SAVING public loos and keeping an eye on thawing scampi may not sound like the most exciting of hobbies.

But they are just some of the ways campaigners in Oxford have been fighting for consumers’ rights over the past half a century.

Now members of Oxford Consumer Group – the oldest group of its kind in the country – are holding a public meeting next month in a bid to boost their membership.

The group, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, has seen its membership shrink drastically in recent years, as members have either died or moved away.

Dr Katy Hall, 87, from Oxford, who writes the quarterly newsletter, The Oxford Consumer, said: “In 1970 we had 1,200 members, now this is down to around 150. But it is a hard-working group and we want more people to become involved.”

The Oxford Consumer Group acts like a local branch of Which?, testing goods and services, and finding good deals for its members, as well as campaigning to protect consumer rights.

It was set up in 1961, before Trading Standards existed, to boost consumer protection in the county.

Dr Hall said: “Early ‘cases’ investigated by the group included a packet of frozen scampi which appeared to be thawed. The upshot was that the Public Health Inspector asked us to keep an eye on frozen food cabinets in local shops.

“Since then there have been many important studies and surveys undertaken by us. Our shoppers’ guide enabled people to find out about the best buys in Oxford, while in recent years people may remember councillor John Tanner’s plans to close many public lavatories – our research showed why this was a bad idea and along with the protests of many others, we were able to keep many of the threatened toilets open.

“At the moment we are very concerned at the plans to stop the council’s area committees. This could damage democracy and we are worried that the public could find many more decisions being taken without their knowledge and input.”

The group has an executive committee and projects committee – which decide what topics to study. Areas of particular importance include trading practices, services provided by local authorities, postal services, transport systems and health services.

Dr Hall added: “It would be fabulous to have some new people involved. We would like new ideas and input and also help with IT – our website needs updating.”

  • People interested in finding out more about the Oxford Consumer Group are asked to attend a public meeting at 7.30pm, on Friday, June 17, at the St Clement’s Centre in Cross Street, East Oxford.