Member Article

75% of business owners are concerned with the North/South divide, says SageUK

Three quarters of business owners are concerned with the country’s ‘North/South divide’ according to research from business software and services provider Sage UK has revealed

More than half (51%) of businesses in the UK believe ‘too much investment is sucked into London’ and 53% stated: ‘There is a greater focus on the South East’, according to the survey of more than 400 business owners.

Sage UK said the major infrastructure investment between Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield, would be greatly supported by business owners in order to strike a more balanced economy across the country.

Only 2.8% percent of business owners think that Newcastle was given the most investment priority after London.

Half of the businesses surveyed believe it does not matter where you are located in the country in order to be successful in business. With access to broadband, road and rail links, supported by regional investment, everyone has the opportunity to be successful in business.

Stuart Lynn, Sage UK & Ireland’s CTO said technology and skills investment will prove just as vital as improved transport links for Britain to continue on its path of strong growth.

He said: “The North is home to a wide talent pool of skilled businesspeople and entrepreneurs but it’s not just transport infrastructure that can help unlock business potential

“The UK also needs to keep technology infrastructure like broadband top of mind. We’ve had the industrial revolution and the electrical revolution, currently we are in the midst of a technology revolution.

“There has been a concerted effort to create a new Silicon Valley in London, which is fantastic for the UK, but why stop at London? To allow the next generation of entrepreneurs to realise their aspirations and grow their businesses the country needs to expand its investment to focus on technology skills and infrastructure beyond the capital.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .