LevellerLive

It is likely that we are in unprecedented territory. Probably the biggest recession in our history. Almost certainly one of the first to be entirely designed to happen as a matter of policy.

However getting hard facts is hard. Not least because it takes a long time for the numbers to come through. The Office for National Statistics has only just published the first quarter economic data and that contains just one week of lockdown in the numbers.

So the views of local business and the experience of business owners become very important. More than they ever have been. Each quarter the Chambers of Commerce carry out an economic survey. The Somerset Chamber is no different. This gives good anecdotal information on the state of business at a local level. It helps inform policy and helps us understand, here in Somerset, how things are looking.

This quarter the Somerset Chamber really need to get in as many views as possible. It does not take long to complete the survey.

Run in Somerset in conjunction with Barclays, it is seen as a leading indicator of UK GDP growth and is the largest and most representative independent survey of its kind in the country.

It looks at a wide range of issues, including export sales and orders, employment prospects, investment, recruitment difficulties, cash flow, confidence and price pressures.

Local results are then fed into the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) to formulate the first national economic indicator of each yearly quarter.

The Quarterly Economic Survey can be found on Somerset Chamber’s website at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/TVT2H5F Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a free prize draw to win a hamper of Somerset produce. The deadline for responses is June 8.

Please, if you can spare just a few minutes of your time, help by completing the survey.