Government outlines commitment to cutting ‘red tape’

Business Secretary Sajid Javid has launched a review into the ‘unnecessary burdens’ caused by the way that local authorities regulate businesses.

Such burdens include inefficient complaint procedures, repeated visits and inspections, with the government hoping to save businesses both time and money.

The review found that, for example, residential care homes spend roughly 16 days a year dealing with inspections and 25 days a year handling information requests, with such uncoordinated activity leading to more paperwork at the expense of time spent caring for residents.

In his address to the British Chambers of Commerce, Javid said: “This government is delivering on its commitment to free firms from £10 billion of heavy-handed over-regulation and build a more productive Britain. Hundreds of businesses responded to our Cutting Red Tape reviews and we are taking decisive action based on their experiences.

“Whenever we need to introduce new rules, we will consider their impact and make savings elsewhere. Through the Enterprise Bill, we are extending the scope of our deregulation target to cover the actions of regulators, going further than ever before to tackle troublesome red tape.”