Todays entry analyses the red tape challenge, currently being
applied to planning.
Last week the searchlight of the 'red tape challenge'
reached planning regulations, including infrastructure
planning. What does that mean? In short, some
regulations could be merged, simplified or revoked in the next few
months, and there is an opportunity to suggest changes, or defend
existing regulations.
Red tape is a term popularised by Thomas Carlyle in the 19th
century to mean (unnecessary) bureaucracy, taken from the practice
of tying government documents in red ribbon. The red tape
challenge is a government initiative to reduce the amount of
secondary legislation (orders, rules, regulations etc.).
Every couple of months it visits a new area of law and invites
comments on how that area could be slimmed down. A list is
provided of all existing regulations, but nothing more than
that. As heralded in
this blog post - albeit a little late - the spotlight
has just turned
