Boston Borough Council

The authority had developed a Service Plan 2007/2008 which was broadly in line with the Service Planning Guidance in the Framework Agreement on Food Law Enforcement, although it did not cover some aspects of the guidance. Future service planning could benefit from including these to ensure it covers all areas of the authority’s food law enforcement responsibilities in accordance with the guidance.

The service had effective arrangements for ensuring that the food database was up to date and that information entered on the system relating to inspections and other food law enforcement activities were accurate. However, database management procedures needed to be reviewed to incorporate arrangements for database back-up, implementation of access controls and arrangements for systematic monitoring of database accuracy.

The authority’s food premises inspection programme had prioritised food premises in risk categories A, B and C, to take account of available resources. This had created a significant backlog of overdue inspections across all risk categories, although most overdue premises were in low risk categories. The authority should implement appropriate interventions to address the backlog, and to ensure full compliance with the Food Law Code of Practice. In addition, the authority should ensure that approvals of product-specific establishments are re-assessed and where appropriate re-confirmed in accordance with relevant EU hygiene regulations.

Officers carrying out food law enforcement were correctly authorised in line with their qualifications, experience and competencies and had received appropriate levels of training, in line with the Food Law Code of Practice. It was recognised that the authority was undertaking a full review of officer authorisations to take account of current legislation and centrally issued guidance, and to improve existing arrangements by implementing a staff learning and development plan.

There was evidence of internal monitoring of some qualitative and quantitative aspects of the service. These arrangements should be developed further to ensure consistent internal monitoring of all areas of the authority’s food law enforcement responsibilities and appropriate records of monitoring should be maintained.