Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he can take to require trading standards departments to enforce regulations.

Where local authorities have a regulatory responsibility the Government expects them to fulfil that obligation. Local authorities are, however, independent from central government and their accountability is to their local electorate. Decisions on service provision and expenditure are at the discretion of individual local authorities having regard to their statutory duties. Concern about the actions, services or decisions of any particular local authority should be raised in the first instance with the Chief Executive of the relevant council. If this does not resolve the matter satisfactorily then contact may be made with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and further information can be found at http://www.lgo.org.uk/