UPDATES: CTSI is offering free training for members on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, covering new online consumer protections, enforcement powers and rules affecting tech firms, marketplaces and sellers.

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ANALYSIS: Peter Tompkins’ 60-year Trading Standards career spans from Weights and Measures inspections to modern consumer protection. He’s seen major changes: more women in the profession, shifts from prosecutions to advice, and challenges from austerity. Optimistic, he stresses the need for proper funding, sensible regulation, and further support for new officers ...

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ANALYSIS: Nearly half a billion pounds was lost to bank scams in the UK last year, leaving victims “devastated, embarrassed and angry with themselves.” Experts warn that consumer education is key to prevention, yet dwindling resources mean many miss out on vital guidance. Discover how Trading Standards is fighting back - and why early education could protect you for life ...

OPINION: The language used by regulators, businesses and campaigners can shape behaviour as much as policy itself. Clear communication remains a powerful tool for consumer protection.

OPINION: Progress depends on creating the conditions for success rather than simply identifying obstacles. This piece explores a positive, practical approach to leadership and change.

OPINION: As the profession continues to evolve, travelling new roads brings fresh opportunities alongside difficult decisions. Reflection, resilience and ambition are central themes.

OPINION: Seasonal traditions provide the backdrop for a thoughtful reflection on weights and measures, professional standards and the enduring relevance of Trading Standards work in everyday life.

ANALYSIS: Kristina Hann’s Trading Standards career has taken in disability, discrimination, elite swimming, rogue trader investigations and life with assistance dog Louis. Her story is a sharp reminder that reasonable adjustments open doors, while low expectations close them.

UPDATES: Janet Masson’s career took her from landmark Trade Descriptions Act cases in Southwark to national leadership on food standards and nutrition, leaving colleagues with memories of formidable expertise, warmth and lasting professional influence.

UPDATES: London Trading Standards has honoured a local safeguarding champion with a Touchstone Award, recognising outstanding partnership work to protect vulnerable residents from consumer harm.

UPDATES: An exhibition at Westminster City Council marks Black History Month through the work of eight artists, celebrating creativity, identity and inclusion while highlighting the contribution of Trading Standards professional Giles Speid as curator.

UPDATES: CTSI marks Black History Month with articles, profiles and resources celebrating Black leaders, public service pioneers and the profession's diversity while encouraging members to engage with this year's 'Reclaiming Narratives' theme.

UPDATES: Scottish Borders Trading Standards is taking its Scam Van to Eyemouth, Kelso, Galashiels and Hawick, giving residents practical guidance and community resources to help them spot and avoid scams.

OPINION: Faced with shrinking budgets and rising demands, Newham's Regulatory Services explains how collaboration, partnership working and organisational adaptability have helped maintain effective Trading Standards services while identifying lessons for authorities facing similar pressures.

UPDATES: Ali Walker of Leicestershire Trading Standards has been named CTSI National Apprentice of the Year after leading successful work against illegal tobacco, embracing professional training and demonstrating the impact apprenticeships can have across the profession.

ANALYSIS: Effective enforcement depends on more than individual casework. Examining intelligence gathering across Trading Standards, this feature explores why incidents go unreported, how fragmented data weakens consumer protection, and why better collaboration and analysis are essential for identifying emerging risks and directing resources where they are needed most.

ANALYSIS: Abuse, intimidation and harassment have become an increasingly familiar part of frontline Trading Standards work. Drawing on practitioner experiences, survey findings and expert opinion, this feature examines the scale of the problem, its impact on officers and the practical steps needed to create safer working environments.

ANALYSIS: Encouraging more young people into Trading Standards requires visibility as well as opportunity. Reporting from a careers event organised with the REACH Society, this feature highlights efforts to broaden recruitment, improve representation and introduce the profession to talented future officers from diverse backgrounds.

OPINION: A career in Trading Standards can begin in unexpected ways. Reflecting on a journey from an entry-level role into the profession, this personal account considers the value of transferable skills, continuous learning and taking opportunities that can shape a rewarding regulatory career.

OPINION: Representing a profession as broad as Trading Standards demands ambition as well as experience. Looking ahead to new challenges, this piece reflects on leadership, professional pride, workforce development and the importance of championing the people who protect consumers every day.