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Responding to the Downturn and Planning the Future Economy

I certainly welcome the fact that some businesses have been supported. However, the uptake has been disappointing. In fact, on 16 October 2009, around 7,500 companies had applied for loans backed by the Government’s enterprise finance guarantee. However, the scheme has offered only £575 million of loan guarantees to around 5,700 firms. A lot of firms that expressed an interest have not actually got the funding. People are disappointed that the much-forecast upturn in the British economy in the last quarter for which we have results has not happened. They are particularly perturbed that other countries around the world are seeing improved trading conditions, yet the UK is still mired in recession. People are concerned for their jobs and about when the recession will end. When they vote at the next general election they will need to decide whether this Government are part of the solution—or part of the problem, as many people are starting to realise.