Chancellor plans to cut 'pointless paperwork' to save businesses up to £800m

Chancellor John Healey has announced plans to slash "form-filling and pointless paperwork" in a bid to save British businesses up to £800m, ahead of his first Budget next week.

Ministers say proposed changes to regulations will cut unnecessary bureaucracy for firms, as part of a wider Budget package aimed at supporting households and businesses facing rising costs.

Healey acknowledged that companies are "fed up with form-filling and pointless paperwork" eating into time and money that would be better spent on their businesses. He said the reforms would give firms more "breathing space" to invest and create jobs.

According to the Treasury, the changes will make compliance guidance easier to follow and simplify the reporting rules businesses must observe. Ministers claim the package will save almost £800m in administrative and tariff costs.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham backed the move, saying it was unfair that "pointless bureaucracy gets in the way" of people building their businesses. "If you run a business, you want to spend your time serving your customers, creating jobs and growing your firm, not filling in unnecessary forms," he said. Burnham and Healey are expected to meet business leaders on Friday.

The government has set a target of cutting regulation by 25% by the end of the current Parliament. The CBI welcomed the announcement, though chief executive Rain Newton Smith said the real test would be delivering the reforms.

The Conservatives accused Labour of worsening conditions for business. Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith said the government had "finally admitted that endless red tape is hammering businesses and killing jobs across the country."