Cutting red tape by creating another quango?

Today business minister, Mark Prisk, announced plans to cut the level of red tape and bureaucracy for businesses on a local level.

The ‘Local Better Regulation Office’ (LBRO) is to be replaced by another organisation and will become part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The initiative will work with Local Enterprise Partnerships in cutting down and removing the level on unnecessary bureaucracy and then share this as ‘best practice’.

The background is that heavy regulation and red tape enforced by central government has had a negative impact on the local economy by stifling enterprise.

The new organisation will be steered by a group incorporating many other interested parties, thus ensuring it serves the regulators as well being more accountable.

Critics may argue that in the drive towards localism, LEPs, businesses, local authorities and regulators should already be seeking ways to work together and that this should already be facilitating a ‘joined-up’ approach by sharing best practice to other LEPs and regions.

Also, in such austere times is it necessary to replace one already functioning body with an extended group which then has to be steered by another group?

While the rhetoric is sound the practicality seems irrational.