Readers may not be aware that:
- Anglesey Council Trading Standards themselves run the Council's markets in Llangefni, Holyhead and Amlwch.
- Council Markets have suffered a steady decline over the past 10 years, primarily because of "mismanagement" by Trading Standards
- Trading Standards some time ago awarded a cleaning contract to a company to clear up after each market held in Llangefni - that contract was apparently for 10 years at £14,000 per annum.
- Trading Standards continue to run its own Markets despite obiter dicta from a High Court case suggesting good practice would be to separate the two functions; viz the Council should not run its own markets and also police markets - which amounts to a conflict of interest.
- Trading Standards have discriminated in the charging of non-Council markets. They have distinguished by whether the market is charitable or not and has priced their "levy" accordingly.
- Trading Standards continue to interfere with non-Council markets and in the case of Valley Market have recently instigated "flying visits" from North Wales Police, North Wales Fire Brigade making safety checks and Anglesey Council Public Health Dept. Clearly there is a backchannel dialogue designed to "rough up" Valley Market.
- Trading Standards cannot but interfere with "private business"...with their red tape.
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