Spending Review: Government must now shift gear from cuts to a clear growth strategy, says SCC

Commenting on the Spending Review, set out by the Chancellor of the Exchequer today (Wednesday), Chaz Brooks, President of the Surrey Chambers of Commerce (SCC), said:
“Business has been clear: the deficit must be tackled, no matter what. The spending review does the job of setting out how this will be done.

“Overall, the Spending Review could have been worse for business. While we were disappointed that the Government succumbed to political ring-fencing of some spending areas, cuts to productive infrastructure investment were not as bad as many had feared.

“Now that the Spending Review is complete, our message to Government is that it is now time for a clear strategy for growth – which in turn will give companies, and especially small and medium-sized enterprises, the confidence to invest. Perceptions matter. Businesses and government must work together to deliver a real year for growth in 2011. This is the only way that the private sector will be able to take up the slack.”