Autumn Budget is chance to deliver growth and increase living standards

WHILE the UK Parliament is currently on summer recess, the country’s business community is gearing up for a critical date on the horizon: the Autumn Budget.

- MATT BRATTON

Operating conditions remain tough for many businesses, with our latest Growth Indicator - a composite of our monthly surveys ~ revealing that firms across the private sector expect activity to fall in the next three months.

Against this backdrop, the upcoming Budget is a pivotal moment for the Government to reverse the current weakness in business sentiment by addressing the significant burdens they are facing amid a challenging operating environment.

This is the Government's opportunity to deliver on its ambitious growth mission, driving up living standards for people in the North East and across the nation.

It is critical that the Autumn Budget provides the clarity and certainty businesses desperately need to invest, innovate, and create jobs.

Its impact will resonate far beyond Westminster, influencing everything from hiring at a local level to the UK's standing on the global economic stage.

This next Budget’s provisions for skills, infrastructure, and innovation will directly shape the economic prosperity of our region.