The delay is partly due to a shortage of staffAdam Postans Local democracy reporter, Alex Seabrook and Local Democracy Reporter
05:00, 30 Dec 2025
‘Serious risk to public health’ due to overdue food hygiene inspections (Image: Photo_Concepts / Getty Images)
A backlog of food hygiene inspections of Bristol cafés, restaurants, shops and pubs is improving despite a shortage of city council staff.
The local authority has only a third of the permanent employees it needs to carry out the checks, according to an annual report.
But a group of “phenomenal” apprentices is making up the gap while the council tries to recruit more workers, director of public health Christina Gray said.
A report in September 2024 revealed one in 10 food businesses in the city had not been inspected for more than two years.
Most of problems stem back to the covid pandemic, with 1,000 outlets having not been inspected since opening as of March 2022, while 3,000 more were overdue a visit, of which one-third had never undergone one, creating a “serious risk to public health”.
The annual report said: ” Bristol City Council is being monitored by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on its food inspections due to having insufficient qualified staff (7 are funded, 14 required).
“There is a national shortage of qualified food inspectors and we are working with the FSA on mitigation plans, which includes our apprenticeship programme, proposed probationary posts and use of agency staff.
“There may be future financial implications associated with any increased employee costs should staffing numbers be increased.”
There are about 4,700 registered food businesses in Bristol. The report said council officials focused on the highest risk premises.
The team inspected 2,181 in 2024/25, of which 98 per cent were found to be compliant either then or after a revisit.
Ms Gray said: “The apprentices are phenomenal. They are fantastic. It’s a brilliant scheme, it recruits young people or people from non-traditional backgrounds.
“They end up with a degree, a professional qualification and they’re fantastically skilled. They’ve been a fantastic addition. The apprentice scheme is a brilliant investment in the city.”