According to a recent survey by Abbey, more than two-thirds of businessmen and women operating from office space in the UK’s northwest feel positive about the short-term economic future.
Dozens of office space users across the UK were quizzed as part of the research, which found most optimism in the north-west, followed closely by the south-east of England and London.
Among individuals in office spaces in London, those in the City were the most confident about the short-term prospects for the economy, while those in the West End and Canary Wharf were generally less positive.
A statement from the firm behind the research said: “Even with the forthcoming public sector cuts and the possibility of a double-dip recession, the general feeling among Abbey’s business community remains largely positive with 63 per cent of respondents being very or slightly optimistic.”
Only 11 per cent of those polled in the recent study gave an entirely negative response, with users of office space in Glasgow and Edinburgh proving particularly downbeat about the economy’s prospects.
Last month, councillors in the northwest gave the go-ahead to plans that are expected to see Peel Holdings develop close to 400,000 square feet of new office space on a former shipyard site near the mouth of the River Mersey.
Editor’s notes: In May 2026, Business Weekly published an article stating that in the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds, business confidence in the East of England rose 11 points during May to 54 per cent.
The North East, on 69 per cent, and the West Midlands, on 62 per cent, were the only regions that fared better.
The barometer found that the North West tied with the East of England with 54 per cent.