State of the Region Survey – Are you a bull or a bear?

THIS year was expected to be a year of slow recovery with the business community focused firmly on the General Election.

More than 50% of our readers were confident for the year ahead. Now, with a new Government in place and a tough plan to slash public spending being impemented, TheBusinessDesk.com in association with law firm DLA Piper, is seeking your views for this year’s State of the Region Survey.

North West business leaders took part in the survey in their hundreds last year to give a comprehesive barometer of confidence and expectations for 2010.

We are now are inviting our readers to help us do the same. Your answers matter and knowing how time is precious for those running businesses, we have made the survey quick and simple – it will take you no more than three minutes to complete.

[FORM: 38]

Last year, just over half the respondents said they were more confident about the state of the economy than in the previous 12 months, 30% expected it to remain the same and only 14% said they felt less confident.

Were readers right to be optimistic? Or has the crisis in the eurozone and the severity of the public sector cuts derailed dampened positivity?

Philip Rooney, managing partner of th DLA Piper’s Liverpool office said: “It’s been a  challenging 12 months for businesses of every shape and size.  Realism is probably the overriding sentiment as we approach 2011. 
 “Talking about a new era of austerity is perhaps overstating it – many of us have seen difficult economic conditions before – but there’s obvious concern about what sort of landscape will emerge once the full impact of the Government’s spending review has sunk in.

“What happens to interest rates and the level of support the banks provide to business will also be critical to decision making and business confidence.

“The North West economy has proven itself to be robust over time and the fundamentals here remain quite positive. The region has a number of ambitious heavyweights in the private sector which can continue to lead the way on the road of growth and recovery.  By seizing the opportunities presented by new technologies, such as offshore wind power, many businesses in the region can steer themselves through these turbulent times.

“In our experience entrepreneurship and pursuit of international opportunities remain alive and well,” Mr Rooney added.  

We will be running a series of stories on the survey results from each of our North Wes, Yorkshire and West Midlands regions in the New Year and comparing the findings from the three.

In addition, we will be identifying the important issues that matter to the region’s firms and then lobbying on their behalf for the changes they want to see happen in the future, as well as comparing the results from this year’s survey to last year’s.

[FORM: 38]