Simon Harris, CEO of Avrenim:

The budget is a pivotal moment in shaping the country’s immediate future, and it could be the final fiscal statement before a change in government. Whether it’s decarbonising the NHS estate or investing in renewable energy sources to fuel our hospitals, while it was disappointing that no new green commitments were unveiled by the Chancellor, I do welcome the chancellor’s funding of the Public Sector Productivity plan, including the investment in AI, digitisation of processes and the NHS’ IT system. I also welcome the allocation of up to £120m funding into the green industries growth acceleration to build supply chains for new technologies ranging from offshore winds to carbon capturing storage. For the facilities management sector, the next 6 months could be seismic as trajectories may change and political parties size up whether prioritising sustainability is a manifesto pledge worth making – and today’s budget says otherwise.