South Ayrshire Council Provost Winifred Sloan officially opened the Trading Standards Institute (Scottish Branch) 2006 conference, attended the conference dinner and hosted a reception for delegates.

The conference is traditionally held in the local authority area of the Chairman of the organisation.  As the current Chairman is Hamid Gazem, a Senior Trading Standards Officer with South Ayrshire Council, so the conference was held in the Marine Hotel in Troon.

Speaking at the opening of the conference Provost Sloan said:  “The work carried out by Trading Standards Officers touches the lives of people in every community, either directly or indirectly.  Officers have to deal with a wide range of topics and be both reactive and proactive when dealing with consumer matters, while always keeping up to date with changing legislation.

“It was a great honour for Hamid Gazem, one of the Council’s Senior Trading Standards Officers to be selected as Chairman of the professional organisation.”

The conference was addressed by a number of eminent speakers who are all experts in their profession, and delegates had a chance to debate a number of issues that are relevant to their professional occupation. 

The Scottish Government has asked for better joint working between local authorities and this is something that was discussed at the conference.  Trading Standards Officers in South Ayrshire Council have already established links with other local authorities in Scotland, and have particularly close links with East and North Ayrshire Council.

Pictured at the conference are (left to right) Councillor Bill McIntosh, Vice Convener of the Council’s Community Safety Committee, Christine Wade, Assistant Chief Executive Consumer and Trading Standards Service (OFT), Councillor Hugh Hunter, Convener of the Council’s Community Safety Committee, Provost Winifred Sloan, Hamid Gazem, Chairman of the Trading Standards Institute (Scottish Branch) and David Saunders, Director of Consumer and Competition Policy (DTI).

October 2006