How to Start & Run a B&B BandBED2eBook-1 | Page 46

the regulations provided (in Article 26(2)) “a mechanism for ensuring that enforcing
authorities take a consistent approach to enforcement across England and Wales”.
In the first edition, we said our view was that this new “risk assessment” based regime
would be:
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Highly confusing, at least at first
Disproportionately onerous on many small B&Bs which have so far fallen
outside the “Fire Certificate” requirement of the 1971 act
An unpleasant shock for many existing B&B owners who are unaware of its
ramifications and have not been consulted, and
A consultant’s charter, ensuring many new advisors will spring up to charge
property owners for doing “Fire Risk Assessments”: some of these will no doubt
be of dubious qualification and/or will overcharge worried B&B owners.
We also worried that one effect would be that many small B&Bs, particularly those in
very old or unusual buildings, will simply decide to close rather than face the
consequences of the new regime. This would be a great pity not only for those people
deprived of their businesses, but also for the British tourism industry which will lose
“bedstock” and more importantly, will lose individuality, quality and choice.
“Time will tell!” we said then – and now four years later, we can tell you what
happened. Unfortunately, many of our fears about enforcement were justified; but
fortunately, thanks to a big campaign by led by the Bed and Breakfast Association
(www.bandbassociation.org), who created the “Fire Safety SENSE Campaign”
(www.firesafetysense.com), new Government guidance was issued by both the
Westminster and Edinburgh governments, and senior fire officers were made aware of
concerns and have taken some corrective action.
Figures released by the Scottish Government in November 2009, when they published
their revised Guidance for B&Bs (responding to industry concerns highlighted by the
Bed & Breakfast Association’s campaign), put the total additional "unnecessary" cost
burden in Scotland alone at an average £14,286 per B&B business, which equates to a
total unnecessary cost burden of £100 million in Scotland on the Scottish Government's
own figures as a result of disproportionate enforcement of fire regulations on small
B&Bs.
If the Scottish Government's figu res (the only cost burden estimates released by any
national Government) are a reasonable estimate for England & Wales too, the total
unnecessary additional cost burden on the UK’s 30,000 B&B businesses after 2006
would have been £428 million, or one-fifth of the total gross turnover of the sector.
If anything vindicates the Association’s urgent message to both Governments since
2006 that the burden we were faced with was disproportionate, these figures certainly
do.
The UK Government’s revised guidance for small B&Bs, “Do You Have Paying
Guests”, is available from the Department for Communities and Local Government at:
How to Start & Run a B&B
www.howtorunabandb.com