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Major initiatives to boost small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were thin on the ground in Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement, but some of the headlines included:

    Negative growth for 2012 confirmed at -0.1 percent

    Growth forecasts downgraded for 2013 to 1.2 percent

    £1bn extra for the business bank

    Relief on capital investments of 100 percent up to £250,000

    The three pence a litre rise in fuel duty scrapped

    A £1bn increase in road infrastructure investment

One announcement in particular that will delight the sign industry is the planned three pence a litre rise in fuel duty has been shelved. How much of an impact this will have is open to debate. While the news is welcome, many sign-makers have already argued that fuel costs are already too high and many would dearly love a cut to ease pressure on margins.

We are making process. Britain is on the right track and turning back now would be a disaster. The deficit has fallen by a quarter in just under two years and today's figures show it is forecast to continue to fall”

Among the highlights aimed at getting small business growth moving was a tenfold rise to £250,000 in investment relief.

However, despite £1bn in extra funding for the business bank there was little else in the way of measures to increase borrowing. With most in the sign industry complaining of restrictive lending policies, it is unlikely there will be a significant upturn in investment.

Despite the news that the economy contracted over the past twelve months, Osborne claims, ‘our economy is healing’.

He said: “We are making process. Britain is on the right track and turning back now would be a disaster. The deficit has fallen by a quarter in just under two years and today's figures show it is forecast to continue to fall.”

Despite the claims, the governments figures have been questioned in some quarters, due to the way some of the deficit reduction targets have been calculated.

In his reply, shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, says it showed, ‘the true scale of the governments economic failure’.

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