THE media ‘silly season’ is usually in the summer but it has definitely come early with some of the current stunts and vexatious campaigning ahead of the EU Referendum, writes James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the NECC.

I fear that people could be discouraged to use their vote due to their antipathy towards these PR antics.

It is vitally important everyone votes and makes a conscious decision so we do not have a default position at the end of July.

As many of you may know, we have benefited from snapshots of business views on the EU here in the region through three surveys of our members over the last few months. Our results have remained pretty consistent and if you take the average of the three, over 60% want to remain in the EU, 30% want to leave and 10% are undecided.

Businesses which want to remain in the EU cite a number of reasons including the potential impact on our export performance if we leave and the region’s ability to attract investment outside of the EU.

Those wanting to leave the EU perceive positive impacts on profitability and supply chain management.

There has been a clamour for more factual information from the business community on the pros and cons of both sides so we have produced a briefing on the key facts which is being published today. It not only contains important information you may need to make your decision but also the key statistics from our survey. It is available in the policy section of our website.

NECC Partners KPMG and Bond Dickinson also have EU information on their websites which people may find helpful. I would also refer you to the British Chambers of Commerce EU referendum hub on its website.

In the time left before voting it is essential for both campaigns to really clarify key issues such as trade and foreign investment in order to enable businesses to understand what the potential outcomes may mean for the future.

The reach of the EU affects all of our lives in ways we may not always be conscious about from environmental legislation, working regulations, immigration, exports and imports. EU funding, for example, has been an integral part of our regeneration work for many years, with the current ERDF investment in the NELEP standing at £205.5m and ERDF and ESF for TVU a total of £173m.

One certainty amongst all of these uncertainties is the need for the Government to start to tackle major decisions which have been on hold until the referendum has been completed.