Ten months ahead of its planned introduction, an alarmingly high proportion of UK businesses have little or no awareness of HM Revenue and Customs’ flagship Making Tax Digital project, according to new research by the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with Avalara.
Only half of businesses believe the UK’s phone network is more reliable than five years ago, according to new research by the British Chambers of Commerce.
A survey by the BCC of over 1,100 businesses, found that while 53% of firms believe the reliability of the UK’s mobile phone network has improved compared to five years ago, 30% believe there has been no change and 16% say that it is less reliable.
Despite welcome investment and progress in the rollout of mobile coverage, businesses across the country still report problems with accessing reliable mobile coverage. In response to the frustration of business communities, the BCC launched its No More Not Spots campaign to end not spots for voice coverage where UK phone users live, work, travel and play.
Businesses in all parts of the UK, particularly rural areas, are experiencing full or partial ‘not-spots’ in their mobile coverage.
The survey of over 1,400 businesses, found that 70% of firms experience mobile ‘non-spots’, areas of no mobile coverage by any operator, or ‘partial not-spots’, where there is some coverage but not from all networks, in their local area.
One in five businesses have fallen victim to cyber-attacks in the past year, according to the results the British Chambers of Commerce Digital Economy Survey.
The survey of more than 1,200 businesses across the UK found that 20% had been hit by a cyber-attack in the last 12 months. Big businesses are far more likely than their smaller counterparts to be victims of attacks (42% of companies with more than 100 staff, compared to 18% of companies with fewer than 99 employees).
Digital skills are increasingly important to the operation of businesses in the UK but companies are facing a shortage of skills in their workforce which is hampering productivity, according to the results the British Chambers of Commerce Digital Economy Survey.
The survey of more than 1,400 businesses across the UK found that 84% of firms say digital and IT skills are more important to their business than two years ago, with half (51%) saying these skills are significantly more important.
72% are looking for basic IT skills from their employees.
While it will be a relief to some businesses in England that select critical workers can be exempt from self-isolation, it will leave many more still facing critical staff shortages and lost revenue as the number of people being asked to isolate remains high.
Responding to the announcement of the new UK approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said: “Businesses in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland need durable, workable, negotiated solutions on compliance with the Protocol to ensure the continued two-way flow of goods East-West and North-South. The UK Government and EU need to work together to find solutions which work for business."
The UK government should seek to expand trade opportunities for UK businesses in the switch to greener technologies and practices.
Hard-pressed companies will need further support into next year as they adjust to this new phase of the biggest change in trading terms with the rest of Europe for half a century.
