The Trading Standards Joint Advisory Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday 4 June 2025 was set to review the annual report of the Trading Standards service for 2024-25 and discuss proposals aimed at reducing knife crime through enhanced age verification checks. The meeting also included a discussion on the upcoming ban on single-use vapes.

Trading Standards Annual Report 2024-25

The board was scheduled to consider the annual report for the Trading Standards service covering the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. This report, a requirement of the Trading Standards Consortium Agreement between the London Borough of Brent and the London Borough of Harrow, details the work undertaken by the service. The service's remit includes enforcing over 250 pieces of legislation to promote a fair trading environment for consumers and businesses. The report highlights activities such as responding to 4,217 service requests, investigating 466 reports, and conducting 236 compliance inspections. It also details work on product safety, market surveillance, partnership working at events like those at Wembley Stadium, and efforts to tackle illicit tobacco through Operation CeCe. The report also covers initiatives like the Responsible Trader Scheme and efforts to combat doorstep crime and scams, with officers saving residents £37,000. Financial investigations under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) were also detailed, including confiscation orders totalling £301,502.

Knife Crime Proposals Regarding Age Verification Checks

A key item on the agenda was a report outlining proposals to implement stricter age verification checks and control the doorstep delivery of knives and bladed articles to protect young people. These measures are part of the government's Plan for Change initiative, which aims to halve knife crime within a decade. The proposed changes include a two-step age verification process for online knife sales, requiring photo ID at the point of sale and again upon delivery, with delivery companies only able to hand over bladed articles to the original purchaser. It is also proposed to make it illegal to leave packages containing bladed weapons on doorsteps. The report references the Crime and Policing Bill 2025, which seeks to increase the maximum prison sentence for selling weapons to under-18s. The proposals are partly in response to tragic incidents and follow a review into online knife sales that identified loopholes in age verification and delivery checks. The report also notes that Brent and Harrow Trading Standards already advise local businesses and conduct test purchases, with data showing that in the 2024-25 period, 3 out of 3 attempts in Brent and 1 out of 1 attempt in Harrow resulted in sales to minors, leading to a warning letter in Harrow and no sales in Brent.

Single Use Vape Ban Update

The board was also set to receive an update on the ban on single-use vapes, which was due to be implemented from 1 June 2025. This ban, introduced to reduce waste and recycling issues, does not affect the nicotine content or flavours of vapes, and refillable and reusable options will remain available. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has designated Trading Standards as the lead enforcement body for this policy, with the authority to issue fines and civil sanctions for the possession of single-use vapes for supply, with a statutory fine of £200. Businesses were to be provided with guidance on disposing of excess stock to comply with the ban. The report indicated that consultation on enforcement guidance was scheduled to commence in April 2025, with final publication in June 2025. Businesses were made aware of the ban well in advance and would not receive compensation for existing stock. The ban also covers online sales, with Trading Standards having powers to shut down non-compliant websites.

The agenda also included noting the provisional schedule of future meetings for the 2025-26 Municipal Year.