Bradford Council Seeks New Powers for Beauty Industry

Bradford Council is seeking enhanced powers to regulate the city's beauty and body piercing industry, as current regulations are significantly out of date. The existing by-laws, dating back to 1982, cover basic treatments like ear piercing and tattooing but exclude popular services such as body piercing and semi-permanent skin coloring.

Officials are discussing making business registration compulsory to modernize oversight of the expanding beauty sector. While treatments like botox and dermal fillers are not included in the proposed licensing, a national scheme for these is under development. Concerns about health risks associated with these procedures have been raised, highlighted by a recent UK Health Security Agency report on botulism cases following aesthetic treatments.

Senior environmental officer Jane Bradbury emphasized the need for updated by-laws due to the "massive rise in beauty treatments." If approved, the council will apply to the government for new by-laws to enable more effective regulation of these businesses, ensuring improved hygiene and reduced infection risks.