Kate Ashbrook: 'ridiculous consultation'. Photo: Andrew McCloy

The coalition Government’s online Red Tape Challenge is ridiculous, according to a leading outdoors campaigner, and it would be madness to scrap some of the laws under consideration.

Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of Britain’s oldest national conservation body the Open Spaces Society, condemned the Cabinet Office exercise, saying many of the regulations which could be scrapped under the consultation are needed to protect the countryside.

Writing in the OSS’s magazine Open Space, Ms Ashbrook was scathing about another review by Eric Pickles’s Department for Communities and Local Government, which is looking at local authorities’ duties on rights of way, commons and coastal access.

She contrasted the coalition Government’s actions in Westminster with those of the Welsh Government.

“The good news is that seven out of 12 cabinet members in the new Welsh Government have signed up, in whole or part, to our action plan for Wales, to protect and promote commons, greens, open spaces, access and paths,” she said.

“The bad news is that the Westminster Government seems intent on doing away with the regulations which protect these assets.

“The Cabinet Office carried out an even more ridiculous consultation, the Red Tape Challenge for internet users only.

“Comment was sought on a list of items including Britain’s 159 statutory instruments for biodiversity, wildlife management, landscape, countryside and recreation, and Government asks if they can be scrapped.

“We are told these regulations ‘hurt business’ and that the default presumption is that they will go. Yet they include numerous measures which it would be madness to repeal, such as the commencement orders of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the Commons Act 2006.

“The Open Spaces Society will fight these plans and defend the regulations which protect our rights to enjoy open spaces and paths in town and country.”

The Red Tape Challenge website says: “You tell us what’s working and what’s not; what can be simplified and what can be scrapped.

A Government spokesman said: “The Red Tape Challenge gives the public the opportunity to comment on all the legislation that they deal with on a daily basis.

“We did not want to pick and choose as different people will have different views on a regulation depending on their interests. This is not only your opportunity to tell the Government about obsolete and unnecessary burdens imposed on you or your business by these regulations, but also your chance to tell us about regulations that you agree with, or suggest ways to reduce the burden of compliance without compromising protections.

“We have said from the beginning that some legislation is clearly important and the Government is absolutely committed to protecting the environment.

“But we also want to reduce the rules and regulations that individuals and businesses have to deal with and get Government off people’s backs. The Red Tape Challenge is your chance to reduce burdens and make suggestions to improve regulations.”

The spokesman said the public can have its say via the Red Tape website.