From 7 April 2026, labour providers in agriculture, food processing and shellfish across the North will deal with the Secretary of State-not the GLAA-for licensing decisions and appeals. It’s a technical switch on paper, but it lands squarely in places like North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, the Humber seafood cluster and the Morecambe Bay coast where seasonal labour is critical.

The change is set out in new regulations made on 16 March and laid before Parliament on 17 March. It aligns the licensing and appeals system with the Government’s wider overhaul of labour market enforcement under the Employment Rights Act 2025, which moves GLAA functions into a new framework led from the Department for Business and Trade. Ministers have already confirmed that criminal enforcement functions transfer to the Fair Work Agency (FWA), an executive agency of DBT. (legislation.gov.uk)

What’s actually changing in law is detailed and practical. The Gangmasters (Appeals) Regulations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland are amended so that appeals are now against decisions of the Secretary of State, rather than the Authority. The Gangmasters (Licensing Conditions) Rules 2009 are updated the same way-applications, conditions, fees and inspection powers are now framed under the Secretary of State’s name. Record‑keeping and information duties remain in place; the wording shifts, not the underlying obligations.

For licence‑holders, the route of appeal remains in the existing tribunal framework but the respondent has changed. Decisions “with immediate effect” still exist, and the independent secretariat process remains. Day‑to‑day, that means your paperwork, correspondence and any appeal bundles will now be addressed to the Secretary of State rather than the GLAA.

Alongside licensing and appeals, investigatory powers are being re‑badged so enforcement officers can keep using the tools they already had. In Parliament, ministers said the update is about “ensuring continuity of capability” after Parliament transferred GLAA enforcement to the Fair Work Agency. Existing GLAA specialists will continue the same investigations within the new agency. (hansard.parliament.uk)

For northern employers the immediate priorities are housekeeping ones. Update internal compliance notes and staff training so supervisors know that inspections, information requests and notices will now reference the Secretary of State or DBT enforcement officers under section 90 of the Employment Rights Act 2025. Key Information Document obligations for agency workers still apply-the legal cross‑reference has changed, not the requirement itself.

There is also tidy‑up work across older laws. GLAA is removed from various public‑authority schedules and regulatory lists, with DBT/FWA taking the enforcement baton where relevant. That includes investigatory powers and proceeds‑of‑crime designations, ensuring officers can continue complex investigations when serious exploitation or organised labour abuse is suspected. Ministers have stressed those powers remain tightly controlled and used sparingly. (hansard.parliament.uk)

The Government’s stated aim is a clearer, single front door for workers and responsible businesses. The Fair Work Agency brings together GLAA’s criminal enforcement with the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate and HMRC’s national minimum wage team, making it simpler to know who to call and who has the lead. For farms, packhouses and processors across the North, that should mean fewer hand‑offs and faster answers. (hansard.parliament.uk)

Timing matters with spring recruitment under way. The Fair Work Agency is slated to stand up from April, with senior leadership and policy direction already flagged publicly. Sector advisers point to continuity through the transition: keep licences current, keep records tight, and expect updated guidance and forms as DBT completes the rebrand. (thompsonstradeunion.law)

Northern operators have a practical question: will centralising decisions in Whitehall blunt local knowledge? That concern has been raised before, particularly in coastal shellfish and horticulture hotspots. Ministers told MPs and peers the same inspectors and safeguards carry over, and promised annual transparency on use of investigatory powers so Parliament-and regions like ours-can see how the system is working. (hansard.parliament.uk)

Looking ahead, employers should also clock adjacent reforms flowing from the Employment Rights Act 2025 this spring, including new rules around umbrella companies and agency supply chains. Those will sit alongside the licensing changes and may push agencies and end‑clients to revisit who carries PAYE and NIC responsibility from April. (lewissilkin.com)

Bottom line for the North: the name on the letterhead changes on 7 April, but your obligations do not. Keep to the licence conditions, keep worker documentation straight, and expect DBT/FWA to pick up the phone as the new point of contact for enforcement and guidance. The apparatus may be centralised; the scrutiny on exploitation in our fields, factories and fisheries remains firmly in place. (legislation.gov.uk)