Jack Pringle, the RIBA president-elect, is planning to use the government’s pledge to cut regulation to lobby for changes to the 1997 Architects Act.

Pringle wants to take advantage of recent pronouncements by chancellor Gordon Brown on cutting red tape to achieve his aim of curbing the power of the Architects Registration Board. The ARB has recently had a number of spats with the RIBA over professional indemnity insurance and education.

Pringle is interested in using new government powers called regulatory reform orders, which make it easier to alter legislation.

The RIBA backed the formation of ARB in 1997, but has grown uncomfortable with what it sees as ARB’s excessive use of its powers.

Pringle referred to a speech made by Brown on 24 May, when the chancellor spoke of “a modern form of regulation” that was “not just a light touch but a limited touch”.

Pringle said: “The government wants to streamline the burden of regulation and has set up a better regulation taskforce which allows acts of parliament to be amended. We’d like to look at ARB in the context of the new government mood.”

Robin Vaughan, the ARB’s chief executive, said he was aware of the reform orders but noted that a similar move by the RIBA to reform the act had been rebuffed by the Cabinet Office earlier this year.