Contact Us

All regions in the UK ranked among the top half of Europe’s most entrepreneurial ecosystems, however many are being accused of a lack of aspiration which is holding back growth.
 
That’s according to Santander’s “Enterprise Index”, published this week, which ranked regions across Europe according to their attitude to entrepreneurship, economic infrastructure and aspiration levels.
 
The index found that London came second in the whole of Europe behind Denmark’s Hovedstaden region, which includes Copenhagen.
 
The South East of England came ninth in Europe overall, while the East of England came third out of all UK regions and 22nd in the whole of Europe.
 
The UK’s worst-performing region was the North East of England which ranked 59th in Europe.
 
Undoubtedly the most glaring discrepancy between UK’s most entrepreneurial region – London – and the least entrepreneurial – the North East of England – was levels of aspiration. London scored 77.7 within the index while the North East scored just 35.8 out of 100.
 
Santander’s follow-up report suggests that UK regions should “unlock their own aspirational premium” by empowering entrepreneurs to grow and bring new, innovative products to market.
 
The report adds: “Ability alone is not enough: even able businesses will not grow and prosper unless they really seek to do so. Growth does not happen by accident.
 
“If new businesses do not aspire to seek growth (and have a realistic potential of achieving growth, as defined by ability), they are unlikely to achieve significant performance.”
 
Ana Botin, chief executive of Santander UK, said: “Enterprise is a crucial engine of economic growth – enterprise and entrepreneurs drive innovation, productivity growth, and job creation.
 
“By building partnerships we can develop entrepreneurship ‘ecosystems’ to support today’s successful modern entrepreneurs; and thus enable regional and national economies to thrive.”

Date published 4 Jul 2014 | Last updated 4 Jul 2014

Choose the right accounting firm for you

Running your own business can be challenging so why not let TaxAssist Accountants manage your tax, accounting, bookkeeping and payroll needs? If you are not receiving the service you deserve from your accountant, then perhaps it’s time to make the switch?

Local business focus icon

Local business focus

We specialise in supporting independent businesses and work with 80,684 clients. Each TaxAssist Accountant runs their own business, and are passionate about supporting you.

Come and meet us icon

Come and meet us

We enjoy talking to business owners and self-employed professionals who are looking to get the most out of their accountant. You can visit us at any of our 409 locations, meet with us online through video call software, or talk to us by telephone.

Switching is simple icon

Switching is simple

Changing accountants is easier than you might think. There are no tax implications and you can switch at any time in the year and our team will guide you through the process for a smooth transition.

See how TaxAssist Accountants can help you with a free, no obligation consultation

0800 0523 555

Or contact us