In the next week, business will hopefully get a clear idea of the Prime Minister’s roadmap to recovery.
What business does not want at all costs is another lockdown which has forced many companies in Gloucestershire into an intolerable stop/go process.
That is worse than lockdown - particularly for this county’s major hospitality sector which is in intensive care.
The Forest of Dean’s MP and former chief whip, Mark Harper has been doing a sterling job in leading the Tory MPs recovery group trying to persuade the Prime Minister to lift more restrictions to get business moving again.
I agree with his premise, but we just cannot afford to get back to more normality before we have a real stranglehold on this pandemic.
Dates are not important here. Lives and the sustainability of the NHS are.
What is absolutely clear to me is that as business comes out of the shadow of COVID, it must look forward in the way they operate and have more of a vision of the future.
So, I was impressed by one of Business West’s non-executive directors, Peter Boucher, CEO of Excalibur Communications in Swindon when he wrote on our website:
“As we look forward in 2021, UK business need to start making plans for recovery NOW.
“Any plan clearly needs to be agile, but it also needs to have an eye on the next two or three years, not just the next quarter.
“The current lockdown measures are restrictive for all but provide an opportunity for business to plan for a return to a new look workplace and to ‘Build Back Better’."
Peter, who has a classical marketing background, is spot on.
You can read his full illuminating article on the Business West website here.
There is very little resembling any sort of coherent industrial strategy from the government at the moment.
Granted that COVID has clouded everything. But we must now see some real vision to support business and investment by companies.
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