Regulators asked to find ways to speed up decisions in new reform programme

Regulators have been asked to come up with practical ways to make approvals quicker and more predictable for businesses, under a programme set out in a letter published on Thursday.

The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade wrote to regulator chief executives after this week's Regulators Council meeting. The letter commissions a new phase of reform ahead of the Spending Review and attaches draft terms of reference. Proposals are due to be finalised for the next council meeting in spring 2027.

The work has three strands:

• Business experience: faster and more certain approvals and decisions, including a look at refund models where appropriate, and regulatory sandboxes.
• Efficiency: less duplication, simpler processes, clearer lead responsibility on cross-cutting issues and better coordination between regulators, government and local bodies.
• Agency: reform of operating models, stronger accountability for outcomes, and a challenge to excessive risk aversion.

Regulators are also asked to consider digital approaches and AI, and how reform could support devolution.

The programme covers what the letter calls the 16 growth-driving regulators and their dealings with sponsor departments, local government and each other. It is led by the regulators, with support from departments, the Treasury and the business department, and the terms of reference say it respects their statutory responsibilities and operational independence.

The expected outputs are a shortlist of high-impact proposals with evidence behind them, a policy proposal with a delivery timeline, and a list of steps government itself would need to take, such as legislation. The terms of reference restate the target of reducing the administrative burden of regulation by 25% by the end of the Parliament.