Bureaucracy – a British ailment?

Feb 24 2009 by Neil Warwick, The Journal

IN recessionary times, it is important that some decisions move quickly for businesses, especially when we are talking about potential business saving solutions.

However, the UK seems to be constantly inundated with red-tape and bureaucracy and in certain sections of the press, this goes hand in hand with “Euro-bashing”.

It appears that the bureaucracy that stifles quick change and decision making in this country emanates from the amount of new legislation the EU imposes on its citizens and not as a result of the way Whitehall implements the legislation. Or does it? Perhaps bureaucracy is not necessarily a national disease and can be illustrated by two true stories.

The first involves an entrepreneur who had spotted a gap in the import/export market. Inadvertently the client fell foul of some anti-dumping legislation which is a form of tax levied by the EU to stop the Common Market being flooded with cheap overseas products. In the UK the client's regulatory body and also central Government said nothing could be done to avoid this, even though it was plainly unfair.

The Commission officer responsible for this area held a meeting with the client in Brussels on less than a week's notice, concluded the legislation should never have been applied to the client and offered to change the rules. He then apologised that it could take up to four weeks to alter the legislation.

If the same change in the UK could have been achieved, it would have taken at least 18 months.

Another example was a client setting up a branch office in Brussels who went in person to the equivalent of Belgium's Companies House to register the business. He was told that he could not have a meeting without an appointment. He therefore asked for an appointment and was told appointments could only be requested by telephone.

Eventually, through frustration, he went outside to a call-box, called the office, spoke to the official he had just seen and asked for an appointment and was told they could see him immediately as they were not busy!

If you want quick answers to help your business, contact Neil Warwick, Partner at: neil.warwick@dickinson-dees.com  or on (0191) 279-9375