I am very pleased to have been able to represent the business view in this process and, as ever, have been making the case for more employment land to satisfy the needs of businesses to be able to expand and grow in the area, as well as being able to attract new investors into the Borough.
It’s absolutely vital that businesses can see what the plans are and are able to make decisions around what the future may look like for the region.
Sadly, certainty is something that has been lacking at a national and international level for many years and we can only hope that recent events start to create some stability.
A few weeks ago, the picture was bleak with tariffs from the USA causing all sorts of knock-on effects for the global markets.
But, since then, we’ve seen a drop in interest rates in the UK and deals signed with India and the USA, the latter mitigating the tariffs that had been placed on the UK which had led to genuine concern for companies in our area.
I’m not sure we are completely out of the woods yet but we can only hope that the coming weeks, months and years create a more stable environment for businesses in this region.
It has been a very tricky time to navigate – whether it was Brexit or Covid – and companies prefer to invest when they have a clearer picture of what the future may look like.
There are still other factors to contend with, from an increase in the minimum wage through to a jump in National Insurance costs which are adding to the overall cost burden of doing business and employing people.
It is, therefore, no surprise to see the national rate of unemployment creep up slightly as businesses look to absorb the additional costs as best they can.
This was something that came up when the Chamber surveyed businesses in Rugby ahead of putting together our manifesto that will help us to shape the economic future of the region.
The final document is being worked on now but it will give us a really solid plan for where we focus our efforts when it comes to speaking up for our members.
As the voice of business, it’s vital that now, more than ever, we take on board every issue that matters and be ready to champion the cause of our businesses and our region to decision-makers at every level.
