Closed 01/02/2009

How do you think Government should be responding to the economic recession ? Should they be focussing on:

Commentary

The results to January's vote question reveal that there was no great difference of opinion amongst voters on how the Government should respond to the recession. 'Cutting business taxes' and 'Investing in infrastructure and construction' were the two most popular options with 30% of the vote each. In second place came 'Bailing out the banks' and 'Cutting personal taxes' with 20% of the vote each.

It is interesting that option 4, 'Investing in infrastructure and construction' received the joint highest proportion of votes. If Government were to invest in this area it would have the most significant and direct impact on the quarrying sector. It would help the various aggregates companies which have been hit hard by the economic crisis, having to close operations and make cutbacks.

With a total of 86,360 employees working in jobs related to the aggregate sector, a sector which is worth about £5 billion, the industry not only provides essential materials, but is a vital source of employment and an important part of the economy.

If Government makes some careful choices, it might be possible to protect this key industry.