County business owners prepared to meet economic challenges

Gloucestershire business owners are feeling positive about the future, despite on-going Brexit concerns.

That was the finding of a seminar poll taken by the Cheltenham office of national audit, tax and advisory firm Crowe Clark Whitehill, at its post-Budget review event, held at Hatherley Manor Hotel, Gloucester.

According to the findings, 43% of business owners in the region felt positive about their future, with only 5% feeling negative.

Partner Chris Mould said: “While nearly a quarter of business owners said they felt nervous about the future, 29% said they were carrying on with their operations as usual, without thinking too far ahead.”

The UK’s relationship with the EU, post Brexit is a concern for 38% of business owners, with 24% seeing productivity as one of the major challenges to business in the next five years.

Other concerns highlighted in the poll included digitalisation (19%), securing funding (10%) and infrastructure (10%).