Deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, has promised to free businesses from the red tape which costs millions of pounds a year.
Ministers yesterday started to review all regulations introduced by the former government over the past 12 months, and have pledged to introduce a ‘one in, one out’ rule for any new employment law.
The government issued an online invitation to the public to nominate the unnecessary laws and regulations they would like to see scrapped.
But Clegg has also called on businesses to let the government know which rules are stopping them from operating efficiently.
He said: “Too many of the business and voluntary groups I meet tell me they feel overwhelmed with forms to fill out and boxes to tick, whether it’s a fledgling business looking to take on more staff, or a charity struggling with the complex record checks their volunteers have to undergo.
“But the key to all of this is you. You – the small business owner, the social entrepreneur, the volunteer.
“You know better than government departments, better even than Vince [Cable, the business secretary], what rules and regulations are holding you back. The whole point of this exercise is to get Whitehall out of the driving seat.
“We want to know where regulation works, where it doesn’t, and what we can do to help.”
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Clegg warned the unnecessary red tape was estimated to have cost the economy £88bn since Labour came to power, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
A new Reducing Regulation Committee, chaired by business secretary Vince Cable, is beginning the task of reviewing regulations and red tape.
