by Jo James, chief executive of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

There was good news for Kent business with Michael Fallon’s announcement that the freeze exempting businesses with fewer than 10 employees from burdensome new regulations will be extended to those who employ up to 50 staff, and will come into force from 2014.

Under the new Small and Micro Business Assessment (SMBA), the government will now have to look at the impact new regulations will have on SMEs before they are passed.

New proposals will see the Regulation Policy Committee with more powers to exempt micro and small businesses from legislation if it is deemed to have a detrimental impact or introduce measures to lessen the impact.

Smaller companies, which make up the majority of the Kent business community, often find it difficult to comply with regulations, compared with their larger counterparts who have more resource.

If this policy directly reduces the time and money that firms spend on needless bureaucracy, then I am sure it will be welcomed with open arms by businesses in our county.

Smaller businesses have the potential to become the wealth creators of tomorrow, but they do need an enterprise-friendly environment to be able to do this.

Part of this is freeing them from red tape, which prevents them from focusing on more important growth priorities, such as creating jobs and exporting their goods.

I hope that this policy will help to deliver significant reductions in regulation and provide a more common-sense approach to regulation more generally.

Michael Fallon has been quoted as saying: “On my watch, new regulations will now only extend to small businesses if they are essential, justified, and where disproportionate burdens are fully mitigated.

“And where regulation is not fit for purpose it will be reformed or binned.”

Thank you Mr Fallon, for a very common sense approach to business regulation which has been well overdue and we look forward to working alongside you to maximise the potential of Kent’s micro and small businesses.