NO COLD CALLING ZONES
RESIDENT TOOLKIT
How to set up a No Cold Calling Zone (NCCZ)
1. First Steps
Contact the Trading Standards Service at Portsmouth City Council. You can do this by
emailing: trading.standards@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or by calling 023 9268 8183.
2. Meet with Trading Standards
Arrange to meet a Trading Standards Officer and discuss the issues and problems you
have. Trading Standards need to know the following information:
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Name of the road(s) or block that make up your proposed zone
Total number of households
Your contact details
Where signs are going to be placed
You will be given guidance on how to carry out a consultation with your road or proposed
households. The consultation forms and accompanying letters are available on our
website to download and print.
Alternatively, we can provide the documents for a charge.
The Trading Standards Service will also provide you with information about the necessary
signage you would need.
3. The Costs
The consultation documents and signage costs will not be covered by the Trading
Standards Service.
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PCMI signs currently cost the signs at approximately £23.33 per sign.
PCMI signs can install signs on lamp posts - 2 men and a van = £46.98 per hour.
Prices are based on 2013 rates and this is subject to change.
Trading Standards at Portsmouth City Council currently provide residents with no cold
calling stickers. If every house displays a sticker it will effectively make the road a No Cold
Calling Zone. Stickers are free of charge at this present time.
4. Consultation
You will then have to carry out a consultation within the proposed road/households. There
are many ways to do this, none of which are right or wrong, but it is important that the
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residents are involved in the project and that they understand their role and how to deal
with uninvited callers.
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Personal visits – these can be very effective, especially when dealing with the
harder to reach residents who are unlikely to attend a meeting or respond to
letters/leaflets. They should be carried out by someone who knows the resident and
by appointment.
Group meetings – these are an ideal way of getting the message across, but are
difficult to organise and persuade residents to attend. Make use of existing groups
in the area.
Survey residents by letter. This is a must to show that all residents have been
contacted about the proposed scheme. A letter and questionnaire are available at :
https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/community-and-environment/community/nocold-calling-zones.aspx
A minimum of 80% of the residents in the road should be in favour of establishing a zone.
In our experience we have found that if a large number of residents are not in favour then
the zone is not effective.
5. Launching your zone
Once your consultation is complete you will need to notify the Trading Standards Service
of the result and if residents wish to launch a zone.
6. Signage
If you decide to go ahead with setting up a zone the next steps need to be followed:
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Carry out a site survey to establish exactly where the signs will be placed.
Before signs are put up, Colas need to be consulted. Colas will carry out a site
inspection to ensure the proposed lamp posts to display the signs are appropriate.
The NCCZ signs must be installed by a competent person.
The NCCZ signs must not be put on lamp posts that display a 20 mph sign.
The NCCZ signs must be at a minimum height of 2.1m.
If using cable ties to secure the signs, any excess cable tie lengths must be
trimmed down upon installation of the signs so that they do not protrude from the
lamp columns.
Lamp column numbers must not be obstructed by the signs.
Colas and Portsmouth City Council will not be held responsible for the NCCZ signs.
Sponsorship for the signs is currently available - however this is not indefinite.
You will need to complete the placement of signs form and send it to Portsmouth
City Council Trading Standards. This form can be found at the end of this
document.
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7. Maintenance of your zone
Once in place, the signs will need to be checked on a regular basis to ensure they are in
place and are still legible. You will also have to consider liability should a sign fall down
and injure a member of the public.
8. Publicity
Once your zone is launched you may wish to publicise your zone to local community
groups or in the press. Trading Standards will notify relevant partners including the Police
and the Community Wardens that there is a new zone. Information about your zone will be
publicised on the Portsmouth City Council website.
9. Evaluation
Finally, you may wish to evaluate the success of your zone.
10. Intelligence reporting
Trading Standards are keen to hear about incidences of cold-calling if a trader is:
 Persistently cold-calling at your property after being asked to leave
 Using aggressive or high pressure sales tactics
 Has carried out poor work on your property
 Has mislead you into buying goods or services
To report an incident of cold calling please contact the Citizens Advice consumer service
on:
T: 03454 04 05 06
W: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk
Trading Standards will use information you have provided for intelligence purposes and
will respond where appropriate.
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Placement of signs in the no cold calling zone
This zone consists of the following roads
Sign
number
Lamp post
number
Lamp post address
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9
10
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Please return this form to:
Trading Standards
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2PQ
Or email: trading.standards@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
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