GARY SMITH, director of Novaglaze Ltd and chairman of Calderdale and Kirklees Manufacturing Alliance, said: “Local manufacturing mainly saw in the last year slow growth, but with very tight profit margins. Sadly, This has not allowed most companies to invest too much and grow the number of employees. The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement was a little help, but still with most companies now taking on apprentices, the training wages they receive do not leave a lot of money for spending in the local economy. As more people are looking not only to buy British and locally, hopefully we will see continued business growth and employment growing locally at the current rate. Supporting buying from local business will help the Calderdale and Kirklees area steadily prosper and wages will be able to increase too.”

AMANDA VIGAR, managing partner of Holmfirth-based accountancy firm V&A Bell Brown, said: “A simplified tax system would make it much easier for HMRC to do its job, ensure that all taxpayers pay the correct amount of tax and also prevent small business bosses from being overwhelmed by red tape and stress. The increase in the High Street Rates Discount to £1,500, announced in the Autumn Statement, should be extended to all small businesses and not just apply to retailers. Big businesses should pay proper attention to the quality of their customer service rather than merely paying lip service to it. Delivering an excellent customer experience is one way a company can make sure it stands out from the crowd.”

BRENT WOODS, chief executive of the Media Centre in Huddersfield, said: “A few of my wishes for 2015 have already come true – the extension of the doubling of Small Business Rate Relief, the promise of a structural review of business rates and the introduction of a tax credit for children’s television production. Further out of reach however is my big hope that we discover a new way to protect and grow Huddersfield’s art and culture offer as it faces potentially devastating cuts in funding. Art and culture is the furnace that fuels creativity and innovation. A deficit of diverse art and culture would put the town’s vibrancy, economic growth and the well-being of the community at risk. My hope is that the business and art sectors locally can collaboratively put some of Huddersfield’s rich history of innovation and radicalism to work and discover new ways of ensuring that art and culture keeps the heart of our town beating.”

COLIN BARRATT, partner at Wheawill & Sudworth Chartered Accountants, said: “Business and the economy can only improve if people are confident – confidence from the top downwards. We need a decisive election and a government that will help business and promote confidence. Sadly, this is probably a wish rather than a real possibility (a non-decisive election will create greater uncertainty). The Help to Buy scheme has been welcome. The scheme needs to be continued whatever happens in the election. It is pointless having a go at banks, which creates negativity which destroys confidence. Those in high places who should know better should be trying to promote some confidence so that the banks can lend responsibly to proper businesses.”

STEVEN LEIGH, head of policy at the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Government continues to stress the importance of rebalancing the economy towards international trade. We wish that the Government would prioritise assistance for British companies aspiring to start exporting. Additional tax allowances on sales or profits derived from international activities would directly incentivise those companies thinking about stepping-up their efforts to develop new export markets. On transport, it is essential that any proposals for high-speed rail infrastructure should fully connect and integrate with the existing rail network. In his Autumn Statement, the chancellor announced a review of the business rates system. We continue to argue that Business Rates are a counter-intuitive tax which impact on businesses before they have turned over a single penny. Work remains to be done in alleviating the burden of this tax for businesses. We welcome the chancellor’s announcement that there will be further NI relief for businesses taking on apprentices under the age of 25, but we wish that further consideration could be given to funding training for young people and apprenticeships being channelled directly through employers, rather than always through the training providers. Many small businesses continue to experience difficulties in accessing affordable finance and this remains a serious obstacle to growth. We welcome the extension to the Funding for Lending Scheme, together with additional funding of £400m for the Business Bank. We are generally supportive of the idea that growth can be best achieved through the City Regions and Local Economic Partnerships. There is a clear role for chambers of commerce to assist with the promotion and delivery of regional growth.

JOHN CRIDLAND, CBI director-general, said: “We must sustain the best launch pad for the UK economy and our young people. Cementing Britain’s reputation in the world as one of the best places to do business has to be a top priority for 2015. For business leaders, deficit reduction is a must for the next Government. The main political parties are in agreement on the need for action, but seem reluctant to be upfront on the major structural changes needed to prevent public services suffering decline through a thousand cuts. All political parties need to give as much attention to how they will run Government as to what Government should do. Post-Autumn Statement, the same approach to public service reform is no longer an option. Much of the low hanging fruit is long since gone and only radical solutions will deliver. Let’s see the integration of health and social care and a significant increase in services available online. On education, we need to get the basics right first time in primary school and provide a personal menu of tailored learning plans for all 14-18 year olds. offering high quality academic and vocational ‘A-levels.”