4. Local governance approval
LAs can choose whether service plans need to be approved at a local governance level. To support transparency and accountability, and to demonstrate alignment with the LAs corporate plan, food service plans and performance reviews should be approved at the appropriate level set by the LA. That may be by members, a member forum, or a suitably delegated senior officer. Records can be maintained to confirm that service plans and annual reviews have been approved appropriately and in a timely way.
5. ANNEX 1: Service Planning Format guidance
| 1. Service Aims and Objectives | Details |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Aims and Objectives | A statement of the service’s aims and objectives. |
| 1.2 Links to corporate objectives and plans | This section should identify how the service plan(s) fit into the LAs corporate planning process and how it plays its part in meeting the LAs objectives. This should include meeting any relevant national indicator. It should also identify any cross linkage with other plans that have been adopted by the LA. |
| 2. Background | Details |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Profile of the Local Authority | This section should include details of the population, size and nature of the LA.
|
| 2.2 Organisational Structure | A simple chart showing the council services and committee structure which shows where the food service fits in. The structure should identify the Chief Executive Officer and Senior Manager(s), Lead Food Officers and the Authorised Officer(s) with specialist responsibility for Food Law, and the provision made for specialist services provided, for example, by public analysts, food examiners and agricultural analysts.
|
| 2.3 Scope of the Food Service | A brief statement that sets out the scope of the responsibilities and service provided. This should identify where areas of the food service are provided by another organisation e.g. contractors. Any other services that are delivered alongside the food service, e.g. health and safety inspections, can also be described here.
|
| 2.4 Demands on Food Service | This section should include a brief outline of the food business establishments profile, reflecting the type of establishments of particular note within the LAs area; any particular local requirements associated with specialist or complex processes, the service delivery points used and times at which the service is available from these points, including any out of hours provision.
|
2.5 Enforcement Policy
| A brief reference statement to the LAs documented enforcement policy, including date when last reviewed/approved. |
| 3. Service Delivery | Details
|
| 3.1 Interventions at Food Business Establishment | A statement in relation to the LAs policy on interventions and how they will be selected in individual cases, including details of the programme of interventions for food business establishments to be undertaken. This should include the establishments profile, the numbers of interventions programmed, an estimation of the number of revisits that will be made, and an estimation of resources required e.g. staffing. The plan should also detail any targeted intervention activity that the LA intends to carry out including any extra resources this may require; this could include specific project work.
The LA should identify any priorities relating to nationally or locally driven outcomes, such as compliance with new legislation or improved compliance with existing legislation and other central government initiatives. The section should include, where appropriate, the arrangements the LA has made to ensure that they have access to adequate appropriate expertise to enable a competent inspection of any specialised processes identified in Section 2.4 Demands on Food Service above. |
| 3.2 Food Complaints | A statement in relation to the LAs policy regarding the investigation of food complaints including an estimation based on previous years’ trends of the likely demand on the service and an estimation of the resources required. |
| 3.3 Home Authority, Originating Authority | A statement in relation to the LAs policy on the Home and/or Originating Authority Principle including an estimation of the resources required in relation to meeting and advising those businesses for whom it acts and responding to enquiries from other enforcing authorities. |
| 3.4 Advice to Business | A statement in relation to the LAs policy regarding advice to business (as part of the overall interventions policy) including an estimation of the number of contacts from business and the resources necessary to provide the service. This section should include, where appropriate, any input the LA has to business partnerships or forums. |
| 3.5 Food Sampling | A statement in relation to the LAs sampling policy including the basis of the sampling programme and an estimate of the numbers of samples that will be taken from establishments, as a result of imported food responsibilities and control arrangements or submitted in relation to complaints, and any relevant resource allocation including staffing. It should also detail the arrangements that the LA has made for the analysis and/or examination of the samples. |
| 3.6 Control and Investigation of foodborne Outbreaks and Food Related Infectious Disease | A statement in relation to the LAs policy on the investigation of food poisoning notifications and outbreak control including an estimation based on previous years’ trends of likely demand on the service and an estimation of the resources required. |
| 3.7 Food Law Incidents | A statement in relation to the LAs policy on handling food alerts to confirm that it complies with the relevant Codes of Practice; an estimation of the likely demand on the service and an estimation of the resources required. |
| 3.8 Liaison with Other Organisations | The LA should set out the arrangements it has made to ensure that enforcement action taken in its area is consistent with those of neighbouring LAs. This section should include:
|
| 3.9 Food Law promotional work, and other non-Official Controls interventions | A statement of any promotional work, or information/intelligence gathering work, which the LA intends to carry out in the year and the measures it will use to evaluate its effectiveness, with an estimate of the resource allocation including staffing to undertake this work. |
| 3.10 Food Crime and Fraudulent activities | A statement in relation to the LAs policy on food crime and fraud to confirm that it complies with the relevant Codes of Practice; an estimation of the likely demand on the service and an estimation of the resources required. |
| 4. Finance and Staffing | Details |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Financial Allocation | This section should set out the overall level of expenditure involved in providing the service and examine the trend of growth or reduction in real terms. Detail shall be provided in terms of the non-fixed costs including staffing, travel and subsistence, equipment including investment in IT, sampling budgets and the financial provision made by the LA for any legal action necessary as part of their enforcement function. |
| 4.2 Staffing Allocation | A statement of the number of FTE posts required to deliver the service, and the number of staff working on delivery of official controls and related matters. This should distinguish qualified staff from support staff. These figures should be expressed in terms of levels of competency and authorisation levels with reference to the appropriate Codes of Practice, including support staff. |
| 4.3 Staff Development Plan | A statement in relation to any relevant ongoing training, including that to be provided in-house and externally for authorised and trainee officers in the year ahead. |
| 5. Monitoring | Details |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Quality assessment and internal monitoring | A statement specifying the measures to be taken to assess the quality of the LAs service including any relevant internal or external independent monitoring arrangements developed by the LA to assess performance against the code. |
| 6. Review | Details |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Review against the Service Plan | The LA should set out the process, for reviewing and reporting delivery of the service plan. This should include timescales, structures and information on the previous year’s performance against the service plan and any specified performance targets, performance standards and targeted outcomes. |
| 6.2 Areas of Improvement | The LA should set out plans for any relevant improvement or service development identified as necessary by the review or the quality assessment. |