UK Government Seeks Feedback On Regulations

Although we can’t promise that it doesn’t connect to the online equivalent of a trashcan, a new website designed (in part) to let small business owners voice their opinions is something of a hit.  The "Your Freedom" site is more than a random forum, too, supposedly letting individuals in the UK tell the government about bad rules.

A note from Nick Clegg on the site’s homepage states, "We want to restore Britain’s traditions of freedom and fairness, and free our society of unnecessary laws and regulations – both for individuals and businesses. . . .  Your ideas will inform government policy and some of your proposals could end up making it into bills we bring before Parliament to change the law."

Then, right beneath the end of the note, there are three categories with "Get Involved" buttons, one of which relates to "Cutting business and third sector regulations."

This could represent a fantastic way for small business owners to communicate their ideas to otherwise-unreachable officials.  There are already at least a couple hundred news articles about it.  Lots of people are already taking advantage of the opportunity, too, actually making the site difficult to reach due to the overload of traffic.

Let’s just hope this is more than a PR stunt.  It would be a shame if all of the suggestions are ignored or don’t make it past some low-level volunteer.

Clegg assured visitors, though, "It’s time to have your say.  After all – it’s your freedom."