www.lbro.org.uk
LBRO media enquiries to Nicky Sammons on 0121 226 4028, email: nicola.sammons@lbro.org.uk