The Food Standards Agency is establishing the national scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for rating hygiene standards in food businesses.
It will not be mandatory for local authorities to adopt the national scheme. This would require new legislation and the Agency has no plans at the current time to introduce this.
The Agency is, however, conscious that local authority support for the scheme is critical to its success and is committed to working with them on developing a robust and effective support package (including guidance, training and information technology assistance). The Agency will also be working with the Local Government Association, the Local Authorities Co-ordinators for Regulatory Services, and with the Local Better Regulation Office, to encourage local authorities to recognise the benefits to consumers of having a single national scheme and to adopt the new scheme in their area.