Business message to politicians is simple: get back to work and deliver

This is an important election for a number of issues, writes Aidan O’Kane.

However, as the Derry Chamber and other large business groups have reiterated continuously since February and throughout the election campaign, the full return of a functioning Executive is our number one demand. Nothing else will do.

There are several important issues for the North West which must be addressed in the new Assembly mandate. These include the expansion of our local university, improved rail, road and air provision across our island, the sustainability of our local airport, the full and speedy roll-out of the City Deal, and helping our businesses recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic.

None of this, however, will be able to proceed without a working government in place.

It’s no use having caretaker ministers in place who can’t take the big, important decisions we need to grow our economy, create jobs, and attract investment.

A recent survey of Chamber members found that a huge 92% of respondents believe that local business would be harmed if an Executive remained absent after polling day.

As votes are counted and the first MLAs are returned to represent their constituencies, the message from companies is simple: get back to business as soon as possible, form a stable government, and deliver for businesses and communities across NI.