The Environmental Health Manager presented a report which provided Members with an overview of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) proposal to introduce a change to the National Food Hygiene Rating scheme. The purpose of the pilot was to trial charging food businesses when they requested a re-rating inspection following an initial food hygiene inspection rating. The charge would be based on cost recovery and would be calculated on the average cost that the Council currently incurred for the provision of the service. The pilot would operate for a period of 3 months and the Food Standards Agency would use the data collected to introduce a National Charging Scheme in 2017.

Since the publication of the report, the Environmental Health Manager advised that she had received confirmation that the FSA did intend this to be ongoing. 

Resolved:  That it be recommended to Cabinet that

a)     the Environmental Health’s team participation in the Food Standards Agency pilot of charging businesses for a food hygiene re-rating inspection, be noted;

b)     the fee for a food hygiene re-rating inspection be set at £200 for the period of the Food Standards Agency pilot; and

c)     if the pilot was successful, and with the support of the Food Standards Agency, charging be continued on a cost recovery basis.