Help to cut ‘red tape’

 

The Government has launched its 'Red Tape Challenge' website, which allows businesses and the public to vote for regulations which they think should be scrapped.

 

And Kaye Derwas Director of local company Derwas and Secretary of the Powys FSB says it is vital that local companies play their part.

 

“Many small businesses have to contend daily with burdensome red tape on often trivial matters and the FSB welcome any moves to reduce this. This new website will make it easy for small businesses to feedback directly to the government about many of the unnecessary regulations currently affecting us.”

 

The challenge aims to examine over 21,000 statutory rules and regulations currently active in the UK, focusing on regulations that the Government considers to place the biggest burdens on businesses and society.

 

Every few weeks, the Government will publish all the regulations affecting one specific business sector or industry (retail, hospitality, road transportation, fisheries, marine and inland waterways and manufacturing).

 

Employment, equalities, health and safety, pensions, company law and environment regulations can be found under the 'general regulations' as they affect all business sectors.

 

Respondents are able to say what's working and what's not, what can be simplified and what can be scrapped. Ministers then have three months to decide which regulations they will repeal, with the presumption that all burdensome regulations will go unless the relevant Government department can justify to an independent reviewer why the regulation is needed. The Government intends to repeal scrapped regulations 'as quickly as possible'.

 

The web site can be found at: http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk