28/10/2026
Stability isn’t exciting - but for Devon’s businesses, it might be exactly what this Budget needed to deliver.
Earlier today we brought Devon’s business community together for Devon’s Budget Live: a studio panel at Fresh Air Studios Ltd in Plymouth, and watch parties in Torbay, Exeter, Plymouth and North Devon, all reacting to the Chancellor’s first Budget as it happened.
What we heard was cautious optimism, with clear gaps.
On the plus side:
✅ Small business rate relief extended for retail, hospitality and leisure
✅ £3m of new funding to help Plymouth’s young people into defence jobs
✅ New support for founders and young entrepreneurs
✅ No shocks or surprises, giving businesses the confidence to plan
But the gaps were just as clear. Rural businesses, construction, farming, care and skills were all left short. In North Devon, the extra cost of doing business across a large rural area went largely unrecognised. And for many firms, rising energy and wage costs still weigh heavily.
As our Chief Executive Helen Wylde-Archibald put it: “It may not be exciting, but in business it’s really important to be stable. Once you’ve got stability, you can grow. Now we need to make hay as a county. We don’t want handouts - we need to capitalise on the opportunities in the budget.”
Read more reaction here: https://devonchamber.co.uk/news/devons-budget-live/
That’s the job now. The Budget opens some doors. It’s up to all of us, businesses, partners and local leaders, to push them hard for Devon, together, so that Devon’s voice is heard.
Thank you to Fresh Air Studios Ltd for producing the programme, to our sponsors Westcotts Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers and the Greater Devon LSIP, to presenter David FitzGerald, and to every business leader who joined us across the county.
What does this Budget mean for your business? Tell us in the comments.
Devon’s business community came together for Devon’s Budget Live, a live broadcast reacting to the Chancellor’s first Budget as it happened.
