Current status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 10 June 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address recruitment and retention challenges within the Trading Standards workforce.
Trading standards officers are appointed by local authorities. Trading Standards Scotland (TSS) is the national team for trading standards in Scotland and is funded by UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Workforce planning is an operational matter for individual local authorities and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) as employers.
Scottish Ministers have asked Consumer Scotland to develop recommendations that will inform Scottish Government’s continued support for local authorities in delivering effective, well resourced, trading standards services that deliver positive outcomes for people and communities.