Red Tape Challenge: good news for small businesses

Last Updated: 11 Oct 2011

The Government has announced its response to the recently held Red Tape Challenge, where it asked tourism and hospitality operators to tell it what legislation was having an undue impact on their businesses and should be either appealed or amended. The good news is that the Government is to address a number of the issues raised by Accommodation Know-How subscribers.

While no detail has yet been given to the process or timing of the changes, the Government has stated that it will:

• Reduce the administrative burdens on businesses with minimal alcohol sales. This will allow small bed and breakfasts and guesthouses to serve customers a drink with their meal, self-catering properties to provide a bottle of wine in a welcome pack and small hotels to promote romantic weekend breaks with a bottle of champagne without the need for a lengthy and costly licence.
• Scrap the regulations covering the location and design of no smoking signs. This will remove the need for businesses to put “no smoking” signs on doors and windows.
• Clarify that Energy Performance Certificates are not required for self-catering properties. This will remove the need and cost of self-catering properties gaining EPC certificates and including them in their advertising material.
• Tackle excess charges for inspection of private water supplies. This should remove the problems faced by properties on private water supplies being subject to excessive testing and charging.

These moves to reduce regulatory burden mark the start of the Government’s de-regulation plans. The Tourism Minister has set up a Regulation taskforce which will report back at the end of November with a further set of recommendations on further legislation to be amended or removed to support the tourism industry.