Primary Authority scheme – a scam that harms consumers?

I have been meaning to write about the Primary Authority scheme for many years now…

I have come to the conclusion that the PA scheme is actively harming consumers because

1. some Primary Authority Officers in local councils are useless or actively discouraging action being taken against their PA companies. It seems they are happy to take the money but not to do any work. It is also VERY obviously some cannot afford to lose the money they get from the company. Therefore, they are total compromised.
2. it is causing a bit of a blackhole because enforcing Trading Standards are sending things to Primary Authority Trading Standards – but the latter are not doing anything about it.
3. It is creating an uneven playing field between those businesses that can afford to pay for PA and those that cannot.

I will give you an example – recently I contact a PA TS about 6 complaints about a trader in our area. The PA kept telling me there was no issue with the company and they were always compliant. I asked the PA TS how many complaints they had look at re that company in the past year and the answer was 0. I think that tells you all you need to know.

I would be grateful for any thoughts from those with experience. You can contact me via the comments at the bottom of this post or the contact form (‘contact me’ in the banner at the top).