The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) released figures last week that show that the financial burden of red tape on small businesses has increased sharply over the past year.

According to the BCC’s so-called ‘burdens barometer’, which tracks how much compliance with new legal or financial regulations costs businesses, the amount could be more than £30bn, compared with £20.6bn last year.

The biggest item of red tape – and the one that affects recruiters the most – is compliance with working time regulations, which the BCC estimates costs businesses £2.3bn a year.

Another survey suggests that many small firms are ignoring red tape altogether. The report by the Small Business Council found that most small firms showed low awareness of issues such as employment law, childcare and maternity policies.