News story

Comment on our equality laws

Visit the Red Tape Challenge website to tell government how legislation can be simplified.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The way the government drives to create a fairer society comes under the spotlight on the Red Tape challenge website today.

Equality legislation applies to almost every area of the public and private sector. Today businesses and voluntary and community organisations are being invited to tell government how to cut bureaucracy and boost business.

The Equality Act 2010 has already replaced nine major pieces of legislation and scrapped another 100 sets of regulations in order to lighten the burden of red tape on businesses.

But today, the Red Tape challenge website asks what more can be done to simplify or deregulate the legislation.

Strangling red tape

Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone said: ‘The Equality Act is here to stay. Fairness and opportunity for all remain at the heart of government. But there is always more we can do to ensure that business is not being strangled by red tape

‘We want to hear from individuals, businesses, public sector organisations and voluntary and community organisations about how the Act is working in practice.

‘We want to know whether the act could be simplified, better implemented, or if certain provisions should be dropped or amended, or whether it should be kept exactly as it is.’

Sector champion

The director of people and policy at BT, Caroline Waters, has been enlisted to act as sector champion.

She will also provide expert knowledge on the issues faced by those on the shop floor and act as an intermediary between the sector and government.

She said: ‘I want this to be a real conversation about how we maintain the progress of recent years but remove the actual and perceived bureaucracy that is a real barrier to many individuals and businesses.

‘I don’t know anyone that doesn’t want to do this, so let’s cut through the red tape and make fairness and inclusion a reality. Get involved - give us the feedback and insights that will make this work.’

Have your say

The Red Tape challenge website was launched by the Prime Minister and Business Secretary Vince Cable in April.

It gives the public a chance to have their say on regulation that affects their everyday lives; whether it’s to speak up for well designed rules that are there to protect or challenge badly designed or badly thought out requirements that are an unnecessary burden.

Published 9 June 2011