Deregulation Act 2015

Deregulation Act 2015[a]
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to make provision for the reduction of burdens resulting from legislation for businesses or other organisations or for individuals; make provision for the repeal of legislation which no longer has practical use; make provision about the exercise of regulatory functions; and for connected purposes.
Citation2015 c. 20
Introduced byOliver Letwin (Commons)
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (Lords)
Territorial extent [b]
Dates
Royal assent26 March 2015
Commencementvarious[c]
Other legislation
Amends
Repeals/revokes
Amended by
Status: Amended
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Deregulation Act 2015 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Deregulation Act 2015 (c. 20) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerned with regulatory reform.[1]

Provisions

One notable provision is aimed at countering retaliatory evictions (e.g. following a complaint by a tenant to a landlord about the condition of the rented property) and imposes new obligations on landlords if they are to serve a valid section 21 notice.[2]

The qualification period for the Right to Buy from 5 years to 3 years.[3]

The duty for local authorities to consult the public before making changes that will significantly affect them is abolished.[4]

The legislation removes the self-employed from certain health and safety regulations.[5]

BBC license fee non-payment is decriminalised.[6]

The Poisons Board is abolished.[7]

Inspectors within the Environment Agency are required to consider economic growth.[8]

The act abolished the obligation for sellers of dangerous substances, including acids, to be registered with their district council.[9]

Turban-wearing Sikhs are exempted from wearing head protection equipment in all industries rather than specifically construction sites.[10]

The requirement on a publican to renew a licence is abolished.[11] The requirement on a publican to report a lost or stolen licence is abolished.[11]

The act allowed private hire drivers to work outside the area of the authority they are licensed by.[12]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Section 116.
  2. ^ Section 114.
  3. ^ Section 115.

References

  1. ^ "Deregulation Act 2015 - Table of Contents".
  2. ^ "Landlords Housing Deregulation Act 2015". Archived from the original on 20 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Deregulation Bill clears first Commons hurdle". Democracy Live. BBC News. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ Grimes, Richard (10 September 2013). "A bonfire of citizen's rights". Open Democracy. Archived from the original on 7 September 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Government challenged over risks of deregulation". Democracy Live. BBC News. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ^ "MPs back moves to decriminalise TV licence fee non-payment". BBC News. 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  7. ^ Pitchford, Karen (28 July 2015). "Poisons and chemicals: changes to the law in the UK". The Pharmaceutical Journal. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  8. ^ Bullough, Oliver (16 July 2025). "How our water went to shit". Prospect. Retrieved 1 August 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ^ Kentish, Benjamin (30 July 2017). "Government ignored expert advice and relaxed laws on sale of acids used in recent attacks". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Safety helmet exemption to allow Sikhs to wear turbans in all workplaces". Personnel Today. 2 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  11. ^ a b Bothwell, Ellie (27 March 2015). "Personal licence renewals abolished from 1 April". Morning Advertiser. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  12. ^ Knight, Ellen (20 November 2025). "Telford-licensed taxis 'better standards' - councillor". BBC News. Retrieved 1 June 2026.