The profit's gone. It's gone in the diesel tank.
"The profit's gone. It's gone in the diesel tank."
That's how one business leader summed up the Budget's impact on SMEs at this week's Gatwick Diamond briefing.
What we heard:
🔹 It's the combined weight of employer NI, wage rises and employment rights that's hurting, not any single measure
🔹 Hiring and apprenticeships are being cut as a result
🔹 A £720bn infrastructure pipeline needs ~695,000 workers, but the skills system isn't delivering them
🔹 Devolution offers real long-term investment power, but Sussex won't have a mayor until 2028
The Budget bought the Government time. Now is the moment for the region's businesses to make their case before the next one.
Comments