What Does Better Regulation Mean for the Public Sector?

In 2006, the Government committed to reducing the number of requests for data received by those on the frontline by 30% before 2010.

The Better Regulation Executive (BRE) has secured cross-government agreement to make administration of public services more transparent. Departments are also working together on a strategy, led by the BRE, to permanently reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.

Cutting bureaucracy for our public services PDF document (1255KB)


Simplification plans

Many government departments have committed to producing an annual simplification plan. These plans summarise what actions departments will take to meet this target and include proposals to reduce policy burdens.

The plans are delivering measurable benefits for frontline workers. So far, these include:

  • a cut in the average length of a school inspection from five to two days
  • hand-held data devices that save police officers nearly an hour per day.

Find out more about Simplification Plans in the Simplifying Existing Regulation  section of the website.

Improving regulation for local authorities

A lot of work done by the BRE has focused on reviewing and implementing regulatory change in local government.

Initiatives include:

  • Retail Enforcement Pilot – this promotes joint working and information sharing across regulators in different areas, to help focus resources on high-risk and non-compliant businesses and reduce unnecessary checks on those who comply.
  • Local Better Regulation Office – the BRE sponsors the Local Better Regulation Office, a body set up to improve the consistency and quality of local authority trading standards, environmental health and alcohol licensing.
  • Prioritising Areas for Local Authority Regulation (Rogers Review) – the Rogers Review examined the many areas of legislation that local regulatory services enforce and recommended six national enforcement priorities.

Have your say on regulation

The BRE is the voice for frontline workers and we would like you to tell us where bureaucracy is stopping you from doing your job. This will help departments develop simplification plans that tackle regulation in the right way, while saving public servants time and effort that could be better spent in other ways.

If you have ideas that will improve regulation and make life easier for those in the public sector, please submit them at Better Regulation.

You can also see examples of how public servants are benefiting from ideas the Government has already put into practice.

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