COUNCIL plans to cut back on food hygiene inspections in a bid to save £78,000 are to be rexamined by a Town Hall scrutiny committee.
The decision to axe three long term vacant posts in Trading Standards, Corporate Health and Safety and Parking Services, to merge the Food and Health and Safety teams in Environmental Health resulting in one of the team leaders being made redundant, and to scrap a part time post in the food control team, has been ‘called in’ by local Liberal Democrats unhappy with the plans.
A council report into the plans states that there is a risk that the move would reduce the numbers of medium risk food businesses inspected.
Lib Dem Councillor David Franks said: “The Council’s Food Law Enforcement Service Plan is already unsafe and we tried to get them to change it last July.”
“To cut back even further must present a serious health risk to Luton residents.”
“Most food establishments in Luton operate to very high standards of hygiene and produce and sell perfectly safe high quality food to satisfied customers, but sadly not all achieve the required standards.”
But a spokesman for Luton Borough Council defended the plans.
He said: “Improving hygiene standards in local food premises is an important priority for the Council and we will always use the resources we have available in the best possible way.
“The best use of the resources currently available to us is to have fewer inspections in the premises known to be ‘low risk’ and those which have a good history in terms of complying with food hygiene law; so we can target those premises which are believed to be less compliant and pose a greater threat to public health. This is a sensible, risk-based approach, and actually means the Council will carry out more visits than ever before in an attempt to drive up standards where they are failing.
“We of course will still always investigate any premises – no matter how good their track record is – if there is any concern about their hygiene standards and anyone can check a food business’ hygiene performance by going to www.luton.gov.uk/foodscores.”