Business advice services

Need help interpreting the law?   

We provide support and advice to small businesses in Wakefield and beyond, whether you're a new or established business. We cover food safety, health and safety, and regulatory compliance. Let us support your business with these services.

Risk Assessment Check-and-Send Service for small businesses 

Did you know it’s a legal requirement for any business with 5 or more employees to have a written risk assessment? We know that for small businesses the hazards, risks and controls aren’t always clear. We can check your Risk Assessment and offer helpful hints, tips, and recommendations.  

Please email your risk assessment to business@wakefield.gov.uk and use the subject heading 'Check-and-Send' in your email.

Strive for Five webinars

Join our interactive webinar on Microsoft Teams, led by our friendly Business Compliance Advisor. This hour-long session is designed for new food businesses and aims to demystify the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS). We'll guide you through what to expect during an inspection and provide an opportunity to connect with other small businesses like yours. This is whether your business is home-based, a commercial premises or a mobile vehicle. 

We cover: 

• key principles of producing safe food 
• relevant legal requirements  
• any updates
• the documentation you will need

Business advice visits

Our experienced Business Compliance Consultant offers personalised visits to your food business whether it is commercial, a mobile vehicle or home based.

The visit can last up to 2 hours in which we will check your premises and business practices.  

This is whether you're: 

• starting fresh 
• implementing significant changes 
• preparing for an inspection  

Our goal is to help you ensure compliance and achieve the best possible Food Hygiene Rating.

Bespoke consultancy

Get support and advice specific to you, for any business type.  

Delivered on a quote basis, this includes (but isn't limited to):  

• food or health and safety audits 
• developing safety documents such as HACCP or risk assessments 
• coaching and mentoring and much more 

Whatever the challenge we can work together to help your business thrive.

Primary Authority

A Primary Authority partnership offers you a single point of contact and is suited to large scale businesses. This will cover all your Environmental Health and Trading Standards regulatory requirements. 

With us as your partner, we provide the final decision and guidance for your businesses across multiple sites nationwide.

For more information, visit our Primary Authority page.

Food hygiene rating re-score

If you have made significant improvements since your last inspection and want us to reassess your rating, you can request a food hygiene rating re-score.

By combining it with a pre-inspection advice visit, you will receive the re-score visit at half the price.

Visit our food hygiene webpage for more details.

Business Testimonials

We've worked with a range of small, local, and independent businesses with training, advice visits and consultancy. Don't just take our word for it, see for yourself what our friends in business think of us. 

The Boathouse Café 

"We called upon the services of the council to assist us in ensuring we were continuing to meet the criteria of the 5-star hygiene review.

Paige and a colleague came to visit and cast a professional eye over our day-to-day procedures.

Following the physical visit, we were then given a robust and in-depth report highlighting specifically what change and adjustments could be made to make further improvements.

The communication throughout the process has been speedy and concise and we have an improved confidence in business since.

We would absolutely go through this process again to ensure standards are being maintained between EHO inspections."

Frances McKnight, Food Business Owner.