East of England mid-market businesses could generate around £482m in additional annual economic output if key decisions were made more quickly.
The findings – from advisory firm FRP – point to a significant opportunity for the region, citing faster decision-making able to support stronger revenue growth, improved efficiency and greater resilience in response to changing market conditions.
They form part of FRP’s new Decision Economy report, a new study put together with research firm Development Economics.
It assesses the importance of mid-sized businesses (between 50 and 499 staff) to the UK economy and how effectively they make decisions.
The data indicates that slow decision making is costing up to £13.7bn in growth across the UK mid-market – equivalent to around 0.6% of GDP.
In the East specifically, mid-market firms are already a major force in the regional economy, generating more than £96bn in annual turnover and supporting around 460,000 jobs.
It also points to a significant further opportunity, with faster decision-making having the potential to unlock around £482m in additional annual economic output.
Faster decision-making could have a particularly strong impact on innovation in the region. More than two-thirds (67%) of East of England firms said faster cost-efficiency decisions would improve innovation, above the UK average of 57%.
Decision-making requires clear historic and forecast financial data, a management team with time to assess options and access to the right financial support.
However, firms continue to face barriers to acting quickly, with East of England leaders citing the time required to gather information (38%), competing business priorities (30%) and the time needed to appraise options in detail (20%), and as the biggest factors affecting the speed and quality of decisions.
East of England firms said clearer signals from government on future policy would do most to improve decision-making, highlighted by 24% of leaders. This was followed by improved data and evidence gathering and faster decisions from finance providers, each cited by 22%.
Joanne Price, Director at FRP, said: “The East of England has a strong and varied mid-market, with businesses across sectors such as technology, life sciences, agriculture, manufacturing and professional services making a major contribution to jobs and growth across the region.
“This research shows there is a clear opportunity to unlock even more from that base. Faster, more confident decision-making could help firms improve performance, strengthen resilience and create more space for innovation.
“What matters now is helping businesses put plans into action to drive growth. With national insights, and better management information to access options and access the right financial support, East of England firms can make decisions more quickly and turn the region’s growth potential into stronger outcomes.”
FRP’s Decision Economy report examines the contribution of UK mid-market businesses and the impact of decision-making delays on growth, productivity and resilience. The full report can be read here.
Methodology
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 601 senior leaders / board members at UK mid-market companies (50-500 employees), senior managers + (involved in business decisions), aged 30+. The data was collected between 03.03.2026 – 12.03.2026.
