The Exit Trap: Why the South West’s ‘Succession Crisis’ is a Tax on Toil

As retiring founders head towards the ‘Exit’ sign, the Treasury has quietly padlocked the door. We explore why the South West’s brewing succession crisis is being treated as a revenue stream.

The Somerset Shakedown: A Masterclass in Civic Gall

By declaring a 'financial emergency,' Somerset Council is effectively telling the Secretary of State that the people are too foolish to be trusted with a ballot paper. A deep dive into the 'referendum bypass' and the death of consent in Taunton.

The Gloucester Gambit: A Study in the 'Edifice Complex' and the Bankrupting of a City

Is Gloucester building a future, or merely a very expensive tombstone for its finances? Exploring the '10-mile duplicity' of the Kings Quarter and why the city’s latest regeneration project may just be a masterclass in municipal vanity.

Capital, Not Cash: The Systematic Dismantling of the Regional Family Firm

There is a particular brand of political theatre that involves setting a house on fire and then expecting a standing ovation for handing the owner a bucket of water. Why the Government’s strategic retreat on its planned IHT raid is merely a temporary reprieve for the South West’s economic engine.

The Six-Month Squeeze: Why Whitehall’s 'Make Work Pay' Gimmick is a Pox on the South West

In Starmer’s Brave New World, if you haven't got their KPIs and your disciplinary paper-trail in order by the time the new recruit has found the office kettle, you are already halfway to an Employment Tribunal. This isn’t an HR change, it’s a hiring handbrake.