Warm words about manufacturing not enough – IMechE survey

The survey of 1,000 manufacturers reveals that 61% of respondents believe the government is performing badly on manufacturing policy, with just 17% of those polled saying the government is performing well. Additionally, more than one third feel less confident about the future of UK manufacturing than they did last year and more than a half of those polled think energy policies are performing badly. In the strongest result of the survey, almost three quarters of respondents said the government is not doing enough with careers advice to promote science, engineering and manufacturing in schools. In an accompanying poll of 1,000 members of the public, 53% said uncertainty about the UK's future in the EU is negatively affecting UK manufacturing. Fewer than one in five believes coalition policies are helping UK manufacturers. Getting on for nine out of 10 manufacturers – and 51% of the public – said the government is more committed to the financial sector than manufacturing. Philippa Oldham, head of manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said it was clear that the majority of people, whether they worked in manufacturing or not, believed the government was not doing enough to promote, help and support UK manufacturing. She added: "Our survey in 2012 revealed that the government's manufacturing policies did not have the support of manufacturers or the public. One year on, it seems the situation has got worse. "We have welcomed the interest shown in UK manufacturing by the main party leaders in recent months, but visits to factories and warm words of encouragement are not enough. "