Browse regulations

A correcting statutory instrument that amends the East Anglia ONE North Offshore Wind Farm Order 2022 by providing a three-column table specifying corrections (location, method, and replacement text). Comes into force 22nd December 2022. Signed by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

This instrument merely corrects clerical errors in a pre-existing development consent order. It imposes no new regulatory burdens, restrictions, or licensing requirements. Without such correction mechanisms, errors in statutory instruments would persist unchecked, creating legal uncertainty and implementation difficulties for the underlying project. The substantive policy decision on the wind farm was made in the original 2022 Order; this instrument merely ensures that Order functions as intended.

A correction Order that amends the East Anglia TWO Offshore Wind Farm Order 2022 by correcting errors specified in a three-column Schedule (location, method, and replacement text). Comes into force on 22nd December 2022. Signed by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

This is a purely technical correction Order that fixes errors in the underlying East Anglia TWO Offshore Wind Farm Order 2022. It does not create new regulatory burden, impose additional requirements, or alter policy substance - it merely ensures legal accuracy in the original Order. Deleting this correction would leave the underlying Order with uncorrected errors, creating legal ambiguity and potential practical difficulties in implementing the wind farm project. Britons would be worse off without this correction as it ensures legal clarity without any corresponding regulatory cost.

These 2022 Amendment Regulations update the UK Conformity Assessment Mutual Recognition Agreements framework by: adding definitions for the 2009 Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations and 'appointed body'; incorporating the Swiss Confederation mutual recognition agreement into the list of covered MRAs; amending regulation 4(2) to allow conformity assessment by either approved bodies (for specified Regulations generally) or appointed bodies (for the 2009 Regulations specifically); adding the 2009 Regulations and Non-automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations 2016 to Schedule 1; and adding Annex I (Product sectors) to Schedule 2 for the Swiss MRA.

These amendments facilitate rather than hinder trade. Mutual recognition agreements reduce costs for businesses by allowing products certified in one jurisdiction to be sold in another without redundant conformity testing, benefiting consumers through lower prices and greater product variety. The amendments are primarily administrative, updating references and incorporating the Swiss MRA into the framework. Deletion would create legal uncertainty regarding which conformity assessment bodies are recognized, potentially disrupting existing trade arrangements and increasing compliance costs for businesses operating across jurisdictions.

Commencement regulation bringing into force on 16th January 2023 various provisions of the Elections Act 2022 relating to voter identification, absent voting regulations, and Northern Ireland local/Assembly elections. Includes savings provisions exempting certain elections (parliamentary by-elections, general elections, local elections) with qualifying dates before May-October 2023 from the new requirements.

Without this commencement regulation, the substantive provisions of the Elections Act 2022 it brings into force would have uncertain or no effective dates, creating legal ambiguity and operational chaos for electoral administrators, candidates, and voters. While voter ID requirements may impose some compliance costs, the regulation itself merely provides the necessary operative framework for transitioning to new electoral arrangements—it does not itself impose the policy but gives it legal effect. Deletion would leave the statute book in an incoherent state regarding when key electoral reforms take effect, which would harm Britons by creating confusion rather than clarity. The savings provisions appropriately phase in changes to avoid disruption to imminent elections.

This Order amends the Parliamentary Elections (Welsh Forms) Order 2007 to add Form 20 (ballot paper refusal list) referencing the Voter Identification Regulations 2022, and updates various Welsh-language election forms (forms 2, 4, 5 in Schedule 1; forms 2, 4, 4A, 5, and new form 20 in Schedule 2) to reflect changes under the Elections Act 2022 voter identification requirements. Applies to England and Wales, effective January 2023, with exemptions for elections before May 2023.

While this regulation adds administrative requirements, deleting it would create serious problems: elections in Wales would lack prescribed bilingual forms required under the Elections Act 2022 voter ID framework, leading to improper administration, legal challenges, and disenfranchisement. The Welsh language requirements reflect statutory obligations in Wales, not EU-derived gold-plating. This is a legitimate statutory requirement for democratic administration, not a burden amenable to removal through regulatory reform.

These Regulations establish the calculation methodology for non-domestic rating (business rates) chargeable amounts in England for the relevant period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2026. They define 'defined hereditaments,' establish formulas for computing chargeable rates including notional chargeable amounts and base liabilities, provide for various rate reliefs (charitable, small business, heat networks, public lavatories, rural), address splits/mergers of properties, and include certification procedures for valuation officers. The Regulations apply to properties shown in both local and central lists under the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

This Regulation perpetuates England's Byzantine business rates system — a tax on capital investment that distorts property markets, suppresses enterprise, and drives business to lower-tax jurisdictions. The regulation is exceptionally complex with dozens of conditional formulas, modifiers, and exceptions that impose enormous compliance costs on businesses and valuation officers. Rather than simplifying the inherited EU-era rating framework post-Brexit as opportunity allowed, these Regulations entrench complexity with multiple tiers of rateable value thresholds (£20,000, £28,000, £100,000), differential multipliers based on geography (Greater London vs. elsewhere), and sector-specific relief mechanisms that allocate rating burdens based on political determination rather than market principles. Business rates fundamentally tax productive capacity, creating disincentives for investment and expansion. A free-trading nation that gave the world Adam Smith would not saddles its enterprises with this labyrinthine rating apparatus.

This Order prescribes bilingual (Welsh/English) forms for recall petitions held in Wales under the Recall of MPs Act 2015. It specifies Form A (petition signing sheet), Forms B-G1 (various notices and lists), Form H (guidance), Forms J-L (proxy papers and postal statements), and Form I (certificate of employment in Welsh only). The Order applies to recall petitions with signing periods beginning after May 3, 2023, and may be adapted as circumstances require (except Form A).

Deleting this regulation would disadvantage Welsh-speaking citizens participating in recall petitions by eliminating their right to use Welsh-language forms, effectively restricting democratic participation for a linguistic minority. The forms are enabling (not mandatory) and the underlying Recall of MPs Act 2015 is primary legislation that this Order merely administers. This regulation does not impose economic regulatory burden, restrict trade, or distort market incentives—it is a democratic administration provision for which alternative means (e.g., requiring English-only forms) would harm Welsh speakers without countervailing economic benefit.

The Network Rail (Cambridge South Infrastructure Enhancements) Order 2022 is a Transport and Works Act Order authorising Network Rail to construct railway infrastructure enhancements in Cambridge, including new tracks, a new access bridge (Work No. 11), and associated works. It closes three level crossings (Babbage Close, Hobson Avenue, and Cambridge Station), authorises compulsory acquisition of land, grants powers to execute street works, temporarily stop up streets, carry out protective works to buildings, and connect to watercourses and drains. The Order incorporates various provisions from the Railways Clauses Consolidation Act 1845 and other statutes, and exempts Network Rail from certain environmental permit requirements and land drainage byelaws for flood risk activities.

While this Order grants extensive powers including compulsory purchase authority, it is a project-specific enabling instrument rather than a broad regulatory burden. Deleting it would not reduce railway regulation—it would simply prevent Cambridge South enhancements from proceeding via this mechanism, requiring an alternative statutory approval process that would likely impose similar or greater controls. Railway infrastructure generates genuine positive externalities (reduced road congestion, connectivity benefits) that markets underprovide. The compensation provisions, consultation requirements, and environmental safeguards represent proportionate mechanisms for a specific infrastructure project. The Order's integrated approach to street works, drainage, and access provision reflects necessary coordination that alternative approval routes would also require.

This Order sets the non-domestic rating multiplier (B=320.2) for England for the financial year 2023-24, as required under Schedule 7 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. It applies only to England and must be approved by the House of Commons before the local government finance report for that year.

While this Order merely sets a technical parameter for an existing statutory mechanism, the business rates system itself imposes significant costs: it taxes commercial property based on government-assigned rateable values rather than market prices, distorts investment decisions, burdens SMEs and high street retailers, and contributes to empty commercial properties. The underlying philosophy of valuing property by government decree rather than market discovery is fundamentally incompatible with free market principles. Furthermore, Parliament could use the opportunity of rejecting this instrument to fundamentally reform the business rates regime rather than perpetuate another year of a system that inflates costs for businesses and dampens economic dynamism.

Sets the non-domestic rating multiplier (B=291) for England for the financial year beginning 1st April 2021, establishing the rateable value multiplier used to calculate business rates bills for commercial properties.

This regulation perpetuates the UK's distortionary business rates system, which is acknowledged as one of the most harmful taxes on commercial property in the developed world. Business rates discourage investment in commercial property, hollow out high street retail, and drive businesses to relocate abroad. While the multiplier must be set annually, the existing framework imposes statutory rates that consistently exceed competitive levels — the 2021 multiplier of 291 reflects a tax burden that has contributed to retail collapses and business closures. A competitive tax system would either eliminate this sector-specific property tax entirely or set multipliers at minimal levels. Keeping this Order maintains a known distortion that demonstrably harms Britons by raising operating costs for businesses, reducing property supply, and accelerating deindustrialisation of town centres — consequences entirely foreseeable from economic first principles.

This Order amends the Heavy Commercial Vehicles in Kent (No. 2) Order 2019 by modifying the definition of 'relevant class of road' subject to HGV restrictions. It specifies which roads in Kent are off-limits to heavy commercial vehicles (except specified trunk roads: A2070, A20 between London and M20 Junction 1, A249 between M2 and M20, A2 between London and M2 Junction 1, and A20 from M20 Junction 13 to Eastern Docks). The Order came into force the day after parliamentary approval and extends to England and Wales and Scotland.

This routing restriction on heavy commercial vehicles operating in Kent increases logistics costs, forces inefficient detours, and harms the competitiveness of Kent-based businesses. While intended to reduce congestion and improve safety on local roads, it creates artificial barriers to commerce without clear evidence that the benefits outweigh the substantial costs to freight operators and consumers. The exemptions for trunk roads suggest a less restrictive alternative already exists (motorway use), making the residual local road restrictions largely duplicative. Such route restrictions typically produce unintended consequences including increased empty running, longer journey times, and higher costs passed to consumers — outcomes incompatible with restoring Britain's free-trading legacy.

This Order sets the non-domestic rating multiplier (B) at 294.3 pence for the financial year 2022-23 in England. It is a technical instrument under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 that determines the standard business rates multiplier applied to commercial property rateable values to calculate business rates liability. The Order must be approved by the House of Commons before the local government finance report for that year.

This Order perpetuates the business rates system, a distorting tax on commercial property that penalizes investment, drives high street vacancies, and transfers wealth from productive businesses to local governments. While this specific Order merely sets a number within an existing framework, each annual iteration normalizes and entrenches a regime that should be fundamentally reformed or abolished. Business rates are a historical artifact that burdens property-based commerce with a tax structure that would not be designed de novo. The multiplier of 294.3p represents a significant ongoing cost to businesses that could otherwise invest, expand, or hire. Repealing this Order would force reconsideration of the entire business rates apparatus rather than simply adjusting one number within it.

These 2021 Regulations amend retained EU Council Regulation 2173/2005 to establish a FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licensing scheme for timber imports. The amendments specify that only partner countries listed in a new Annex 1 may issue FLEGT licenses, currently identifying only Indonesia as a partner country with its Ministry of Environment and Forestry as the designated licensing authority. The scheme prohibits timber imports from non-listed countries unless covered by a separate voluntary partnership agreement.

This regulation restricts trade under the guise of combating illegal logging, but creates bureaucratic barriers that increase costs for British timber importers and consumers. The scheme effectively grants government discretion over which countries may export timber to Britain, distorting market access. Post-Brexit regulatory independence should allow Britain to set its own standards rather than retaining EU-derived trade restrictions. Market mechanisms such as voluntary certification schemes (FSC, PEFC) already enable consumers and businesses to verify timber legality without mandatory state control over import licensing.

Amendment to Schedule 2 of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014, providing transitional SDP (severe disability premium) elements for claimants who migrated from legacy benefits (income support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA) to Universal Credit. Establishes payment amounts (£120, £285, or £405 depending on circumstances), applies adjustment rules for subsequent assessment periods, and excludes cases where a transitional element already applies.

Without this regulation, severely disabled claimants who were entitled to a severe disability premium in legacy benefits would face abrupt financial losses when migrated to Universal Credit, causing genuine hardship. This transitional protection prevents cliff-edge effects for a vulnerable population during an administrative transition process. The regulation achieves its protective purpose with defined end-points and cannot be easily replicated through alternative means, as the loss would fall on individuals who cannot readily increase earnings or reduce costs.

Amends Article 5(2) of retained EU Regulation 236/2012 (Short Selling Regulation) to lower the notification threshold for significant net short positions from 0.2% to 0.1% of issued share capital. Takes effect 1st February 2021.

Lowers the notification threshold for short sellers, imposing greater reporting frequency and compliance costs on market participants. This gold-plates the original EU requirement by doubling the reporting obligations with no evidence the higher threshold caused harm. Additional administrative burden reduces market efficiency and risks driving short-selling activity to competing financial centres like Amsterdam or Frankfurt, damaging UK competitiveness. The underlying EU regulation's 0.2% threshold is sufficient for regulatory monitoring.