Business leaders in Gloucestershire have today been reacting to the 2017 Budget, including the Chancellor's controversial decision to increase national insurance contributions for the self-employed.

Brian Crowe, managing director of Stonehealth Ltd, based at Dursley, said it was a disappointing Budget for SMEs and the self-employed:

"Whilst I appreciate the extra allowances on dividends is not fair to all, to take off £3,000 in one go is hard but will not make much difference to those who receive massive dividends, so the small person takes more of the hit," he said.

"To alter the national insurance contributions for the self-employed is unfair as they are unable to have the same benefits as those who are employed.

"The new increased valuations are going to be a burden to almost all businesses, not just pubs. The Valuation Offices are inefficient and do not have any real procedure for determining valuations of properties, so this is the basis of an unfair tax that needs to be overhauled to be fairer.

"Overall I feel that this Budget will not achieve its objectives and may reduce the ability for small businesses to grow."

Ian Mean, Director, Business West Gloucestershire, said it was a thin Budget in every sense of the word.

"At 64 pages it was thin in pagination and at 54 minutes hardly a showstopper, even though the rather "grey" Chancellor did get in a few jokes to brighten it up.

"It literally was small beer and underwhelming with very little to cheer up business in Gloucestershire still pretty nervous in the most part about Brexit and its affects over the next few years.

"The dreaded business rates revaluation, which has scared lots of small businesses to death, was eased a little with help targeted at growing smaller businesses.

"There is help for pubs but small beer. About £1 000 a year plus a relatively small fund to help local authorities cushion the blow for some of our smaller businesses who might have even face closure faced with potential rises of up to 200 per cent in their rates.

"Overall, the business rates system is still a mess and the Chancellor should have had the honesty to scrap it all and start again with a fairer system. The mist has not been lifted and companies just need more clarity.

"The Chancellor said boldly that the government was listening to business. That seemed somewhat hollow to me when he announced a hike in taxes payable by the self-employed.

"It is the self-employed, the entrepreneurs of business, who drive the real revenues for the UK and this surely sends quite a negative message to men and women who are driving those new ideas and creating jobs and wealth for the country.

"I am afraid this is not listening to business.

"However, I believe employers in this county will be enthusiastic about the investment in the new 'T' Levels to raise the status of technical qualifications among our young people and give real parity for the first time against the pure academic qualifications.

"In Gloucestershire, we are seeing Stroud and South Gloucestershire College leading the way on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at their new Berkeley campus with the University of Gloucestershire.

"And the Chancellor's social care package at £2billion will be a huge help to Gloucestershire County Council.

"This county is a net importer of elderly people, many with serious disabilities who can often cost as much as £1,500 a week to look after.

"Social care is actually a ticking time bomb in areas like Gloucestershire with an increasing population of people over 75 who retire here.

"Gloucestershire County Council has done relatively well to control older people not blocking up hospital beds because of a lack of residential care places.

"But it is always on a knife edge when it comes to funding residential social care and particularly more costly nursing care.

"More mention of the Northern Powerhouse and the Midland Engine. What about the South West Powerhouse? What about initiatives for this region? Nothing.

"If the government is listening to business they must listen a lot harder - 1.6million self employed people will be now paying more national insurance payments which is contrary to election manifesto promises.

"A Budget of very small beer, in my view. The Budget proper, of course, comes in the Autumn - let's hope it has more froth in it for business."

Sam Holliday, Federation of Small Businesses development manager, Gloucestershire & West of England said there were two major announcements affecting small businesses in this Budget - one welcome, the other not.

He said: "The news that the Government has listened to the FSB and many others and addressed the injustices of the latest business rates revaluation is good news.

"The extra £435 million to help those who have been adversely affected is indeed positive but as this is a national figure it is vital we make sure Gloucestershire gets its fair share to help the many local businesses who had a shock when the bills arrived on the doormat.

The disappointing news, however, is the rise in national insurance for millions of self-employed workers.

"As nearly half of the growth and jobs in the economy in recent years has come from people who are self-employed we should be doing everything to incentivise people to start and continue their own business not to add further financial pressures on them. This is an extra burden the army of self-employed people do not need."

The business organisation the CBI has welcomed measures in the 2017 Budget to help raise the UK's skill levels.

The Chancellor Philip Hammond announced £300million to support 1,000 new PhD places and fellowships in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.

The number of hours of training for technical students aged 16 to 19 are to be increased by more than 50per cent.

Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General, (pictured) said: "This is a breakthrough Budget for skills. There has never been a more important time for the UK to sit at the global top table of technical education for young people.

"Firms will be looking for ongoing partnership with the Government as they try to make the Apprenticeship Levy work.

"However, with inflation rising and the cumulative burden weighing on businesses' shoulders, limited relief for firms hit hard by business rates falls short.

"Firms are wholly committed to the health and wellbeing of their people, and are pleased to see an increase in spending on social care."

Rob Lankey, chief executive of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), said: "It was feared that the Government's decision to finally scratch its seven year itch and revalue business rates would fall like a ton of bricks on many small businesses across the country.

"Today's comments from Hammond will go some way to calm these fears - notably amongst publicans and growing companies losing small business rate relief.

"For many though, this revaluation will still significantly increase how much they pay on rateable properties, especially those in the South East and London - costs which a good number of businesses will simply not be able to absorb.

"While the Chancellor's comments have brought a degree of clarity, the prospect of sheer and sudden increases from April for a large number of businesses could dampen growth intentions.

"As we've seen on the ground, small business appetite for funding has been steadily increasing, even in the light of Brexit-induced uncertainty - it would be severely damaging if business rates were the straw that broke the camel's back.

"While increasing the frequency of business rate revaluations will help to soften the blow of such sharp rises in the future, small businesses will applaud greater clarity on how today's mooted consultations and plans - such as the discretionary relief fund for local councils - will actually play out in the real world."

Tim Walford-Fitzgerald, private client principal at chartered accountants, HW Fisher & Company, commented: "By announcing increases to Class 4 national insurance for the self-employed from 2018, the Chancellor has reduced the tax differential between the employed and self-employed.

"But narrowing the tax difference does nothing to reduce the inequality of rights enjoyed by those working for themselves compared to people in stable employment.

"The regular wage slip is a world apart from the increased risks and uncertainty involved in running your own business. These tax changes do not reflect the practical distinctions between employment and self-employment."

Kieran O'Donoghue of HR specialists HR Champions Ltd was not impressed by several measures in the Budget affecting small businesses, including the reduction in the tax free dividend allowance.

He said: "This is a kick in the teeth for small business owners. Let's not forget that most of those who have set up businesses are employers too.

"There should be some benefit for those who create jobs for others who do pay tax and NI. The £5,000 allowance was only introduced last year and now the benefit of being a director and having dividends is almost wiped out.

"This is a poor decision by a party that claims to support business and entrepreneurs. "

He was also critical of the rise in National Insurance for the self-employed.

"Again a direct attack on those who have made the effort to work for themselves. Most self-employed workers don't earn that much because if they did they would start limited companies so this is a direct swipe on low to medium earners," he said.

Ian Sloan (pictured) of Bankier Sloan chartered surveyors, commented on the reference to business rates in the Budget.

He said: "The Chancellor's announcement that the vast majority of pubs will receive a £1,000 discount, will I am sure, bring cheer to many publicans, and this will be welcomed by many.

"The Chancellor also announced that there will be a limitation on the increase of rates payable to £50 per month, but this will only effect those companies "coming out of the Small Business Rates Relief Scheme".

"This we believe will effect a very limited number of companies. For the larger companies this will have no significance as they would not have been in the scheme prior to today's announcement, and we think there may well be some companies who will remain in the scheme who will see a greater increase than £50 per month.

" However, due to transitional relief, this will not affect many companies.

The best news for many readers of Punchline is that the proposed arrangements for Small Business Rates Relief going forward from the 1st April have been unaffected, and for those businesses who operate from a single property with a Rateable Value of less than £12,000, zero rates will be payable, and below £15,000 will be given tapered relief.

Richard Ford , who stood as UKIP's Parliamentary candidate for Gloucester, said: "It is great to see that the growth and borrowing projections announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond in the Budget demonstrate beyond dispute that Brexit has had no negative impact on the economy, ( in fact quite the opposite) and that Project Fear as espoused by Cameron, Osborne and Gloucestershire's four Conservative Remain MPs was just that --- an exercise in attempting to scare the electorate into voting for Remain.

"There are some useful measures in the Budget though --- including assistance for smaller businesses with Small Business Rates Relief and with particular concessions for pubs.

"Glad to see that as in so many other areas of policy the Government is clearly following the 2015 UKIP manifesto, including focusing young people on either an academic or a technical education --- and by valuing technical skills on a par with academic ones.

"The measure for free school travel for selective schools is also very welcome --- although disappointing that the Government has not yet rolled out Grammar Schools throughout England. These are long overdue in the Forest of Dean, the Cotswolds and Tewkesbury to alleviate displacement of young people in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud from local selective schools.

"Mention was made of the Northern Powerhouse and of extra assistance for the Midlands. What about the West of England?

"I'm very concerned about the increased NI costs for the self-employed. These people are the engine of the economy; they take risks and create wealth and opportunity in our society. They don't enjoy the same rights, protections and privileges as employees and that is why their NI treatment has been different historically."

Darren Seward, hospitality sector specialist at commercial insurer NFU Mutual, said:

"While businesses would prefer not to receive rate increases at all, it was encouraging to see the Chancellor responding to the concerns of businesses in announcing a £435m investment in business rate caps and especially the specific £1,000 discount for 90 per cent of pubs. This said, I would have liked this to have been extended to all hard-pressed businesses such as cafes, restaurants and retailers.

"Amid concerns of a post-Brexit migrant labour cliff-edge situation, it was encouraging to see a means for attracting more British people to the workforce in the long-term. 'T-Level' technical qualifications that hold equal weight to academic counterparts could be an effective way to attract home-grown talent to the industry.

"It is essential that the catering and hospitality curriculum is developed in such a way that will work for all types of hospitality business, with a strong employee force that can help to boost the productivity of the UK tourism sector.

"The National Living Wage increase to £7.50 per hour will of course be an ongoing concern to business owners in the hospitality industry who are already having to cut back on staffing levels."

Cllr. Jeremy Hilton, (pictured) leader of Gloucester City Council Lib Dems said: "Perpetual austerity continues under our Brexit Tory government. The Chancellor offers little hope with his caution as he covers his back as the UK leaves the EU. Where is the extra money promised by Leave campaigners for the NHS?

"This is a Budget that will sting the self-employed with an increase in National Insurance charges. At the same time big business will benefit from a drop in Corporation Tax. The Budget will do nothing to provide additional help to Gloucester's regeneration. The sixty jobs going at the city council is now an absolute certainty. I fear major regeneration projects will be delayed or not get done at all.

"The extra funding in social care will help the county council, but is not nearly enough. Nationally there is a £2 billion shortfall but the Chancellor's extra £2 billion is stretched over three years. Service cuts are inevitable. Vulnerable adults will suffer. It's unfair.

"Liberal Democrats called for £4 billion of extra NHS and care funding for 2017-18, including £2billion for social care, £1.5billion to improve efficiency in the NHS and £500 million dedicated funding for mental health."

Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk (pictured)  said: ''This is a positive Budget which lays the foundations for a more dynamic, highly-skilled, global Britain and which reflects increased growth forecasts for this year.

"I'm particularly pleased that the Chancellor has listened to my call for action on adult social care and business rates. Last week I spoke out in Parliament calling on the Government to 'bite the bullet' and increase social care funding to address the pressures, including from an ageing population. I'm delighted the Chancellor has committed an additional £2 billion for social care. That will make a difference here on the ground in Cheltenham.

"I'm pleased too that the Chancellor agreed that almost all Cheltenham pubs should now receive a £1,000 discount on their 2017 Council Tax bill. He also announced that all small businesses coming out of Small Business Relief will have their increases capped at £50 a month in 2017, and Cheltenham Borough Council will get a share of a new £300 million fund to target the hardest hit businesses in the town.

"I also welcome the Chancellor's £500 million investment in technical education, as well as funding for a further 100 new free schools. I'll be lobbying for Cheltenham to be at the front of the queue.''