Government support favours London, say northern SMEs

A study of Downtown in Business members has found that small companies in the north don't feel as though they have been a government priority during the coronavirus pandemic.

The findings also show that job losses are likely across four in five businesses and that most feel as though recovery could take more than three years.

Downtown put its questions to businesses which employ between 10 and 50 people and have a turnover of below £5m. Those polled spanned its networks in Lancashire, Liverpool, Greater Manchester and Leeds.