Browse regulations

Amends the Local Government (Structural Changes) (Further Financial Provisions and Amendment) Regulations 2009 by substituting '1st April 2019' with 'The reorganisation date' in Regulation 4 (establishment of general funds). A technical machinery amendment to update an outdated date reference to align with the effective date of any applicable reorganisation.

This is purely a technical/mechanical amendment updating an obsolete date reference. Deleting it would leave the 2009 regulations referencing '1st April 2019' — a date now 7 years past — creating confusion and potential legal inconsistency in interpreting local government financial provisions. The amendment itself imposes no new regulatory burdens, restrictions, or costs. Its removal would harm Britons by creating anachronistic legislation that could complicate legitimate local government reorganisation processes.

The Office of Communications (Provision of Information) Regulations 2020 implement section 24A of the Communications Act 2003, specifying which information OFCOM must publish in advance and which categories are exempt from disclosure. The regulations require OFCOM to notify the Secretary of State 24 hours before publication (or immediately after 4:30pm the prior business day), while carving out exemptions for programme standards, fairness complaints, election broadcasts, licence enforcement, and internal management matters. An exception exists for information where premature disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

These regulations establish a notification and clearance regime that gives the government advance warning of OFCOM publications, creating political oversight of an independent regulator that is unnecessary and potentially distorting. The exemptions are overbroad, covering internal management and constitutional arrangements that should be transparent. The commercial interests carve-out is vague and could be exploited to avoid disclosure. As retained EU-era administrative procedure, this adds regulatory friction without clear benefit to competition or consumer welfare.

This Order amends the A282 Trunk Road (Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Charging Scheme) Order 2013 by removing a sunset/expiry provision and substituting that the Order 'remains in force indefinitely.' It was signed by the Secretary of State for Transport and came into force on 28th February 2020.

This regulation removes a built-in parliamentary review mechanism by making the Dartford Crossing charging scheme indefinite. The original 2013 Order presumably contained an expiry date for a reason—to ensure periodic democratic scrutiny of whether the charging scheme remains justified, whether toll levels remain appropriate, and whether the scheme achieves its stated objectives. Making it indefinite removes this accountability. Indefinite regulations circumvent the democratic process by preventing Parliament from regularly reassessing whether a regulation should continue, be modified, or be repealed. Britons are worse off because this removes the automatic parliamentary review that would periodically evaluate whether this multi-million pound revenue-raising scheme actually benefits road users and local communities, or merely serves as a perpetual tax on Thames crossing.

This Order appoints 1st March 2020 as the day the new Code of Practice for the Welfare of Pigs comes into force, simultaneously revoking the old Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Pigs. It also contains transitional provisions ensuring that for any legal proceedings regarding animal suffering occurring before that date, the old (revoked) Code continues to apply for purposes of Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

This Order imposes regulatory compliance costs on pig farmers without clear evidence of net benefit. The code functions as a de facto mandatory standard through its evidentiary use in prosecutions, yet its specific welfare requirements restrict how farmers may use their property. The transitional provision itself demonstrates the regulatory confusion such codes create — layering new standards atop old ones for historical proceedings. A free society should not compel farmers to adhere to government-dictated animal welfare practices when market alternatives (consumer labeling, voluntary certification) could provide desired welfare outcomes at lower cost and with greater innovation. Britons are worse off because this code, like all such codes, adds compliance burden that raises production costs and creates monopolistic lock-in for incumbent operators who can afford compliance, suppressing competition from smaller or lower-cost producers.

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These Regulations amend the Electricity Supplier Obligations (Amendment & Excluded Electricity) Regulations 2015, introducing 'continuing change' provisions for Energy Intensive Industry (EII) certificates. Key changes include: new regulation 2A defining when meter-related changes constitute a 'continuing change'; substitution of regulation 11 with a new provision specifying the 0.85 multiplier formula for EII excluded electricity proportions; insertion of new regulation 12A for Secretary of State notices correcting/updating certificates; and modifications to quarterly reporting requirements. The regulations govern eligibility for and calculation of electricity supplier obligation exemptions based on metered electricity usage for specified activities.

While complex, these regulations implement a specific policy mechanism to reduce energy costs for qualifying Energy Intensive Industries through calibrated exemptions from supplier obligations. Deletion would eliminate the statutory framework governing EII certificate issuance, quarterly reporting, and proportion calculations, creating regulatory vacuum and potentially harming energy-intensive businesses that legitimately rely on this mechanism to remain competitive. The 0.85 multiplier and continuing change provisions serve a discernible policy purpose that, however imperfect, addresses real market distortions in energy pricing for certain industries.

Amendment to the Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 2003. Updates explanatory notes template text in rate demand notices and modifies Business Rate Supplement (BRS) disclosure requirements for BRS authorities and special authorities. The changes provide standardized template language for informing ratepayers about BRS levying authorities and related project prospectuses.

These regulations establish standardized transparency requirements for rate demand notices. Without them, business ratepayers would receive inconsistent or unclear information about Business Rate Supplements, their purpose, and how to obtain further details. While the underlying BRS and tax rates are set elsewhere, this disclosure requirement ensures ratepayers understand what they're paying and where to find project information. The cost to billing authorities is minimal—mere template text substitution—and the consumer benefit of clear, standardized explanatory notes justifies retention.

The Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2020 amends the Family Procedure Rules 2010 to: rename 'justices' clerk' to 'justices' legal adviser'; expand the functions that justices' legal advisers may perform; add rule 5.7 requiring parties to disclose court communications to other parties; enhance procedural requirements in financial remedy proceedings including costs estimates and open proposals for settlement; insert new rules 12.42B and 12.52A allowing parties to apply to set aside inherent jurisdiction orders and return orders under the 1980 Hague Convention without alleging court error; modernise rule 27.9 on recording of proceedings; and insert new Part 41 enabling proceedings to proceed by electronic means via practice direction.

While the communications disclosure rule adds administrative steps, and open proposals requirements impose procedural costs, these amendments provide valuable procedural clarity and new remedies (set-aside procedures for inherent jurisdiction and Hague Convention return orders) that allow parties to correct procedural errors without new litigation. Procedural rules that clarify court processes and provide predictable frameworks for dispute resolution reduce overall costs compared to uncertainty. The Part 41 electronic proceedings framework provides flexibility rather than mandating electronic-only processes. The renaming of 'justices' clerk' to 'justices' legal adviser' is merely administrative. The overall procedural improvements and new legal remedies justify retention.

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Amends the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Chambers) Order 2010 to add the Social Entitlement Chamber as the appropriate venue for appeals under the Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) Regulations 2016, ensuring consistent tribunal jurisdiction for childcare entitlement disputes.

Deletion would create a gap in dispute resolution for parents appealing childcare entitlement decisions under the 2016 Regulations. The Social Entitlement Chamber provides an accessible, specialist forum for these disputes at minimal cost. Without this routing provision, appellants would face uncertainty about where to bring claims, increasing administrative burden and legal costs. No regulatory burden or market distortion is created—this merely assigns existing dispute resolution capacity to handle a specific category of case.

This Order appoints 11th February 2020 as the end of the access preparation period for coastal margin land on Walney Island under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. It relates to the Secretary of State's approval of Natural England's coastal access report for Walney Island, which was submitted in September 2016 and approved in March 2017.

Public access to coastal paths is a demonstrably valuable amenity that markets would under-provide due to the nature of public goods. Without this order, the statutory framework for coastal access rights around Walney Island would lack the specific commencement date needed for implementation, creating legal uncertainty. The access rights themselves derive from the 1949 Act's democratic mandate, not from EU law, and the regulatory mechanism (setting a preparation period end date) is a minimal, targeted instrument. Removing this specific commencement order would deny the public lawful access rights that Parliament intended, without producing any corresponding economic benefit.

This Order authorizes the Birmingham Eastside Extension of the Midland Metro tramway system, granting powers for construction of tram infrastructure, compulsory purchase of land, street alterations, and traffic regulation. It incorporates various railway and street works provisions, applies existing Midland Metro Acts framework to the new extension, and contains provisions for temporary land possession, worksite access, and highway modifications. The Order establishes the West Midlands Combined Authority as the responsible body.

Without this Order, the Birmingham Eastside Extension cannot proceed legally. Britons would lose a significant public transport infrastructure project providing new tram services to an underserved area of Birmingham. While the compulsory purchase powers and street works authorizations represent coercive interventions, these are necessary legal mechanisms without which large-scale transport infrastructure cannot be constructed. The project will provide mobility benefits, reduce road congestion, and support economic development in the Eastside area. Deletion would leave Birmingham without this authorized extension and the associated transport benefits permanently.

This Order amends the Energy Act 2004 (Assistance for Areas with High Distribution Costs) Order 2005 to introduce a new 'Shetland assistance amount' of £27,000,000 for the year commencing 1st April 2021. It establishes a cross-subsidy mechanism where authorised transmitters pay this amount to relevant distributors serving Shetland, funded through a separate Shetland p/kWh tariff added to electricity bills across Great Britain. The Order modifies licence conditions for authorised suppliers and transmitters to implement this scheme.

This regulation imposes a £27 million annual cross-subsidy from mainland GB electricity consumers to Shetland's distribution network, distorting market prices and creating perverse incentives. It artificially maintains uneconomic patterns of electricity consumption by hiding true costs. Remote areas like Shetland face genuinely high distribution costs, but masking these costs through cross-subsidies prevents efficient resource allocation and discourages innovation in alternative energy solutions. The scheme represents wealth redistribution masked as energy policy, penalising consumers in areas without high distribution costs to benefit a specific geographic region. A dynamic free-trading Britain should not perpetuate such distortions.

This Order appoints named individuals as Her Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills, effective 13th February 2020. It is a routine appointment instrument that brings the Schedule-listed persons into statutory office.

This Order performs a necessary administrative function—formally appointing named individuals to inspector positions that already exist under primary legislation. Deleting it would create legal uncertainty around who holds inspector authority, potentially disrupting vital oversight of education and children's services. Unlike regulatory instruments that impose burdens or restrict activity, this merely fills established posts. No free-market or competitive concerns are raised by this appointment Order.

Extends provisions of the Communications Act 2003 (as amended by sections 88 and 89 of the Digital Economy Act 2017) to the Isle of Man, with staggered commencement dates in 2020.

Extends UK regulatory oversight to a separate jurisdiction without clear justification for why the Isle of Man cannot independently determine its own regulatory framework. The Isle of Man has legislative autonomy and should adopt such measures through its own democratic processes. This represents unnecessary regulatory overreach beyond England's borders, imposing costs on Isle of Man businesses and consumers without their direct representation in Parliament. The 2003 Act's regulatory regime for electronic communications carries compliance burdens that should not be unilaterally extended to other jurisdictions.