Staffing Crisis for Local Authority Trading Standards in Scotland as workforce numbers dip to a historic low
The 2025 biennial workforce survey carried out by SCOTSS across all Scottish local authorities has revealed a drop in numbers below 250 for the first time, and a worsening age demographic that shows 60% of staff are over 50 years of age.
Very low numbers of younger officers are coming into the service, and inadequate support for modern apprenticeships, and training and development of other staff.
Trading Standards said that without immediate government support, and action to increase resources, there is a clear risk that services will fail to adequately protect consumers across an ever-growing range of legislation and be able to offer little or no support to business in Scotland against a complex landscape of regulation.
The survey echoes the findings of a Which? investigation from February 2025 that highlighted a trading standards ‘postcode lottery’, with woefully inadequate staffing levels in many areas - leaving millions of people exposed to crime, fake and dangerous products and scams.
The full report is available on the SCOTSS website here.
SCOTSS Press Release on the survey can be found here