Labour regulations 'cost firms £66bn'

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A study for the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) shows that the "burden" of regulations has risen by £10 billion in the last year alone.

The business group said there were signs that some regulations were actually producing savings for companies, but these were "too few and far between".

The Chambers produced a "burdens barometer", compiled by the Manchester and London Business Schools, using official Government figures.

The Chambers said a number of top ten burdens in the barometer should be reviewed, including the Data Protection Act, which was said to have cost business more than £7 billion, and flexible working regulations, which have cost £1.5 billion in the past few years.

Sally Low, director of policy at the BCC, said: "The success of the Government's drive for better regulation must be judged on the extent to which the UK's regulatory burden has been reduced.

"On this basis, the Government's record does not stand up to scrutiny. Initiatives without delivery will do nothing to help keep British businesses competitive. We desperately need an impact assessment system that will challenge the need for regulation, and a Parliamentary process that provides real independent oversight."

Professor Francis Chittenden, of Manchester Business School, said: "The entry, for the first time, of regulation that reduces cost to business is welcome. However, the annual costs of regulation are still rising, and Government must deliver much more if its promises to business are to be realised."

Tim Ambler, senior fellow at London Business School, said there had been a "torrential rate of new regulations".

According to the Chamber's report, other regulations which placed a high burden on firms included those on disability discrimination, sale and supply of goods, control of asbestos and building regulations.