Shropshire Council

Primary authority partnership

Reduce costs and save time by cutting red tape with a primary authority partnership, a legally binding agreement that provides assured advice, ensures consistency of regulation and reduces duplication of inspections and paperwork.

Businesses should be able to rely on the environmental health, licensing and trading standards advice received from local authorities in the knowledge that it is expert opinion, applicable across the UK, and a secure basis for investment and operational decisions.

Primary authority gives companies the right to form a statutory partnership with a single local authority. This provides robust and reliable advice for other councils to take into account when carrying out inspections or dealing with non-compliance. It is the gateway to simpler, more successful local regulation.

  • Regardless of its size, a business operating across council boundaries can form a primary authority partnership with a single local authority in relation to regulatory compliance. These partnerships can cover all environmental health and trading standards legislation, or specific functions such as food safety or petroleum licensing
  • Once legally nominated by the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), partnerships are automatically recognised by all local regulators. A central register of the partnerships provides an authoritative reference source for businesses and councils
  • By working closely with the business, a primary authority can apply regulations to their specific circumstances providing robust and reliable advice. This advice must be respected by all local regulators, enabling the business to operate with assurance and confidence
  • 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
  • BRDO oversees the primary authority and operates a dispute resolution procedure
  • A business can choose the level of support it needs from its primary authority. The question of resourcing the partnership is up to the councils and businesses concerned. Where necessary, a primary authority can recover its costs

If you're interested in forming a primary authority partnership with us please call a member of the Business Support Team.