The research focused on three criteria: the proportion of premises ranked as high or medium risk in a local authority that were compliant with food hygiene requirements; the percentage of premises that had been rated for risk; and the proportion of inspections and other follow-ups that were carried out by local authority inspectors.
The bottom 10 local authorities on food enforcement are: Enfield, City of Edinburgh, Lewisham, Ealing, Harrow, Perth and Kinross, Falkirk, Birmingham, Camden and Brent.
Councillor Ranjit Dheer, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for community services and safety, said: “Ealing has one of the highest numbers of food premises in London with more than 3,200 establishments including large food manufacturers, restaurants, cafes and shops. It is wholly inappropriate to compare Ealing Council to authorities with far fewer food premises, including boroughs with a very different profile of complex food businesses.”
Environment, crime and community safety Harrow councillor, Varsha Parmar, said: “I am sure these figures are concerning for the residents of Harrow, but since this report was compiled Harrow Council has worked hard to improve our inspection procedure. We have now employed more staff and have agreed an action plan with the Food Standards Agency. These staff are currently working with local establishments and over 85% of the ones we have visited to have been found to be compliant with food hygiene law. This process is expected to take some time, but we are confident we will move up the table in the coming years.”
