The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has waded into the argument over new regulatory measures, claiming that compliance costs for UK firms will top £10bn over the Government's first term of office.

The BCC has assembled a "burdens barometer" listing legislation since May 1997 and recording the calculated one-off and recurring costs.

The organisation is also inviting companies to use its website to report their experiences of implementation. The aim is to highlight "particularly unnecessary burdens and develop routes to advice for businesses to help them minimise the impact".

BCC director general Chris Humphries explains the motivation: "What businesses and government need most are specific examples of where regulation constrains the growth and competitiveness of British firms."

In addition to looking for those examples, the BCC is advocating a new approach to regulations that would provide:

• a learning space of at least four months between approval and enforcement
• a probationary period in which impacts are investigated
• a standard threshold below which there is exemption from compliance
• a requirement to review the operation of existing regulations on a regular basis.

Elliott Chase