City of Westminster

About Us

Here is a list of topics contained in the 'About Us' page. To see more, click on a topic or scroll down the page:

About Us
Performance 06/07
Consultation and what you told us
Priorities 07/08
Satisfied with our service?
Contacting Us

Making an Enquiry / Service Request
Want to know more?

About Us

Westminster Trading Standards Service is a quality assured service registered to ISO 9001: 2000. Our mission is to promote the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of Westminster’s customers by enforcing over 50 pieces of primary criminal legislation, and giving appropriate civil advice. The legislation in question covers consumer protection issues such as fair trading, counterfeiting, legal metrology, product safety, under age sales and doorstep crime.

Trading Standards’ role includes:

Advising and educating local residents about their consumer rights.
Advising and educating traders based in Westminster, about their legal responsibilities.
Inspecting trade premises to make sure laws are complied with and warning, or if necessary prosecuting traders who break the law.
Undertaking targeted enforcement projects in areas of specific concern.

Who are our customers?

Westminster’s residents
Westminster’s businesses

Please note that we only provide advice to Westminster residents and traders.

If we are unable to deal with an enquiry we will explain why and help identify the appropriate organisation to contact.

If you want to know more about Westminster's Equality Policy, please click here.

What powers do Trading Standards Officers have?

Trading Standards Officers powers include:

Entering and inspecting business premises, inspecting goods and documents, making test purchases and taking samples.
Seizing and detaining goods.
Issuing suspension notices.
Issuing fixed penalty notices.
Instituting legal proceedings.
It is a criminal offence to obstruct an officer who is carrying out their duty.
Trading Standards have no powers to close a business down.

Below: Trading Standards officers may use their powers to seize goods.

Please note that matters relating to food safety, hygiene and quality are dealt with by Westminster Environmental Health Service.

To contact Westminster Environmental Health, please write to: Environmental Health, 5th Floor, Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6QP, or telephone 020 7641 1092.

Performance 06/07

Last year through our project, investigations and advice work we again delivered a very successful service to our customers . We are still the only 3 star rated Environmental Health and Trading Standards service in the country.

Here are a selection of our achievements:

We responded to approximately 5000 enquiries from consumers and traders- 98.2% within 1 working day.
We visited 100% of Westminster businesses deemed to be 'high risk'.
Our service remains independently certified to ISO9001: 2000 quality standard.
We gave 20 presentations to consumers, businesses and harder to reach groups in a targeted education programme.
We gave talks and presentations throughout the year to several external stakeholders and organisations such as The Office of Fair Trading, Department of Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform), Age Concern members, Association of London Environmental Health Managers, the Dutch Consumentenautoriteit,The Department of Culture Media and Sport, and The Society of London Theatre.
The Service received a large amount of positive media coverage of the work of Trading Standards in local and national media. Subjects highlighted were the sale of knives to children, theatre tickets rip- offs, counterfeit world cup football shirts, accomodation addresses and mock auctions.

We undertook projects to deal with:

Under age sales.
Scams.
Fireworks.
Illegal DVDs.
High risk visits.
Internet crime.
Doorstep selling / Distraction burglary.
Young Enterprise.
Service development.
Traditional Asian Medicines/ Wildlife Crime.
Personal Protective Equipment Safety.
Theatre Ticket Touts.
M.A.I.L Accomodation address scheme.

Consumer and Business User Surveys 2006/07

Through the last financial year (06/07), we sought the views of consumers and businesses who used our service.

We asked each user a standard set of questions recommended by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR), formerly the Department of Trade and Industry.

Based on the responses to these questions, we scored a BERR Satisfaction Index of 82.2 for consumers and 86.5 for businesses. The maximum score is 100.

Consumer Survey

In 2006, we consulted consumers in Westminster about their awareness of our service and the Westminster Consumer Support Network. As recommended by the CSN national guidance, we included questions on the key performance indicators to show whether consumers are becoming more informed and confident, and whether they know where to go for help.

The surveys were conducted at Marylebone public library, the Woolworths store in Edgware Road, Westminster University and various Westminster Day Care Centres and Advice Points (in One Stop Services). We received 272 completed questionnaires.

The surveys found that 53% (up from 50% last year) of those questioned felt very well informed or fairly well informed about their rights as consumers.

The surveys also showed that 40% (up from 35%) think that it is very easy or fairly easy to get consumer advice or information.

Priorities 07/08

We will aim to deliver projects on:

Under age sales.
Doorstep crime.
Scams.
Problem traders.
Internet crime.
Firework misuse.
Illegal tobacco products.
Accommodation addresses.
Language schools.
Essential packaging.
Weights and measures.
Tickets touts.
Service development.

We will also continue work on 06/07 projects which require further development, such as Theatre Ticket Touts, and M.A.I.L.

We will also aim to:

Visit 100% of all Westminster traders who are classed as high risk.
Aim to bring 100% high risk traders into compliance by the end of the year.
Ensure all Enforcement Concordat Notices are dispatched within 5 working days of enforcement action.
Ensure 85% notices and routine correspondence following a visit is dispatched within 10 working days of visit.
Continue to develop a targeted education programme for consumers, businesses, schools, vulnerable adults and harder to reach groups, and carry out a minimum of 6 presentations to a cross section of these groups.
Meet the 5 CPA targets for Trading Standards: Consumer satisfaction, business satisfaction, high-risk trader visits, business compliance and BVPI 166 targets.
Run the Consumer Support Network in Westminster.
Improve service standards and demonstrate continuous service improvement by maintaining registration to the ISO 9001: 2000 quality management standard.

Satisfied with our Service?

We invite you to give us your views and comment on our services and the way they are provided.

Please let us know when we have done well, or if we have fallen below the standard you expect. Your comments are always welcome.

If you have concerns about the way our services have been provided please contact us on the numbers below, or send an email to us here.

Any formal complaints will be investigated and an initial response sent to you in 10 working days.

If you are not satisfied with our response you can take matters further through the City Councils complaints procedure.

Speak Out

If you have any views or comments on the services we provide, including what you expect or want from us, please fill in the attached questionnaire.

Contacting Us

Please note that we only provide advice to Westminster residents and traders.

Office Hours: 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

There is a Hotline available during these hours, to answer telephone enquiries. Outside these hours, you may leave a message on the telephone voicemail.

Telephone: 020 7641 1111
Fax: 020 7641 1702

We regret that personal callers are only seen by appointment, in exceptional circumstances.

You may write to us at:

City of Westminster Trading Standards Service
5th Floor
Westminster City Hall
64 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QP

Web site: www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/westminster

If you need to contact another City of Westminster Department or want further information about the Council, please click here or telephone 020 7641 6000.

Service Requests and Enquiries

If you are a Westminster resident and wish to make an enquiry or are seeking advice from Westminster Trading Standards please click here and complete the form with as many details as possible. The more details we have the easier it will be to process your enquiry.

If you are a trader based in Westminster and wish to make an enquiry or are seeking advice from Westminster Trading Standards, please click here and complete the form with as many details as possible. The more details we have the easier it will be to process your enquiry.

Animal Health and Welfare

These matters are dealt with by the City of London.

Want to know more?

If you would like to know more about the work of Trading Standards in general please contact us or visit the Trading Standards Institute web site.