South Yorkshire Businesses Asked To Share Their Experiences With Access To Finance

19th August 2024

Businesses across South Yorkshire are being asked to share their experiences when it comes to access to financial support, via a new poll conducted by the three regional Chambers of Commerce.

Open from now until Monday 16th of September, the Access to Finance Survey will be used to gauge how strong the private sector demand is locally — for loans and investment — as well as what more can be done to ensure that the needs of local firms are being met in these areas.

Among other things, the form asks respondents if they have actively sought business finance in the past few years and, if so, how confident they felt sifting through the various options available to them. They will be given an opportunity to identify their top considerations when looking for support, and to say if their plans have ever been disrupted as a result of them being unable to find what they needed.  

Encouraging firms to fill in the Access to Finance Survey, the respective CEOs for the three South Yorkshire Chambers issued this joint statement:

“As representatives of the region’s private sector, we know how crucial it is that our entrepreneurs, SMEs and ambitious business leaders are able to access the financial support they need. After all, this is what will enable them to unlock their true potential, fulfil their aspirations and ultimately grow.

“However, we also know that securing financial backing can be rather daunting and overwhelming if you’re uncertain how to do it, and that not everyone is sure of where they can turn for help. That is why we are urging businesses to complete this new survey, so that we can better understand their appetite for finance support, the obstacles they might be facing here, and the interventions they would like to see.

"Equipped with these insights, we will then be able to lobby for the kind of improvements and changes that are most coveted and will use our platform to help make sure that businesses are better connected to those with the power and inclination to invest." 

The latest version of the South Yorkshire Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) — which, every three months, focusses on a different theme or hot button issue — The Access to Finance Survey closes on Monday 16th September. It is sponsored by both the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and Clear Insurance Management, with the three regional chambers carrying out the fieldwork.

Fill in the Survey HERE

Business can take the questionnaire by following this link. Meanwhile, for more information about the wider QES project, click here.