The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 19: June/July 2015 | Page 7

BUSINESS NEWS

‘THE WORD’ with Ian Larrard National Win For Haines Watts
According to Ian
Larrard, director
of the Initiative
in Swindon and
Wiltshire, part of
Business West, a new
Government means a
new set of asks from
business.
After months of leaflets, speeches and
politicians around every corner, the
campaigning is finally over and the next
government in place. An eventful election
night left the opinion pollsters slightly
embarrassed, and we now know the next
five years will see the country led by a
Conservative administration.
The five seats in Wiltshire and two in
Swindon followed the national trend and
are now all held by Conservative MPs.
Swindon saw Robert Buckland and Justin
Tomlinson carry on for another term and in
Wiltshire newcomer Michelle Donelan took
Chippenham to join Andrew Murrison,
Claire Perry, James Gray and John Glen in
the county.
So, now we know the faces, the
question from business is what does
this shift in the political landscape mean
for growth? Firms will be forgiven for
postponing their congratulations until
they see a continued commitment to an
environment that encourages enterprise
and aspiration.
A new five years throws up more than
a column’s worth of issues, so let’s look at
five essential areas:

Leading national accountants and business
advisors Haines Watts, who have offices
in Swindon and Trowbridge have won a
prestigious award at the 2015 annual FDs’
Excellence Awards.
Haines Watts won Accountancy Firm
of the Year- Larger Clients. Unlike other
awards judged by a panel of experts, the
service provider’s awards are voted for
by business owners and finance directors
across the UK. It is this that makes winning
an award so special.
Mike Lloyd, managing partner at H