Wellbeing

Community wellbeing

Trading Standards are committed to helping the City of Edinburgh Council achieve its objectives, and to achieving continuous improvement and development of the services that it provides.

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003 gives Local Authorities the power to enhance the wellbeing of their area and its citizens. The three identified areas of wellbeing are Economic, Social, and Environmental.

Listed below are just some of the ways in which Trading Standards contributes to the wellbeing of the city of Edinburgh. While activities are grouped under specific headings, it is often the case that more than one heading will apply to something that we do.

Economic

Business premises across the city are routinely assessed for compliance with Trading Standards legislation to ensure that Edinburgh’s trading environment is a fair and equitable one. This brings benefits to businesses and customers alike by stimulating healthy competition between businesses. It also helps to sustain a diverse range of potential suppliers of goods and services for those who buy in Edinburgh.

The sale of counterfeit goods has a marked effect on the sustainability of businesses selling genuine goods. By making continuous efforts to cut off the supply of counterfeit goods, we redirect consumers to local businesses, who then profit from the sale of legitimate stock. This will have a positive effect on employment levels in the area.

The enforcement of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 helps ensure that credit advertising in Edinburgh is not misleading, and that consumers entering credit agreements have been made aware of the relevant information before doing so. For example, the ‘Street Credit’ project completed two years ago identified gaps in awareness of students’ knowledge of credit, and helped to educate them about the true cost of taking out credit agreements. The provision of debt advice at key outreach areas across Edinburgh can make a huge difference to the lives of people in debt.

Social

Well informed, empowered consumers make a greater contribution to society as a whole than those who don’t have the same knowledge, or haven’t developed the skills required to put it to use. Our Consumer Education section helps young people develop their knowledge of their consumer rights, while our Money Advisers and Consumer Advisers can give assistance and advice in the event that things go wrong.

Enforcement of product safety through complaint handling, inspections and project work helps us to ensure that products available to buy in Edinburgh are safe.

Enforcement of underage sales legislation relating to tobacco, butane gas, aerosol sprays and fireworks, which can kill or seriously injure the user, has an immediate and lasting impact on the health of young people. Underage sales regulation in general is becoming a more important element of the work of Trading Standards. We recognise the benefit that effective enforcement of these provisions can have for a community. Find out more about underage sales

Environmental

Enforcement of underage sales legislation for spray paints will help to reduce the number of incidences of graffiti across the city. This will have a positive effect on communities, and will also free up resources that would be used to clean graffiti off.

If you have a suggestion as to how this Department could contribute more effectively to the wellbeing of the City, please contact us and let us know about it.