The Prime Minister, David Cameron, has pledged today (January 27) that thousands of rules affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are to be scrapped or amended.
Speaking at a Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) conference, Mr Cameron said that more than 3,000 rules will be dropped or changed, saving more than £840m a year.
The proposed measures will affect all sectors and include the deletion of 640 pages of cattle movement guidance, 286 pages of hedgerow regulations and 380 pages of waste management rules.
In addition, homebuilders will see 100 “overlapping and confusing standards” applied to new homes reduced “to less than 10”, reforms that the Government estimates will save the industry around £60m.
There will also be a £1.1bn package of business rates relief, which will no doubt be welcomed by the many campaigners on this issue, £100m of broadband vouchers to help small firms get online and up to £2,00 each in growth funding for small businesses.
A spokesperson for the FSB welcomed the measures, saying that small firms have long been described as an engine for growth, skills and economic recovery.
However, they added that the sheer number of support schemes for small firms was “congested and confusing” and suggested that the US provided a better model of support to SMEs, as its small business administration department has a long-term strategy. They also pointed out that larger firms could help smaller ones by paying their small suppliers promptly.
Explaining that the Government has exceeded its 2012 target of finding 3,000 regulations to cut or simplify, the Prime Minister said that his will be the first administration to have reduced rather than increased domestic business regulation during its period of office.