Peter Richardson, Chairman of D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership
Peter Richardson, chairman of D2N2 – the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – today urged businesses to continue to work with regulators to ease the burden of red tape.
It came as organisations from across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire attended an event to put their questions to the regulators at the Derby Conference Centre this morning.
The free event allowed local businesses to informally engage with a wide variety of regulators responsible for areas such as employment, health and safety, licensing, trading standards, fire safety and taxation.
The aim was to empower all parties by bringing them together to better understand one another and to develop a series of proposals that seek to help businesses.
A workshop format helped focus the discussion on practical issues that affect delegates, effectively benchmarking the effect of the Government’s ‘one in, two out’ pledge.
Entitled Better Business for All, this initiative is led by the D2N2 LEP and the Better Regulation Delivery Office and is aimed at SMEs and business clubs.
The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce has been working closely with D2N2 on the issue surrounding red tape, engaging local firms in the campaign to cut paperwork which wastes time, is excessively complex and has financial implications.
Mr Richardson, who is in London today representing D2N2 at a national event for all LEPs, offered his apologies for being unable to attend the event as he spoke via a video message.
But he told those attending: “Thank you to the regulators who have given a lot of their time during recent weeks and months and they need to hear from businesses why it is important we work together to ease the burden on business going forward.
“The way we will grow jobs is to make life as easy for businesses as we can so and therefore regulation is one of the key issues. This event is all about honestly and engagement and forming a partnership.
“Going forward, D2N2 is right behind the Better Business for All initiative and Chris Marples, our new private sector board member from Chesterfield, will be working on our behalf with this.
“This event won’t change regulations but it will help form a friendship to overcome some of the difficulties which we all encounter.”
In surveys, businesses report that cost, volume and complexity of regulation inhibits firms from recruiting, expanding and investing.
