Shropshire Chamber of Commerce has launched its latest quarterly survey, gathering vital intelligence which helps to inform the UK’s economic decision-makers.

It questions business owners on a wide range of topics including sales forecasts, international trade, recruitment, training, cashflow, and overall confidence levels.

The survey is open to any business of any size in Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin. Companies do not need to be a member of Shropshire Chamber to take part.

All comments are anonymous, to allow businesses to speak honestly and frankly.

Shropshire’s results are fed into the national survey by the British Chambers of Commerce, which is used by the Bank of England and other relevant bodies and economists for key policy decisions including the setting of interest rates.

The previous Shropshire survey revealed businesses were entering the autumn with a mixture of caution and concern, with many firms delaying investment and pausing recruitment as they await clarity over the future.

Concerns around inflation and taxation rose sharply, with more than half of respondents citing both as major ‘fear factors’.

Turnover and profitability confidence saw modest improvements, yet many employers said they expected growth to remain limited over the coming year.

Liz Keirle, Shropshire Chamber’s policy and patron engagement manager, said: “It’s really important for us that as many businesses as possible take time to fill in this survey.

“Every single business voice matters. The greater the voice, the more accurate a picture we can paint – and the greater the influence we can have to support the businesses of Shropshire.

“Change can happen, but only after a robust case is made. And if we do not properly understand your business pressures or needs, then we cannot push for a better deal for the Shropshire economy.”

She added: “This is part of the largest and most respected quarterly business intelligence survey in the country, and the BCC asks us to gather business sentiment in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin to feed this into the data.

“The results are used by multiple Government departments, as well as the Bank of England, to understand the business climate. We want it to paint as accurate a picture as possible of the local economy.”