Slough woos big business with new Primary Authority initiative
18 March 2011
Slough Borough Council, home to Europe's largest trading estate and some of the biggest, best known brands in the world, is among the first local authorities to benefit from a new initiative to smooth the way into Primary Authority.
LBRO, the regulatory outcomes organisation, has been helping the council explain the benefits of Primary Authority to businesses in the area, many of whom benefit from regulatory support from the council.
Slough's Assistant Director, Public Protection, Patrick Kelleher said: "We are closing our Home Authority offer to business because we want to direct our resources into Primary Authority.
"This marks a change in the relationship. Although businesses will be paying towards the recovery of our costs, the charges will reflect actual work we do for them and will be of significant benefit - and they will see our officers as a significant resource."
How the initiative works
Senior level meetings take place between elected members and LBRO to explain the benefits. Officers/staff also receive training so they understand the scheme.
An officer from LBRO will work with the authority to devise cost recovery plans, creates sample reports, and helps identify relevant businesses for the scheme who are invited to hear more.
Following a seminar with invited businesses, LBRO helps officers with one-to-one meetings with interested businesses to discuss individual requirements and cost recovery and supports with paperwork and any questions or issues arising.
Slough's business seminar attracted 24 delegates, including Fiat, Citroën, Burger King, Mars, LG Electronics and Telefonica O2. They heard from LBRO Associate Helen Buckingham and Gary Howells, Safety Advisor at B&Q, both of them former enforcement officers.
Slough Trading Standards Manager Keith Eaglestone said: "We shouldn't underestimate the impact of the cuts that are coming, and we see Primary Authority as a saviour. If there wasn't any advantage for businesses in Primary Authority, we wouldn't offer it. We see it as a progression."
LBRO's Helen Buckingham said: "Having run Primary Authority seminars for local authority staff groupings and audiences of invited businesses all over the UK, it is very clear that the benefits of PA are best explained and demonstrated in a live situation, talking about real examples of where PA advice has helped a business comply with the law, often saving the business money in the process and certainly cutting down on multiple contacts from other local authorities with different opinions on the same issue.
"I often ask one of our businesses to accompany me to a business seminar because a business audience hearing from another business who has ‘walked the walk' is very powerful stuff.
"Local authorities can initially feel rather apprehensive about starting to deliver a new role such as PA for its businesses, especially as available resources within LA services are diminishing alarmingly quickly these days.
"However, having heard about how logical and sensible the scheme is, as well as its potential to generate much needed cost-recovery for the service, people overwhelmingly feel more positive about the scheme after a bit of training or a Q&A session. I think being a time-served regulator myself helps with delivery of the key messages."
[END]
Media enquiries to Jo Barker or Roland Curtis. Tel: 0121 226 4019.
Email: jo.barker@lbro.org.uk or roland.curtis@lbro.org.uk