Just over a week ago, ministers announced a £700m investment aimed at developing up to ten major industrial and commercial sites. This funding is intended to address issues such as planning, grid connections, and access to finance for these locations.
However, Shanika Amarasekara, chief executive of the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA), has raised concerns about how businesses will afford the equipment needed once these sites are ready. She suggests that government industrial strategies should involve equipment finance providers from the outset.
According to the FLA, its members provided £42bn in asset finance to UK businesses in the year to September 2026, with over £25bn directed to SMEs. New research estimates this lending contributed £28.2bn in gross value added and supported around 350,000 jobs.
Amarasekara emphasised that while getting an industrial site ready is crucial, businesses still need to find ways to equip it. She advocates for involving equipment finance providers in regional industrial plans alongside developers and infrastructure providers to understand businesses' investment needs.