Connectivity a key concern
Over a third (36%) of businesses taking part in the region’s leading economic survey say better broadband speed and reliability is critical to future success. A further 53% of firms
completing the first of the Chamber's Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) for 2018, sponsored in 2018 by the University of Leicester School of Business, cited good broadband as ‘very important’. Only 2.4% of early respondents said it wasn’t important. Broadband speed and reliability
was the biggest single concern of regional businesses (89%), according to analysis of mid-survey responses.
The second-biggest concern
(69.5%) was mobile connectivity, closely followed by better roads (69.1%), business rates (66%) and red tape and regulation (62.5%). Just over half of respondents
(50.6%) expressed concerns over energy security while 45.3% said greater support for reducing energy costs and usage was either critical or very important. A third of companies (33.9%) said
support to develop a better corporate social responsibility profile was either critical or very important to their future success, supporting evidence gathered by the Chamber over the past two years. Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at the Chamber, said: “These
provisional results confirm what we’ve been telling Government for some time, that connectivity is vital to business success. “We are already world-leaders
when it comes to the technology but if we are to remain at the forefront of development in a post- Brexit global economy we must have the best connectivity, the fastest possible broadband, excellent mobile coverage, a 21st Century rail network, the best international air
links and the roads as free from congestion as possible.” The results from this QES will help
form the Chamber’s Manifesto for Business for the year, which will be launched to MPs at Westminster later in the spring.
business network April 2018
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