The Queen has promised a new bill to “reduce unnecessary burdens” on business by local authority regulations in the UK.
The Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill is one of 22 bills and seven draft bills in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s legislative programme.
The bill will establish the Local Better Regulation Office, which is intended to promote consistency and improve communication between central and local government over regulations affecting businesses.
It also proposes a “sanctions tool kit” to allow authorities to “deal with non-compliance in a proportionate way”, including helping businesses obey laws.
In addition, agencies looking to make structural changes could benefit from the Government’s plans to simplify the planning process. Minor changes such as the building of conservatory may not need planning permission when there is little impact on neighbours.
The Prime Minister has also pledged to cut climate emissions by 60% by 2050. The Climate Change Bill will enforce reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of between 26% and 32% by 2020.
This makes the UK the first country to introduce legislation to cut its contribution to climate change.