The WLGA has welcomed the news that Powys County Council has been awarded a national contract to regulate estate agencies across the UK.
Powys council’s Trading Standards teams will take over their new national role on the 1 April 2014, having won a competitive bidding process to deliver the service in place of the soon to be disbanded Office of Fair Trading.
The UK Government will pay Powys council £170,000 a year to set up a National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team that will be tasked with taking action against any UK estate agency deemed to be acting dishonestly or breaking the law.
The award of the UK-wide contract will also see the creation of three new jobs.
Councillor Neil Moore (Vale of Glamorgan), WLGA Spokesperson for Regulatory Services said:
“The award of this contract to Powys County Council demonstrates the high level of confidence that UK Government departments have in Wales’ local trading standards teams.
“Our local trading standards teams boast a proud track record in working collectively together to provide a number of national public protection services. Schemes such as the Wales wide Scambusters and Illegal Money Lending schemes have already produced significant results in terms of putting criminals behind bars, seizing criminal assets and protecting Welsh consumers. It is great news that Powys council has been offered an opportunity to put these enforcement skills to the test on a UK level.
“Trading Standards teams in Wales have been placed ‘under the cosh’ for some time now due to continued budget cuts and severe financial demands, and this contract award demonstrates how council teams can innovate their way through the increasingly severe financial climate facing public service delivery in Wales.”
