Chancellor Rishi Sunak is delivering his much-anticipated Spending Review, outlining how the government will tackle the huge economic challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The main points so far are: The government is spending £280bn on tackling Covid-19 But the Chancellor says: “The economic damage is likely to be lasting.” Forecast for UK borrowing...
The government has been warned that it cannot “keep switching businesses on and off like a light switch” through Covid-19 related national lockdowns and regional tiers without expecting severe consequences. Instead, firms need a plan that keeps them, and the economy, open throughout winter and beyond, according to Business West, the organisation that runs...
Boosting skills and developing the physical and digital infrastructure will be vital for South West to build back better from the economic ravages of coronavirus, the CBI said today in a major new report. Called Reviving Regions, the paper highlights long-standing regional inequalities across England which have inhibited growth, opportunity and productivity for generations. These economic disparities, both...
Swindon firms trading in Europe have been told that it is ‘almost too late’ if they have not planned for a worst case scenario following the end of the Brexit transition on January 1. The 50-day countdown to that date was on Wednesday and Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, fears many firms...
Swindon-based automotive manufacturers could soon be collaborating with South Korean innovators to develop next-generation hydrogen vehicles under a new agreement signed by Business West, the region’s largest business group. South Korea is on course to becoming a world leader in hydrogen mobility, with a clear strategy to have 6.2m hydrogen powered vehicles on its roads by...
The new lockdown measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the weekend will be devastating to many Swindon firms despite their best efforts to make themselves Covid-safe, the region’s largest business organisation warned today. Most businesses will have to close from Thursday as the country enters its second lockdown, with staff being urged to...
Swindon firms are being urged to prepare now for the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1 next year, despite many questions of how it will work in practice remaining unanswered. The government has launched a campaign for businesses with the strapline ‘Time is running out’ as talks with the EU over...
Firms will ‘despair’ over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s comments today that they should prepare for a no-deal Brexit, the region’s biggest business organisation said. Describing the move as “another period of political theatre”, Business West managing director Phil Smith said firms across the West of England were already under unprecedented pressure from the impact...
New support for firms forced to close by law because of coronavirus restrictions by Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been welcomed by Business West, the organisation behind the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative. The scheme, under which the government will pay two-thirds of the wages of staff working for these firms, was announced on Friday. It...
Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, has launched a directory service to help signpost firms to vital advice, opportunities and support services. Back to Business is an evolution of Business West’s highly successful Trading Through Coronavirus platform, which has been visited by more than 100,000 businesses across the South West. It has been launched...
