LAST week saw the last budget before the general election in May.

All eyes were on George Osborne as we face what is likely to be one of the closely-fought elections for many years with perhaps another hung parliament as a possible outcome. The pressure was on the Chancellor as we come out of one of the most severe recessions in living memory, with the economy in full recovery, but the quietly sobering message hidden with the optimism is that we still have some way to go – and this includes more austerity measures – before we are in the clear.

It was an interesting budget with many positives for business with the promise of lower business taxes, the cancellation of the fuel duty increase in September, greater investment in technology and measures to put more of the new £1 coin in the pockets of the public. There was also a commitment to increase the availability of super-fast broadband across the UK.

This is a significant issue that is very high on the wish-list for many Dorset business owners as a major area of concern. Many businesses across the county remain strangled by ridiculously slow broadband. There are many areas of Dorset where superfast broadband is still not available and this is a huge worry for many business owners – some genuinely feeling they need to relocate their business to access higher broadband speeds.

In a world where business is underpinned by the internet, it is essential our businesses have access to high broadband speed if they are to be able to do business, compete and grow in world that is now driven by the development of technology. We strongly urge local authorities, the Dorset LEP and major suppliers to put this issue at the top of the list.

Whilst there is no doubt we are in recovery and the economy and business confidence is much brighter, we must not be complacent. In Dorset, as well as the broadband challenges faced by businesses, we also have our local issues to deal with.

Transport is still a major challenge with a poor road infrastructure across the county. Whilst the banks tell us they are lending, access to finance still remains a major challenge for many businesses. And I do have an increasing concern that we still see major spending cuts ahead that we are perhaps happily overlooking as we celebrate recovery. So whilst it is important we recognise things are on the up, it remains absolutely essential we continue to push and campaign on the key issues affecting our businesses here in Dorset.