The Buckinghamshire Council and Surrey County Council Joint Trading Standards Service Committee met to discuss the joint service budget, the Official Food Standards and Feed Controls Service Plan, vapes enforcement, performance, and the Trading Standards enforcement policy. The committee was scheduled to review the action tracker and forward plan. The next meeting was scheduled for 6 November 2025.

Vapes Enforcement Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on Trading Standards' work on vapes, following up on previous reports in May and November 2024. The report in Annex A covers:

• Legislative changes
• Work the service has been doing
• Plans for the service

Vapes are considered a key tool for adults to stop smoking, but the report notes concerns about the rise in vaping among children who have never smoked tobacco. Data showed that 7.2% of 11-17 year olds vaped regularly or occasionally in April 2024, compared to 3.2% in 2021.

The Environmental Protection (Single use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 came into force on 1 June 2025, banning the sale of single use vapes. Trading Standards was scheduled to raise awareness of the ban with retailers, using guidance from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS). After the awareness campaign, Trading Standards was scheduled to move to an enforcement phase, using intelligence to target work and ensure compliance.

From April 2024 to the end of March 2025, the service received 205 complaints about illegal vapes and alleged underage sales, compared to 256 the previous year. Trading Standards was scheduled to continue a high level of underage test purchasing.

Joint Service Budget

The Joint Committee was scheduled to review and set the service budget. The information provided showed that the Joint Service outturn was an underspend of 1.9% (£53,319) against the budget for 2024-25. The primary reason for the underspend was vacant posts, after an unsuccessful attempt to recruit a qualified Trading Standards Officer.

The proposed budget for 2025/26 is £2,856,162, including pressures and savings. Both partner councils have agreed their Medium-Term Financial Plans which cover 2025-26. The budget changes are set out in Annex A.

The Joint Committee was scheduled to:

• Note the outturn for the joint service budget for 2024/25
• Agree the budget for 2025/26 as set out in Annex A

The costs of the Joint Service are divided between the partner local authorities in the proportion: 34% Buckinghamshire and 66% Surrey, which includes any under or over spends.

Official Food Standards and Feed Controls Service Plan 2025-2026

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) requires Trading Standards services to produce an annual Official Food Standards and Feed Controls Service Plan (known as the 'FSA Plan'). The overall structure follows guidance from the FSA and includes the necessary facts and statistics to ensure the document is valid as a statutory plan.

The Joint Committee was scheduled to approve the Official Food Standards and Feed Controls Service Plan 2025-2026 (the FSA Plan).

The plan reflects the implementation of the revised risk scheme and Code of Practice that was introduced in June 2023. The service participated in the pilot run by the FSA that developed the new scheme.

The focus of the FSA Plan continues to be on those food issues that most impact on the health, nutrition and economic welfare of Buckinghamshire and Surrey's consumers, particularly the vulnerable.

The provisional resource allocated to the provision of the controls is £262,200, including staff and sampling costs, within the existing joint service budget.

2024/25 Full Year Performance (April to March)

The Buckinghamshire Council and Surrey County Council Trading Standards Service Joint Committee was asked to note the summary of performance of the service from April 2024 to end March 2025 (Annex A).

The information provided shows that the Service is performing well across the range of indicators where data is available. There are three new indicators where data is now available, and the disruption indicator remains under development.

During 2024-25, the financial impact of interventions related to scams and frauds was over £4.3 million, compared to just under £3.2m in the previous year. The estimated financial impact of disruptive activities for 2024-25 was just over £2.4m, and 154 disruption-type activities were undertaken.

There were 160 live Primary Authority Partnerships at the end of March 2025, achieving the target for the year.

The service made 200 underage test purchases, with the majority focused on vapes. Recent indications suggest an improving picture, with businesses telling test purchasers that they cannot sell because of Trading Standards, and no sales from 67% of attempts across the year.

Trading Standards Enforcement Policy

The Trading Standards Service regularly reviews its Enforcement Policy to ensure it remains appropriate and relevant to the regulatory and local authority landscape. The proposed Enforcement Policy provides an updated framework, responding to the possibilities and requirements of new legislation, to ensure that the Trading Standards Service promotes efficient and effective approaches to regulation without imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens.

The updates include amendments to:

• Ensure a growing range of enforcement tools and outcomes (including civil tools) are acknowledged.
• Add, via a link, required information under the new Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024.

The Trading Standards Joint Committee was asked to agree to the amended Enforcement Policy attached as Annex A.