A Shropshire accountant says latest figures revealing a record number of new businesses starting up in the region mean most people are ignoring fears surrounding Brexit and getting on with planning for the future.
Shropshire saw 2,634 new businesses registered in the last year, a 6.5% rise on 2017 with 933 firms formed in Telford & Wrekin and the rest in the wider county area.
Neighbouring Staffordshire saw 6,474 new startups, a rise of 1.7% on 2017 while the West Midlands registered 32,571 new businesses, a 5.1% increase over the same period.
The figures mirrored an encouraging trend of similar increases in other areas of the country with a record number of new business startups in the UK last year of 669,855 compared to 634,116 in 2017.
Karen Whitehead, owner of KEW Accountants based on Stafford Park in Telford, said the figures reflected the positive attitude her team had encountered in the number of new businesses they had helped throughout the year.
“Helping new businesses is a very large part of our operation and we have certainly seen an increase in the number of calls for our services over the last 12 months,” she said.
“It’s vital to get the basics right. Setting up a strong base from which your business can grow and thrive is essential to its success and it is so important to get the right advice from the outset.
“We work with companies of all sizes and types, new startups and companies who have been running for a while, advising on business structure, tax affairs and other financial matters – and we have found a general air of optimism coming through.
“Despite a great deal of uncertainty over Brexit, we have found people still have the will and desire to give it a go by launching and developing their business ideas.
“We may not be totally sure what leaving the EU will mean to us in Britain when the divorce finally becomes absolute, but life will go on and it’s encouraging to know people are prepared to plan for life post-Brexit by putting their faith in new business ventures.
“This is clearly borne out in these latest figures compiled by the Inform Direct Review of UK Company Formations from credible data provided by the Office for National Statistics and Companies House.
“There are now 22,421 registered companies in Shropshire which is great for the local economic picture but it is also pleasing that nationally things are looking equally promising with record numbers of new companies being launched.”
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