Decision details

To approve the charging policy.

Councils continue to operate in a financially challenging environment with service transformations and innovation necessary to enable valuable public services to be sustainable.  Regulatory Services not only protect the safety and welfare of the public but also legitimate businesses from those that choose to use illegal means to gain an unfair advantage. With a complex regulatory framework in this country high quality advice and support can be the difference between a new business getting off the ground, an existing business being successful or a multinational business avoiding trading practices which have both a significant reputational and financial cost to them.

The policy is recommended as it provides a means to help ensure that the valuable support provided to businesses remains sustainable through a cost recovery based charging regime. In also allowing for a level of basic free advice, and signposting, the policy is designed not to be a barrier to economic growth, or to adversely impact on levels of regulatory compliance.

The formation of the shared Trading Standards Service across both Peterborough City and Cambridgeshire on the 1^st April 2017 has enabled the adoption of this policy to apply across the combined area. This will lead to consistency in application of businesses services.

The council could decide not to introduce the policy in which case Regulatory Services  would forgo the additional revenue this policy would generate, and as a consequence not offset future financial  pressure, or to invest in service provision to meet increasing service demand attributable to the growth of the city. In addition there would be an imbalance in service provision in the shared Trading Standards service as the County Council have adopted the policy. Regulatory Services would however continue to charge for services provided under statutory licensing regimes, and for advice provided to national businesses under the Primary Authority Scheme 

Government strategy is to continue to develop arrangements through its Departments and legislative means to move the cost of regulatory compliance to businesses.  Should Peterborough not adopt a charging policy it is anticipated that council services will at some point in the future be subject to statutory charging requirements. Taking the initiative now and implementing a policy will put Peterborough City Council with our shared service partner at the forefront of service delivery in this respect.              

None.

Appendix A - Regulatory Services Business Advice Charging Policy.