The majority of mid-sized businesses in Yorkshire and the North East believe the 'levelling up' agenda will benefit businesses, research suggests.
Grant Thornton UK LLP's latest Business Outlook Tracker found 67% of firms across the two regions carried the sentiment, while 78% see themselves as having an important tole to play in the agenda which business groups have urged the next Prime Minister to back. The survey also found Yorkshire and North East firms identified three of the Government's 12 'levelling up missions' outlined in February's white paper as their priorities.
Improve digital connectivity (32%); provide better quality housing (28%), and improve public transport connectivity and invest in the provision of high quality skills training (24%) were the top priorities cited by respondents. Andy Wood, managing partner at Grant Thornton UK LLP in Yorkshire, said: "Despite the challenges the last couple of years have thrown at us all, I think Yorkshire is more dynamic, out-ward facing, innovative and resilient than ever and the levelling up agenda is already supporting this with our region benefitting from a number of landmark ‘wins’ such as Channel 4 and the Bank of England choosing Leeds as their Northern hubs.
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"That’s why it’s encouraging to see that Yorkshire business leaders clearly believe in what the government is trying to deliver and can see the opportunities it brings to the region. There continues to be a clear willingness from the business community to be involved in Levelling Up and in tackling the most pressing issues in society, with impressive progress being made here recently in low carbon innovation.
"Our research shows though that there is clear room for improvement and that the region’s businesses prioritise focus in a number of areas, including digital connectivity, providing better quality housing and of course upgrading public transport connectivity. Addressing these will help us build on the strong foundations of enterprise, graft and innovation which are already here in spades."
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