Do organised interests in British society influence policy making in Westminster and Holyrood? Which strategies work and which do not? Are firms and business associations more successful than other groups in getting politicians to enact policies they like?

To answer these questions, this study elaborates and applies a theoretical model to predict the circumstances in which interest groups can wield political influence through lobbying. To examine this model, data were gathered on the political activities and positions of different interest groups and on the factors affecting the success or failure of their lobbying. For this, a dataset of 163 policy proposals made by United Kingdom (UK) governments between 2001 and 2007 has been compiled. An internet survey of lobbyists was used to collect data on each proposal’s expected costs and benefits from the perspective of the different actors, the costs and effort expended on lobbying, and levels of credibility and trust characterising the relationship between interest groups and policymakers.

Through the examination of the informational and structural factors of special interest politics across a range of policy areas, the project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the policy process as well as of the political influence of organised groups in British politics.

Further information is available from the University of Aberdeen project web page and the British Business and Public Policy: The Informational and Structural Determinants of Political Influence ESRC Award web page.

These data are under embargo at the request of the depositor until 1 October 2011.

The indicators and analysis presented in this bulletin are based on responses from the new voluntary fortnightly business survey, which captures businesses responses on how their turnover, workforce prices, trade and business resilience have been affected in the two week reference period. These data relate to the period 6 April 2020 to 19 April 2020.

Weighted estimates from the voluntary fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) about financial performance, workforce, prices, trade, and business resilience. These are official statistics in development.

This page is no longer updated. It has been superseded by the Business insights and impacts on the UK economy dataset page (see link in Notices). It contains comprehensive weighted datasets for Wave 7 onwards. All future BICS datasets will be available there. The datasets on this page include mainly unweighted responses from the voluntary fortnightly business survey, which captures businesses’ responses on how their turnover, workforce prices, trade and business resilience have been affected in the two-week reference period, up to Wave 17.

Country Risk Assessment helps businesses to confidently evaluate global markets by incorporating country evaluation into strategic planning. Analysing trends over time to forecast and proactively plan for potential market shifts.

Country Risk Assessment is an estimate of the average credit risk of a country’s businesses. It is drawn up based on macroeconomic, financial and political data. It offers: - An indication of a country’s potential influence on businesses’ financial commitments. - Insight into the economic and political environment that could impact credit risk.

Dataset Structure and Content: Assessment Coverage: 20 sample companies with country risk evaluations Geographic Diversity: Multiple countries represented via ISO-3166 alpha2 country codes.

Risk Classification System: The dataset employs a standardized A-E rating scale to categorize country risk levels: A1: Very good macroeconomic outlook with stable political context and quality business climate (lowest default probability) A2: Good macroeconomic outlook with generally stable political environment A3: Satisfactory outlook with some potential shortcomings A4: Reasonable default probability with potential economic weaknesses B: Uncertain economic outlook with potential political tensions C: Very uncertain outlook with potential political instability D: Highly uncertain outlook with very unstable political context E: Extremely uncertain outlook with extremely difficult business conditions (highest default probability)

Application Context: This sample demonstrates how country risk assessments can be systematically documented and tracked over time. Each assessment includes comprehensive evaluations of the macroeconomic environment, political stability, and business climate factors that directly influence payment behavior and default probabilities. The dataset structure allows for both current and historical tracking, enabling trend analysis and comparative risk evaluation across different national markets. It serves as a representative example of how comprehensive country risk data can be organized and utilized for strategic business decision-making. Note: This is sample data intended to demonstrate the structure and capabilities of a country risk assessment system.

Learn More For a complete demonstration of our Country Risk Assessment capabilities or to discuss how our system can be integrated with your existing processes, please visit https://business-information.coface.com/economic-insights to request additional information.

During a survey held in early 2023, more than ** percent of responding marketing leaders in the United Kingdom (UK) stated that demonstrating their company cared about more than making profits influenced their willingness to take a stance on politically charged issues. Almost ** percent of the respondents said the positive effects of their company’s ability to stand out in the marketplace influenced their willingness to take a stance.

Textual analysis of responses from the Business Impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey (BICS), providing further insights into the experiences of individual businesses.

Confidence intervals for weighted estimates from the voluntary fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) about financial performance, workforce, prices, trade, and business resilience. These are official statistics in development.

The indicators and analysis presented in this article are based on selected responses over time from the new voluntary fortnightly business survey, which captures businesses responses on how their turnover, workforce, prices, trade and business resilience have been affected in the two week reference period. This data relates to the period 23 March 2020 to 17 May 2020 (Wave 2 to Wave 5).

Business rates yield growth within Enterprise Zones

How the figure is calculated:

The figure is calculated as the value of business rates relief plus the value of business rate yield minus the baseline level of business rates yield, across all enterprise zones. The data are taken from the Department's National Non-Domestic Rates 1 statistical returns, and are forecasts as reported by local authorities for the financial year 2015-16

Why is this indicator in the business plan?

Enterprise Zones are a key local growth initiative, designed to stimulate new businesses and jobs. The growth in business rates yield can be used as an indicator of how successful Enterprise Zones have been at attracting and growing businesses however, these are gross figures and have not been adjusted for additionality.

How often is it updated?

Annually. NNDR 1 forms, providing a forecast for the year ahead, are published in February prior to the financial year to which they refer. Provisional NNDR 3 forms, providing outturn figures, are published in August of the financial year after which they refer. A further revised release, based on auditor certified returns is published later in the year (November).

Where does the data come from?

Based on data returned to the Department for Communities and Local Government by English billing authorities on National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR1) forms and the NNDR3 form.

What area does the headline figure cover?

England

Are further breakdowns of the data available?

Data are available by local authority.

What does a change in this indicator show?

An increase in the growth in business rates yield can be used as a proxy for the gross increase in economic activity in an Enterprise Zone (created by new or expanding businesses). The business rate yield figures are not adjusted for additionality.

Time Lag

NNDR1 forms are a leading indicator, NNDR 3 forms are published five months after the end of the financial year to which they refer.

Next available update

February 2016.

Type of Data

Official Statistic

Robustness and data limitations

The financial data contained in the NNDR1 form will be used by billing authorities and major precepting authorities to agree a schedule of payments for the share of business rates income that is to be paid to major precepting authorities. The data will also be used in calculating the entitlement that individual local authorities might have to safety net payments. It also informs other payments that need to be made under the business rates retention scheme, both between billing authorities and major precepting authorities, and between the Department for Communities and Local Government and local authorities. This statistical release is based on 100% response rate on information provided by Friday 30 January 2015. Local authorities therefore have a very strong financial incentive to report accurate financial figures on the NNDR1 forms. The form also has to be signed by the Chief Finance Officer of the authority. Figures are subjected to rigorous pre-defined validation tests both within the form itself, while the form is being completed by the authority and also within the Department for Communities and Local Government as the data are received and stored. Finally, the release document, once prepared, is also subject to intensive peer review before being cleared as fit for the purposes of publication.

Links to Further Information

The latest NNDR1 and NNDR3 statistical releases and local authority level data can be found here.

Contact Details

CorporatePerformance@communities.gsi.gov.uk

Compass Group had by far the highest number of global employees among companies based in the United Kingdom as of 2025, at approximately 500,000 employees. Tesco had the second-highest number of employees at around 336,400, followed by HSBC Holdings which had 211,000 employees. In the same year, HSBC Holdings had an annual revenue of 142.3 billion U.S. dollars, the third-highest among UK-based companies. The oil and gas giant Shell had the highest annual revenue at over 283 billion dollars, ahead of BP at 189 billion dollars. How many businesses are there in the UK? In 2024, there were approximately 5.5 million business enterprises in the UK, down from a peak of 5.98 million in 2020. Although there were just 1,930 large firms that employed 1,000 people or more, these firms employed more than a quarter of the UK's private sector workforce, and made a combined turnover of approximately 1.69 trillion British pounds. As of this year, the construction industry had the highest number of enterprises by sector, at over 870,000. The sector with the most workers was that of wholesale and retail, which collectively employed just under 4.9 million people in 2024, and also had the highest turnover compared to other sectors, at over 1.8 trillion pounds. Current UK economic climate Although the UK economy is expected to grow in 2025, growth has been downgraded from earlier forecasts, while inflation and unemployment are expected to be higher than initially thought. According to the business confidence index, sentiment among businesses at the end of 2024 was lower than it has been since early 2021. Furthermore, since the start of 2025, businesses have been shedding jobs at an accelerating rate, possibly due to recent tax rises, which was seen as the main external concern of businesses in early 2025. The precarious state of the UK's government finances, and potential tax rises in the next budget, are also likely feeding into this pessimistic mood.

Experimental estimates linking the Annual Business Survey and the Annual Survey of International Trade in Services with the Business Insights and Conditions Survey for businesses that trade in services.

Estimates from the voluntary fortnightly business survey (BICS) on topics such as trading status and workforce, by country and regional level. Official statistics in development.

The Report Covers Business Intelligence Companies UK and the Market is segmented by Organization Size (Small & Medium-scale, Large-scale) and End-User (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Retail & Consumer Goods, Manufacturing & Logistics, and Public Services). The market sizes and forecasts are provided in terms of value (USD million) for all the above segments.