NEWS
COMMENT W
elcome to your re-branded, re-designed and re-launched issue of Process & Control Engineering.
Earlier this year, Datateam Business
Media, publishers of Process & Control, acquired Process Engineering magazine. This allowed us to merge the best of the two publications to create Process & Control Engineering, a new platform that will offer a fresh perspective on the key disciplines in the industrial processing sector.
Both magazines have an enviable heritage, with Process Engineering celebrating 60 years since it’s first issue, and Process & Control having published for over 45 years. Now, as the process industries stand on the cusp of electrification and digitisation, and automation and AI take on an ever-increasing role on the production line, and in energy, chemical and water treatment plants, we have brought both magazines right up-to-date, in one package. Process & Control Engineering is now the trusted source of information for professionals focused on engineering, manufacturing, and industrial technology. It is available in print and digital formats, with an accompanying website, and social media channels including LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. So, however you choose to consume the latest information on process industry trends, topics and developments, we have you covered. The April issue includes features covering subjects such as Flow & Level Control, Process Automation & Robotics, and a focus on the Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals sector. We also preview the ChemUK exhibition coming up in May. We hope you like the new look. If there are any subject areas that you would particularly like to see covered in future issues of Process & Control Engineering, please get in touch. We are always keen to hear our readers’ and visitors’ views. In the meantime, enjoy!
Michelle Lea Editor
mlea@datateam.co.uk
BUSINESS RATES ARE A BARRIER TO INVESTMENT
A
new CBI survey of nearly 700 businesses across the UK has revealed stark evidence that the current business rates system is acting as a major brake on investment, productivity and economic growth.
Nearly a third of all respondents (32%) said that the business rates system has played a major role in cancelled, reduced, or delayed planned investment in their property. Of those 222 respondents: • The overwhelming majority (76%) say that higher overall business rates bills suppress investment. • More than half (53%) say uncertainty about future liabilities undermines their ability to plan long-term investment. • Nearly a quarter (22%) reported that losing rates relief directly affected their investment decisions. Three in ten (30%) of all 694 businesses surveyed said they would reinvest as much as 91–100% of any potential savings from lower business rates, with a focus on: productivity, automation and AI (49%); property improvements (37%); and hiring and recruitment (35%). Facing a 200% increase to its rateable value, an infrastructure operator has halted millions of pounds of planned rail investments. For the second consecutive year, the UK has the highest property tax levels in the OECD, with property tax as a share of GDP four times higher than Germany. Businesses say that the level of their business rates bills and the system’s unpredictability, complexity and “cliff edges” are undermining confidence and deterring investment. That’s why the CBI is urging governments at a national and devolved level to deliver fundamental reform to boost competitiveness and support long- term investment across the UK. This reflects long-standing concerns raised by CBI members about the impact of business rates on investment decisions, and comes at a critical moment as the government considers options for reform in the context of boosting UK investment. To create a system that supports rather than suppresses business investment, the CBI is urging government to adopt three core principles: • Remove the revenue neutrality constraint • Increase certainty and transparency • Support investment and growth
www.cbi.org.uk
ECO PRO PANEL SERIES
sales@lamonde.com |
www.lamonde.com | +44 (0)20 3026 2670 4 PROCESS & CONTROL ENGINEERING | APRIL 2026
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