Vince Cable has announced that the coalition intends to scrap or simplify in excess of 160 onerous regulations to free contractors and small businesses from unnecessary bureaucracy.
The business secretary said that in order to achieve sustainable economic growth in the UK the government has to reduce the number of regulations companies have to contend with. Previous governments have promised to do exactly that but the Red Tape Challenge proves that the coalition is serious and that real progress is being made.
Business owners have been posting their comments and suggestions on the Red Tape Challenge website and complaints have been raised about the complexity of certain regulations as well as some overlapping with others.
Cable also said this was just the beginning of the coalition’s plans and urged businesses to continue expressing their opinions and creating new jobs.
Last week’s initial Red Tape Challenge findings focused on the retail sector but they do confirm the broader campaign to rid industry of unnecessary rules and regulations. The employment relations minister, Edward Davey, confirmed the government’s agenda last week when he spoke at the launch of the updated AWR Toolkit from the REC.
The director of policy and professional services at the REC, Tom Hadley, said the UK needed to remove barriers to growth and the latest GDP figures highlighted the urgency for this. He went on to suggest that the Conduct Regulations for recruiters should be reviewed.
The REC is also concerned about the effects of the AWR and the extra administrative burden it will place on recruiters. Although the UK’s hands are somewhat tied as these regulations come from the European Union, we must ensure we do not get any more similar offerings from Brussels, Hadley added.
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