BUSINESS confidence is still strong across Yorkshire, a senior figure in the telecoms industry has claimed.

Tim Mercer, regional sales manager for ntl:Telewest Business – which provides IT services for companies across Huddersfield – countered a recent survey by the Institute of Chartered Accountants, which found that business confidence in Yorkshire had fallen significantly.

Mr Mercer said the findings were unduly pessimistic given the levels of investment seen by his company.

He said the regional economy was worth more than £80bn – putting it in the top third of the world’s national economies and well ahead of the European average for the past five years.

Mr Mercer said: “Pockets of uncertainty exist as a result of the Northern Rock debacle and the US credit crunch.

These national and international concerns have spilled over into Yorkshire because of our large financial services sector – but to say that business confidence is bad across the region is simply not true.

“Yorkshire has a thriving economy, not just built upon world class banking and financial services industries, but also the region's manufacturing, tourism and science sectors to name but a few.”

Mr Mercer said the success of firms across the region had created demand for massive investment from IT and telecommunications providers – and that demand for the latest business communications was still there.

He said: “We are still seeing a high percentage of purchasing decisions being fuelled by an organisation's growth.

“We help companies use IT and telecommunications to drive efficiencies across their business and although this is an effective means of saving costs when times are hard, it is also an enabler for growth.”