Policy paper

The Regulatory Horizons Council Charter

Published 6 February 2026

This Charter articulates the Regulatory Horizons Council’s (RHC, ‘The Council’) purpose and its principal outputs, accountabilities and duties. The Charter also sets out the balance of responsibility between the government, the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) and the Council. The Council will be required to carry out its work in accordance with this Charter.

1. The Council’s objective

The Council is an Expert Committee, working independently of government, and its objective is to provide the government with impartial, expert advice on regulatory reform^{[footnote 1]} that should be prioritised to support the rapid and safe introduction of technological innovations.^{[footnote 2]} These areas should have high potential benefit for the UK economy and society, and support the government’s and RIO’s mandate.

The government will set the Council’s work programme on an annual basis. The Council’s prioritisations and recommendations will be informed by strong evidence and/or expert advice. The Council will work closely with the RIO, departments and regulators, and will consider international developments and evidence where relevant.

The Council will:

• support the delivery of the RIO objectives, with a work programme commissioned annually by the RIO and government
• provide expert advice on an ad hoc basis to support the RIO as priorities are taken forward
• identify additional areas of work outside of the agreed programme, to facilitate the rapid and safe introduction of new products, services and business models
• make recommendations to the RIO and government on priorities for regulatory reform, based on the potential benefit for the UK economy and society while protecting citizens and the environment

2. Compact between the government and the Council

In developing proposals and recommendations, the Council will engage openly and transparently with research institutions, business, civil society, policymakers, regulators and other contributors as appropriate. It will draw on a broad range of expertise, help build consensus and ensure recommendations are sufficiently contextualised.

The government will support the work of the Council by:

• aiming to publish the Council’s reports within 3 months of receipt unless the government provides reasons why a delay is necessary
• publishing a formal response to RHC advice and all the recommendations contained in the Council’s reports, stating clearly whether the government accepts or rejects the recommendations, to be published within 3 months of receipt of advice
• giving reasons where it disagrees with the Council’s recommendations, and where appropriate presenting an alternative proposal for enabling the proposed innovation
• providing timelines for implementation where it agrees with the Council’s recommendations, and making clear which commitments are new policies

The RIO will support the work of the Council by:

• assuming responsibility for ensuring accountability for the implementation of government agreed RHC recommendations

The Council will operate independently, subject to agreeing their work programme with the government. The work of the Council will be supported by an Executive comprising staff from the RIO. This support will include, but is not limited to, the organisation of Council meetings, the organisation of stakeholder engagement, the preparation of draft reports, the publication of reports and other secretariat functions.

1. In this charter, ‘regulatory reform’ refers to all activities relating to the reform of regulation, including consulting, trialling, introduction, implementation and evaluation of legislation, rules and guidance by policymakers and regulators. ↩

2. In this charter, ‘innovation’ refers to both process and product innovation – for example in products, services, processes or business models. ↩