WIREDGOV

JD Wetherspoon has signed up to a groundbreaking scheme that will help the pub chain cut duplicated effort when complying with regulations across all its outlets.

It has formed a primary authority partnership with Reading Borough Council covering age-restricted sales, fair trading, food safety and hygiene, health and safety. Primary Authority enables businesses to enter into a legal agreement with one local authority which will act as a single point of contact for local regulation.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: "Wetherspoon is pleased to have formed a primary authority partnership with Reading Council.

"We believe that companies like ours are overburdened with red tape and the new partnership agreement should enable us to concentrate more on our business and less on red tape, whilst at the same time adhering to all the relevant legal standards."

A spokesman for Reading Council said: "We have a positive attitude towards working with businesses, especially with a reputable company such as JD Wetherspoon.

"We will advise them on how best to comply with all applicable laws in all of their outlets throughout the UK. This will reassure other local authorities that the company is broadly compliant, is managing risks effectively, and these should reduce any enforcement burden on the business. JD Wetherspoon has four outlets in Reading and we will work with them to make them show pieces of the company's estate."

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk has asked LBRO, the technical expert in better local regulation who run Primary Authority, to examine options for strengthening the scheme with regard to inspection plans and for extending it to cover more areas of regulation.

There are now 424 partnerships covering 124 businesses, 29,000 premises, and 841,000 employees. A full, up to date list of partnerships and the regulations they cover are maintained on the LBRO website. Visit: www.lbro.org.uk/lbro-projects-list-of-partnerships.html