Businesses across Worcestershire will soon be asked to have their say on the current economic climate and what can be done to support them following the EU referendum result and as we move closer to Brexit.

The latest Worcestershire Viewpoint Survey is set to get underway in the next few weeks and will target large and small businesses across the county.

Having a county that nurtures and supports business is key to the overall strategy of a sustainable council that is able to provide the services we all want.  To ensure Worcestershire is Open for Business, the County Council, together with the Local Enterprise Partnership needs to understand the views and requirements of the business community so that resources can be targeted most effectively.

This isn’t the first time we’ve approached the business community with previous Business Engagement Surveys taking place in autumn 2011, autumn 2013 and spring 2015, with a further survey which had been planned in 2017. This means we’ll be bringing forward the next survey to 2016 so that we can gauge business reaction now to current economic situation following the EU Referendum result.

The survey will follow the same format used previously. M.E.L Research are undertaking the survey on our behalf with a telephone survey of a representative sample of businesses located in Worcestershire. The questions will cover a range of subjects such as location, business confidence, skills and recruitment, investment and finance.

Cllr Dr Ken Pollock, cabinet member for Economy, Infrastructure and Skills said: “Ensuring that Worcestershire is Open for Business is the County Council’s top priority. Both Worcestershire County Council and Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership want to know how businesses in the county are doing and what we can do to support them.  We would be really grateful for businesses who are able to spare around 15 minutes of their time to take part in this really important survey, that will help shape our business support during this coming future period of uncertainty.”