Local Elections 2017 - Good for business

Uncertainty is the enemy of business; it introduces doubt where decisions before seemed clear cut. Plans chiselled into the granite of confidence are eroded by a constant drip of doubt, and the circumference of the ring-fence containing allocated budgets gets ever more contracted.

2017 has seen uncertainty start to pervade the business community as questions about how the country will move forward are discussed endlessly in the media. The press has taken an increasingly divisive line and views in the media seem ever more polarised.

Last night, in local elections across the country, people voted for an end to the hand-wringing and deliberating that has been in danger of becoming the norm.

With votes still being counted, it appears that they did not vote for UKIP and that the Lib Dems have no grounds for celebration either. The two furthest extremes of the Brexit debate have been side-lined by the electorate. Of course, there is the General Election to be played out on June 8^th, but make no mistake that local elections are highly important in themselves. Decisions taken at county and metropolitan level can have a profound effect  on businesses nationwide.

So, the public voted for consistency and they voted to steady the country.

The magnitude of this decision, taken en masse, and its importance for business, cannot be overstated. That doubt dripping continuously from the tap of uncertainty has been arrested. We can all now start to plan for the future knowing the path the country is going to take.

Whether or not you agree with the path that has been chosen, you can at least see it stretching out ahead. Every path has its ups and downs of course – there will be opportunities and risks along the way we have chosen – but that is preferable to not knowing where the path is.

The final votes will be counted today and as the last result is returned, the starting pistol for business will be fired. To be ready to go on the ‘B’ of BANG, get in touch now.