The Best Guide for the NN12 Area

Robust plans detailing West Northamptonshire Council’s commitment to food safety and preventing the illegal sale of tobacco and spray paint have been approved by Cabinet.

The statutory plans covering food safety, food and feed standards, and the enforcement of both spray paint and illegal tobacco sales outline how the Council supports businesses to meet their legal obligations by offering support and advice, as well as by taking enforcement action where necessary.

The Food Safety Service Plans sets out how the council’s environmental health team carries out regular inspections, food sampling, education and enforcement to help ensure the area’s 3,500 food businesses are safe and hygienic.

The Food and Feed Standards Enforcement Plan shows how its Trading Standards team works with environmental health teams to enforce food safety standards, as well as its work supporting more than 1,500 animal feed premises to comply with the law.

The Council’s Tobacco Enforcement Plan outlines how its Trading Standards team works to prevent under age sales and the trade in illicit cigarettes through education and intelligence-led enforcement

And a Spray Paint Enforcement Plan details how Trading Standards works to prevent the sale of spray paint to under 16s, helping to tackle graffiti and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

The plans, which were agreed by Cabinet at its meeting this week (14 September 2021), also outlined the work carried out by the Council’s regulatory services team during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cllr David Smith, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services on West Northamptonshire Council, said: “These plans bring into focus just some of ways in which our regulatory services team works to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of people in West Northamptonshire.

“Over the past 18 months the team has been extensively involved in working with partners to deal with the COVID 19 pandemic. They have supported businesses to deal with the rapidly changing legal requirements about COVID secure measures, helped to investigate outbreaks in our workplaces and schools, and worked with communities to promote testing and vaccination.

“They have also continued to carry out education and enforcement work in environmental protection, consumer protection and building control, to do their bit to make West Northamptonshire a safe and healthy place to live.”