The report of the Director of Health and Wellbeing (Document “A”) will be submitted to the Committee as the Council is required by the Food Standards Agency to have a documented and approved Food Safety Service Plan. This report is brought to Members to seek support for that plan.

Recommended –

1.            That the views and comments of Members are sought in relation to the contents of this report.

2.            That the work of the Food Safety Team as documented in the Food Safety Service Plan be supported.

3.            That the proposed approach is agreed for performance monitoring, management of resources and provides the necessary assurance that the delivery of food safety controls are in line with expectations.

(Angela Brindle – 01274 433985)

The report of the Strategic Director of Health and Wellbeing (Document “A”) was submitted to the Committee as the Council was required to have a documented and approved Food Safety Service Plan by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).  The object of a plan was to safeguard food and drink produced, prepared or sold within the district.

The report informed Members of what was included in the Plan and it included a copy of it appended to the main report.  Members were asked to consider the contents of the plan which would also need approval at full Council as part of the policy framework.

In light of the Covid 19 pandemic, no plan was produced for 20/21 and 21/22 as staff were re-deployed to enforcement of pandemic regulations.  The impact of this was recognised by the FSA and guidance and advice from this body was set out for July 2021 to the end of 2023/4.  The Recovery Plan was also contained in the main Food Safety Service Plan.

Officers stated that there were significant challenges as the number of businesses registered had increased and they were facing a backlog of inspection work.  They were also working to encourage businesses to improve food safety standards and bring about a reduction of food borne illness.  Since the scheme was adopted there was a continued increase in the number of establishments achieving a rating of 3 or higher with the FSA collecting evidence to enable a statutory scheme whereby businesses would be required to display their rating on their premises and online.  The final decision would be made by Government Ministers not the FSA or the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Officers also stated that the team was under-resourced and faced challenges to recruit qualified and experienced Environmental Health Officers and contract staff were used when available.  Eighteen full time equivalent staff were required in order that statutory requirements were met. 

The report contained a review of work carried out and the service plan which showed a drop in percentages of visits and food sampling, due to the increased numbers of businesses operating in the district.  There was also the possibility of increased scrutiny for those involved with exporting to the EU.  The team were focussing on addressing the backlog in the 22/23 action plan as well as participation in a pilot project with the FSA concerned with food quality in schools.

Members were then given the opportunity to comment and ask questions, the details of which and the responses given are as below.

·     As salaries in other nearby local authorities were more attractive, was this affecting morale in the team, were they aware of the salary differences?

·     Officers advised that staff were aware of the position relating to salaries, in addition to salary issues, the Bradford district was a challenging area to work in.  It did provide a great opportunity for trainees but there was a sense of frustration.

·     What was the staff retention/turnover rate?

·     Members were informed that there were some long serving members of staff who lived locally and wanted to work in the proximity of their homes

·     Were staff overwhelmed with the rise in the number of businesses and resultant workload during Covid?

·     Officers stated that it had been a challenge and was a challenging role, coupled with staff reductions from 125 to 40 EH Officers

·     With new market chains possibly moving into the area, what impact would they have and would funding be made available to address the increase in demand?

·     Officers responded that there was no additional money available at the current time

·     One Member asked if there was any collaboration or relationships with HE and FE establishments to address the skills shortage and was advised that there was no funding for apprentices and Leeds had stopped the process as they were unable to take anyone on for 12 months following an Ofsted inspection.

·     As the number of premises had increased, what was the knock on effect for residents in terms of the risk to health and the possible consequences for increased need for the NHS and employers with staff absence through sickness?

·         Officers stated that the risk of food poisoning would be increased, but only national data from the FSA was collected and no information to reflect the local situation was available

·     With 15% of the EH workforce due to retire, was there a plan to replace these staff?

·     Members were advised that there was an option to work beyond retirement age plus the service would seek to recruit graduates and apprentices if the funding was available to do so.  The situation would likely deteriorate due to being unable to recruit and the loss of experience, skills and knowledge.

·     The cost of employing and training a member of staff constituted their salary plus a fee of £2,000 for membership of the Chartered Institute, was there a return of service feature in contracts of employment?

·     Officers stated that staff were required to stay with the authority for 2 years, if they left during this time then the £2,000 fee would be re-payable.  In relation to an apprentice post, funding was available for the training element from a central fund but not for a salary.

·     Members asked about the possibility of transferring staff across from the Pollution team but were informed that they were all busy. 

New business start-ups needed support and the team planned to visit them all. However, not all new start-ups were registered.  A meeting was due to take place with the FSA where it was hoped that a new, more sustainable scheme could be introduced in relation to frequency of visits.  Officers also stated that premises with poorer hygiene records would be prioritised and visit frequency would be tailored so that businesses rated as ‘good’ had less.

Following an exercise whereby a cohort of businesses was divided into two – one section received a questionnaire, the businesses in the other half were invited to a seminar.  The cohort who received the questionnaire appeared to be more successful.

A Member asked if the level 2 hygiene certificate was mandatory in food preparation/processing and was advised that it was not but notices could be served if improvement was needed.

Officers stated that the FSA was working with online platforms and social media to improve information for customers.  It was noted that Deliveroo and Just Eat only accepted registered businesses.  The question of regulating these types of businesses was raised but they were not directly involved with food preparation, simply deliveries.  Regulation of delivery agents would require statute.

·     A Member asked about charities, food banks and community kitchens and was advised that they were required to register also.

·     The forthcoming City of Culture year in 2025 and the anticipated boom in visitors could possibly result in further increases in the number of new food related businesses which could, in turn, place further pressure on Environmental Health Team.

Resolved -

That the Executive be requested to consider the implications of City of Culture and the increase in the number of food services businesses on the workforce issues within the Environmental Health Food Safety Service and that consideration also be given to supporting the apprenticeship scheme for this service.

Action: Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing