Obviously had too much

Having titled my last blog as I need a beer readers could be forgiven for thinking that I had a little too much.  Fear not its just that I've been using LinkedIn (please feel free to connect with me) to see if that would generate more debate and it has.  I will now keep both up to date but here's something updates you might have missed:

Today:


"Join in a which conversation on used cars and make sure that you protect yourself.

What to check when you buy a used car

conversation.which.co.uk

Last year Citizens Advice had 80,000 complaints about used cars. Here's Leon Livermore of Trading Standards to explain why you should ‘check it or regret it’. "

 

30th October

 

Sitting at Lloyd Banking Group for launch of dementia friendly financial charter. Great step forward on protecting most vulnerable in our society. Big congrats to all involved - especially TS colleagues. Special mention for Brian Smith. Well done all

 

25th October

 

Big thanks to all our lead officers. Spent a great day with them yesterday. Their passion and knowledge is self-evident, as is our growing reliance on them. They will be vital for us as we try and get our voice heard. Keep up the good work guys       

 

18th October

 

Its time to stand up and be counted. Yes Local Government is struggling with the impact of the next round of budget reductions and yes they have really difficult decision to make but it does not justify them abdicating responsibility for the smaller parts of their authorities. Whilst it might not be popular to support regulators, without proper regulation that balances the needs of businesses and consumers things deteriorate to the point of failure. Horsemeat or banking anyone? See the latest impact in one authority here: less http://lnkd.in/bhEjMQm        

 

I need a beer

Monday this week got off to a bit of a slow start.  I'd spent the weekend ripping up carpets from the upstairs of the housing and doing some final painting touches.  This meant on Monday morning my legs were stiff to say the least.  Anyway I still dragged myself into the office and enjoyed  a clear day in the office catching up on e-mails and with the team.

On Tuesday I headed down to Bristol for the NTSB meeting.  Of course it was raining when I got to the station; 15 minutes later and very wet I arrived at the meeting.  It turned out to be a really good couple of days.  The first day featured robust discussions on, amongst other things, the role of intelligence in a modern service and how the NTSB can really lead the profession.  Despite the challenges ahead I think we are in good hands.  The Tuesday night saw a nice meal and night out in Bristol a by chance we bumped into the mayor of Bristol.  He was interesting to talk to and certainly had a clear vision for what he wanted his City to be.  Whilst challenging I always think it is better when politicians provide this clarity.

The Wednesday was more of an update day and it gave me a chance to update the board on our work.  I had to rush off home, as I needed to clear the upstairs of as much furniture as possible ready for the carpets on Thursday.

Thursday saw two meetings in London.  One was a good open discussion with Trustmark on the future of approval schemes.  Certainly get the feeling that we can work together and build something that works both from a consumer and business perspective.  The second was a meeting at the Local Government Association, LGA.  It was good to see that the LGA has regulation high up the agenda and there was certainly a challenge put to us about how we can help our members deliver on the LGA vision of 'open for business'.  I shot home again to move some more furniture before dashing back to meet up with the board, ahead of Friday's meeting.

Today's (Friday) meeting saw some really good discussions about what the Institute should prioritise going forward.  We agreed a draft vision and strategy to discuss with council and others going forward.  A busy week but very valuable.

Weekly update

Since coming back from holiday – which itself was a strange experience in Egypt. (We stayed at a wonderful resort with amazing friendly people, but a lack of tourists because of the troubles there.  It’s a shame for the ordinary people, as the resort we stayed in, Sharm, is miles away from the trouble, perfectly safe and they are completely reliant on the tourist money for a living.) – I’ve had a bit of catching up to do including attending last week’s the AGM in Cardiff hosted by our TSI Welsh branch.

This week hasn’t been too full of meetings and has provided a chance to think about the future of the Institute.  In particular we have upcoming board and council meetings.  Whilst it can be occasionally frustrating from a business perspective to have such rigid governance, if we get it right it can add real value and consensus to our work.  It’s not only important that we focus on the right issues but members engage through their council reps.  Council will be looking at some big issues in mid-October, including the future of the profession, our strategic objectives for the next few years and what members want from the Institute- the little stuff! 

Next week the board will be looking at our three year strategic, business and resourcing plan – with a view to wider consultation before hopefully signing off the plan at their December meeting.

A meeting I did attend this was the Consumer Protection Partnership.  This brings together high-level partners to discuss issues impacting on the consumer environment.  Often these types of meetings can feel like process-driven talking shops.  I think that the partnership has been a little like that as it has been finding its feet but I get the sense of a seed change, and a real focus on improved outcomes.

I also spoke at a conference aimed at collection agents and companies.  You could tell just by looking at the delegates which ones had entered the profession via the accountancy route and which ones via the frontline collection route! 

Whilst my job can be stressful my partner’s (Eileen) work as a specialist Macmillan Nurse always gives me a sense of perspective.  We had some good news this week when she was offered a new job – still with in the field of cancer care but a slightly less stressful one. 

One final personal snippet.  I help coach junior cricket within the village.  Last week saw the first Masters v Apprentices match.  I was extremely nervous - we would never have lived it down if the juniors had beaten us.  In the end we did win, with yours truly scoring a useful 31 not out.  Apparently the kids have put it down to the quality of the coaching they receive.

4 months on

I'm sitting at my desk having the made last minute rush of sorting stuff out before heading off on a two week break.  When I come back I would have been at the helm for four months and I'm reflecting on what has been a positive, but hectic period.  There have been a lot of of getting to know people and seeing how our organisations can better work together.  We've seen the launch of the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS) and continued development of business education. 

Building on strong foundations we are looking to get closer to both our members and services and I've attended a number of regional head of service meetings, as well as meeting with the regional coordinators.

I've spent a lot of time at Parliament, advocating and lobbying for things that really matter to our profession.  Whilst under great financial pressure our profession is still in good health and the work of the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and services up and down the country is a living testament to this.

Looking at the coming four months:

·         we will have moved the national trading standards conversation forward,

·          really shaped the future consumer landscape further through the Consumer Rights Bill,

·         put in place the changes required to move our application for chartered status to the next stage (something that we were asked to do at last year's AGM),

·          developed a new three year strategic and business plan, underpinned by a three year budget,

·         reviewed some of our products, in partnership with the regional groups, to make sure that they are fit for purpose and priced correctly,

·         finalise our proposals for delivering business education

This is all in addition to business as usual.  So looks like the next four months is going to be just as hectic!  The one thing, above all else, that has really pleased me over the first four months is the support that I've had.  It is not just the staff and board, but the army of volunteers that we rely upon – lead officers, stewards at conference etc, politicians (including our wonderful president Baroness Crawley), partners and last, but not least,  our members.  With all those people behind me it feels like we can't fail. 

National Trading Standards Board (NTSB)

I also attended my first NTSB meeting.  Under Lord Harris's chairmanship I was greatly heartened to hear the great work being undertaken by colleagues up and down the country.    Projects as diverse as the illegal money lending team, safety at ports, e-crime and scambusters are having real impact on some of the most vulnerable members of our society.  The way the board have come together over the last year is a real testament to both the leadership of Lord Harris (and David Collinson before him) and the contribution of all who attend.  As the accountable officer to government for the NTSB spend I was also reassured by the level of scrutiny and oversight the board provide

New Chairman

Last week saw me meet with John Peerless, who takes over as Chairman of the Institute from Christine Heemskerk at the AGM in September.  John is a strong character and has always challenged the status quo.  It was a good chance for him to share his thoughts and aspirations for his year in the hot seat.  Clearly he wants to place members at the heart of the Institute, as do I, and the National Trading Standards Conversation provides a real opportunity for us to do this.  The AGM is not too far away now and it will provide a good opportunity to reflect on what has changed and been achieved over the last year, as well as thank Christine for her contribution.

Another leaving do for Ron

I can’t wait until I retire if Ron’s retirement is anything to go by.  Not only does he look really healthy but he had yet another leaving do last week.  I was in Cardiff for the Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers (ACTSO) AGM last week.  On the Tuesday they had invited Ron out for dinner as a rightful way of saying thank you for his contribution to our profession.  Guy Pratt chose the venue, which unsurprisingly was a curry house and not a posh one!!!  It was good to share a couple of beers with Ron and catch up with him.  It was also nice for so many colleagues to be there.  I know Ron had a good evening and the food was really good.