Business activity among South West firms dropped for the first time in a year and amid uncertainty around the economic outlook and subsequent cuts to client spending, a new report has revealed.
Private sector firms operating in the region signalled a second successive monthly reduction in overall new work during August, according to the research from NatWest.
The bank said its index measuring month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – fell from 51.3 in July and below the crucial 50.0 no-change threshold.
