Partner Article

Looking ahead to the Autumn Budget

Ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, Mark Sismey-Durrant, Chief Executive Officer at Hampshire Trust Bank, urges the Government to increase support for SME housebuilders and focus on nationwide infrastructure.

Increased support for housebuilders “We are calling for greater support from the Government for SME housebuilders – much of the support in the past has focused on schemes to help larger housebuilding companies. Our latest SME Growth Watch report found confidence among real estate SMEs has dropped this year, compared to 2016. We believe SMEs could be helped by lessening red tape in the planning process where appropriate, reducing costs and helping smaller firms compete with the larger players in the market. At a market level, addressing the negative impact of Stamp Duty would also help.”

Focus on nationwide-infrastructure “Our latest SME Growth Watch report found that SMEs in Leeds and Greater Manchester are set to increase their economic contributions to the economy the most by 2025. In order to meet this forecast, we need to ensure continued investment in infrastructure throughout the country – efficient roads and rail connections will help support SME’s as they conduct their business nationwide and their construction will help boost the economy. Better links across the country will help businesses achieve their growth goals and should further encourage more top talent to look at opportunities outside of the Capital.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hampshire Trust Bank .