Institute of Regulation's Podcast

The 40th episode of the Regulation Podcast marks an important milestone for the Institute of Regulation. This month, Marcial Boo speaks with Baroness Dianne Hayter about the recently published House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee report she oversaw on how regulation affects UK economic growth. This episode continues our commitment to bringing timely discussions with front‑line decision‑makers, leading professionals, and sector experts.
Drawing on her strong consumer‑focused background, Baroness Hayter explores how regulation can both enable and constrain growth. Effective regulation, she notes, builds trust, stability, and market confidence, while slow or outdated processes risk holding back innovation and investment. Her report argues that the government plays a crucial role in shaping outcomes by setting clear priorities, updating outdated laws, and providing political backing so regulators can take proportionate risks without fear of criticism when issues arise.
The conversation also highlights the need for regulators to improve performance by working more collaboratively, speeding up decision-making, using technology more effectively, and simplifying processes for businesses. Hayter criticises narrow policy measures like administrative cost reduction targets for focusing on paperwork rather than real compliance burdens. She stresses that regulators must remain independent but more consistently focused on end users—consumers, patients, and citizens—rather than just the industries they oversee.
Overall, UK regulation is seen as strong and respected, but in need of better coordination, clearer direction, and a sharper focus on public benefit to remain effective.

In this month’s podcast, IoR chair Marcial Boo speaks with the three winners of this year’s regulation awards:
Eilidh Byer — North Sea Transition Authority, Rising Star Award (individual) for creating data‑standardisation tools and dashboards for offshore oil and gas regulation.
Nicola Edwards — Intelligence Team, Office for Environmental Protection, Innovation Award (team) for developing an intelligence‑management system and horizon‑scanning process to strengthen evidence‑based decision‑making.
Tim Byrom — Gambling Harms Team, Care Quality Commission, Collaboration Award (team) for working with charities and the Gambling Commission to reduce gambling harms and pilot a new inspection framework.
The winners agreed that effective regulation depends on strong data, collaboration, and adaptability. Despite challenges such as limited resources and complex systems, regulators can improve outcomes by working together, using evidence well, and continually learning. They encouraged others to draw on internal expertise, collaborate across teams, and engage widely. Small ideas can grow quickly when tested and refined.

In this month’s Regulation Podcast, Institute Chair Marcial Boo speaks with John Fingleton - Chair, Fingleton, and Chris Carr - Policy and Regulation Specialist, about the state of UK regulation and how it needs to evolve.
They argue that while UK regulation is often well‑designed, the system as a whole is overgrown, fragmented and risk‑averse. Without bold political and legislative reform, the UK risks continued barriers to growth, infrastructure delivery and effective decision‑making. Meaningful reform requires honest debate about risk, major changes to legislative practice and periodic zero‑based reviews of regulators and frameworks.
Regulators also have a role to play: strengthening their skills mix, bringing in more business experience, focusing processes on outcomes, speeding up decisions and working more collaboratively, while recognising that deeper change depends on political culture.
Keywords: UK regulation, regulatory reform, economic growth, regulatory governance

We’re pleased to look back on International Women’s Day by spotlighting two outstanding women Chairs in our latest podcast episode: Jo Clift and Helen Phillips. In this conversation, Institute Chair Marcial Boo explores what it takes to lead a regulatory body, drawing on Jo’s experience at the General Osteopathic Council and Helen’s leadership of both the General Dental Council and the Chartered Insurance Institute. 
The podcast guests explain that, for them, good regulation is proportionate, risk‑based, and consistent, but that really effective regulation also involves fostering high professional pride and standards, which can often protect the public more than rules alone, and clear communication with all stakeholders. The chairs of regulators have four key responsibilities:
Strategy, so there is a shared understanding of outcomes, not just activities.  
Scrutiny, so there is oversight of key indicators, but without Boards drowning in detail.  
Stakeholders, to bring a real focus on the regulated community and those they serve.
Culture, with Boards modelling the regulator's values.
Both speakers recognise the importance of trust, which is a relational, not procedural, quality. To build trust, Chairs, Boards and executives must invest time in getting to know each other, with clear roles and boundaries. High levels of trust between executives and non-executives leads to more efficient and effective performance overall.
In sum, good regulator chairs need a blend of strategic leadership, relationship building and an understanding of public accountability. Regulator chairs need to accept a degree of public exposure too, with political and media scrutiny for difficult decisions, and an ability to have calm, adult-to-adult dialogues with those being regulated, as well as with ministers and members of the public. 
Keywords: regulatory leadership, chairing a regulator, board governance, strategic leadership, public accountability, executive–non‑executive relationships, board culture, organisational values

In this month’s Institute of Regulation podcast, Marcial Boo speaks with Charity Commission CEO David Holdsworth and FRC Executive Director Mark Babington about how regulators can be both consistent and fair when overseeing organisations of very different sizes. They discuss the challenge of applying the same rules to entities ranging from sole traders to global firms, and how proportionate regulation, clear guidance, and an understanding of smaller organisations’ needs can support fairness. The conversation explores how regulators assess risk, reduce administrative burdens, and maintain public confidence, while keeping regulation stable and under review. They also highlight the value of collaboration between regulators.
Keywords: UK regulation, regulatory fairness, proportional regulation, Charity Commission, Financial Reporting Council, Institute of Regulation, risk assessment, balancing regulatory standards, reducing regulatory burden