A dispute over different local authority interpretations of the law has been resolved in the first ever Primary Authority determination. The Business Department’s regulatory delivery directorate, BRDO, has upheld advice from primary authority Newcastle City Council to high street baker Greggs Plc. about provision of toilets in its retail premises, saving the business £55 million.

Since Primary Authority was launched in 2008, BRDO has worked with more than 100 local authorities to find resolutions to differences of view which would otherwise have created unnecessary costs for businesses, whilst ensuring that vital protections are maintained.

This challenge from Kingston upon Hull City Council is the only issue which has reached the dispute resolution process set out by legislation in the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 which established Primary Authority.

Kingston upon Hull City Council had challenged Newcastle City Council’s Primary Authority Advice, insisting that two of Greggs’ retail outlets provide toilets on the premises. The assurance provides certainty for the business about future investment decisions and clarity for all parties, helping to inform regulators and businesses elsewhere. In the information Greggs supplied to BRDO they calculated that certainty in this matter has saved them £55 million in costs of redesigning premises nationally – including many that have been recently refurbished based on the Primary Authority Advice.