Member Article

Authority enters into partnership with TJ Morris to cut red tape

A leading Liverpool company is being helped to streamline its dealings on regulations throughout the country.

Liverpool City Council’s trading standards and environmental health services have entered into a Primary Authority Partnership with TJ Morris Ltd, the owners of the Home Bargain stores.

TJ Morris is a family business started in Liverpool and still has its head office in the city. The company has approximately 350 stores and is expanding across the country, opening new warehouses to cope with the growth in demand the business has seen.

Under a Primary Authority Partnership (‘PAP’) businesses enter into an agreement with one council, who then work with both the business and other enforcement bodies to help the business comply with legal requirements.

They provide sound advice which the business can rely on and which is accepted by other regulators throughout the country.

This gives business confidence in the advice it is given, ensuring it is consistent and suits its particular needs. It also helps with compliance issues and can help put right any failures which are identified. The PAP reduces unnecessary burdens on the business by providing one single point of contact.

Councils can have confidence that the business will listen to, and act on, advice that they give ensuring a better regulated business. They are also able to recover costs associated with acting as the PAP for a business.

The partnership with TJ Morris is the first in the city to jointly cover Trading Standards and Environmental Health issues.

Councillor Steve Munby, city council cabinet member, said: “I am extremely pleased that TJ Morris, a highly successful, local company has entered into a PAP with the city council.

“We want to work with businesses to help them grow and providing a PAP is one way we can achieve that.

“Advising and helping businesses comply with the law ensures that local shoppers and customers are better protected and the business is guarded from unnecessary legal action by preventing problems arising through sound advice which the business can rely on.”

Joe Morris, operations director at Home Bargains, said: “We’re thrilled to be the first company in Liverpool to have entered into a Primary Authority Partnership with Liverpool City Council.

“We’re pleased that it understands how our business works and is willing to support us as we continue to grow – we’re looking forward to building a strong relationship with the council.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .