Osborne's "march of the makers" questioned by MBS panel

Chancellor George Osborne’s heralding of a manufacturing-friendly Budget, the “march of the makers” as his speechwriter put it, was called into question at a panel event convened by Manchester Business School (MBS) yesterday (23 March).

John Ashcroft, chief executive of Pro Manchester, said: “It’s not the first time we’ve heard talk of the resurgence of manufacturing, the fact is it had fallen so far any upturn is exaggerated. Sooner or later it reverts to the trend of less than 1 per cent.”

Chris Bones of MBS added: “The interesting bits of this Budget are reforming the role of the state in tax, pensions and carbon pricing, but the ‘march of the makers’? I’m not sure yet.”

On the Enterprise Zones and planning aspects of the Budget, Pannone partner Stephen Chalcraft said: “Enterprise Zones are good in theory, where they went wrong before was in not always creating enough employment - that has to be the focus.

“Also, it’s not a lot of money to spread between 21 areas and I’m not convinced it’s wise to put money into areas with no demand - I’d favour investing it in areas that can generate employment and wealth. The government is going to have to work hard to make this work, but it could be a good first step in underlining its commitment to growth.”

First published in Insider North West

To watch the full panel discussion, visit: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13512109