Advice from the Business Compliance Team

Free business information

This can be found on the Business Companion Website. Business Companion provides information for businesses and individuals that need to know about Business Compliance and Consumer Protection Legislation. This useful website will provide information of the law relating to business compliance or whether the rules apply to you? Find out how the law sees businesses that sell to consumers. Quick Guides together with in-depth guides are available arranged by what, where and how you sell to help you find the information you need.

New support for start-up businesses 

For more information call 024 7665 4321 or email startyourbusiness@cw-chamber.co.uk  (Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce as part of a new support package funded by Coventry City Council, through the Additional Restrictions Grant for businesses ).

EU exit

Brexit Checker provides a personalised list of actions for you, your business and your family.

Changes for businesses, checks to be made:

• importing goods from the EU
• exporting goods to the EU
• moving goods to or from Northern Ireland
• providing services to EU countries

Payment surcharges

From 13 January 2018, businesses are no longer permitted to impose surcharges on consumers for paying by debit card, credit card or electronic payment services. The ban on surcharges does not apply to commercial debit or credit cards.

Surcharges are still permitted in relation to other methods of payment - for example, cash or cheque - but where surcharges are made to consumers they are governed by the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012. The Regulations limit charges to consumers who are buying goods and services. These rules only apply to contracts made between businesses and consumers.

View a copy of the Guidance Notes (pdf, 136 kb).

Advice is also available on the Business Companion website.

We want to help businesses in Coventry to be successful and we are keen to help businesses obey the law. 

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 came into force on 1 October 2015 and changed all consumer law relating to the sale of goods and services, as well as other changes to Business Compliance enforcement.

Free information on the act and how it could affect your business can be found on the Business Companion Website.

The latest Trading Standards Business News (TSB) – a digital publication bringing businesses details of current regulatory changes and best practice.

Further information 

• The sale and supply of goods
• Digital content
• The supply of services
• Unfair contract terms

Primary Authority

We now offer businesses the chance to enter into a Primary Authority Partnership (PAP) with Coventry City Council. A PAP aims to assist businesses in complying with regulations enforced by local authorities, relating to: Business Compliance, Environmental Health and licensing. It enables businesses to receive assured advice (on a paid for, cost recovery basis), and allows for the coordination of proactive inspection activity across local authorities. Some of the values of primary authority are:

• Regardless of its size, a business operating across two or more council boundaries can form a primary authority partnership with a single local authority in relation to environmental health and business compliance legislation, or specific functions such as food safety.
• Once legally nominated, partnerships are automatically recognised by all local regulators.
• By working closely with the business a primary authority can apply regulations to their specific circumstances, providing robust and reliable advice which must be respected by all local regulators.
• A national inspection plan can be produced by the primary authority to improve the effectiveness of inspection, avoid repeated checks, and enable better sharing of information.
• If a problem arises, the primary authority can coordinate enforcement action to ensure that the business is treated consistently and that responses are proportionate to the issue.
• The Better Regulation Delivery Office oversees the Primary Authority Scheme and operates a dispute resolution procedure, if required.
• A business can choose what level of support it needs from its primary authority. Resourcing the partnership is up to the local authority and the business concerned. Coventry City Council will recover its costs for providing this service.

If you are interested in starting a PAP then please e-mail your expression of interest to tradingstandards@coventry.gov.uk and we will contact you to discuss further.

Additional business information 

• Free advice and information from Business Companion - provides you with a list of relevant and prioritised advice packs for your business type. This includes new guidance on the Consumer Rights Act. Please search for a particular topic.
• For the latest Trading Standards Business News (TSBN) – a digital publication bringing businesses details of current regulatory changes and best practice.
• Business is Great website for support, advice and inspiration for growing your business, or GOV.UK - Business information
• Firms have to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to carry out consumer credit activities.
• Animal health
• Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005): how to apply for approval or registration, and related information.
• Food Standards and labelling (including nutritional labelling)
• Allergens - Advice to restaurants, caterers and takeaways.
• Business Compliance Enforcement Visits/Warrants - When undertaking some Enforcement Visits/Warrants Officers will sometimes use overt Body Worn Cameras. The purpose of which is to enable us to capture evidence. When undertaking such work – we comply with the Corporate Privacy Statement.

We want to make sure people are protected when they buy goods and services, and that responsible businesses be successful.

Our enforcement policy sets out what businesses can expect from our officers. It commits us to good enforcement policies and procedures.