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I always think a week after a Budget is about the right time to judge it. I’ve been taking soundings amongst the Midlands business community over the last few days and the general consensus has been largely positive. With a few reservations I share that view.

The enterprise zones for Birmingham (because let’s face it it’s not going to be in leafy Solihull) and the Black Country are good news. When you look at the jobs created in and around Brierley Hill by the development of Merry Hill shopping centre and adjacent offices and hotels on the site of a previous enterprise zone, it’s easy to imagine that something like that can be achieved again.

And in an era where there is little chance of the public sector kick starting and pump priming large scale regeneration schemes, government intervention of this kind in unemployment black spots is very necessary.

There were also a number of measures to help small businesses, not least a moratorium on implementing new employment regulations.

And an initiative to cut through planning red tape to make development easier was also welcome. Although it must be admitted that the big problems here are a lack of scheme funding and low occupier demand rather than bureaucracy.

Overall, though, the key thing is that a government that has become associated with cuts has at last come up with some ideas on how to grow the economy. The question is whether it has gone far enough.

I think more could have been done on fuel prices to help the likes of manufacturers, haulage firms, retailers and firms with large sale forces. George Osborne says that there isn’t more money to go around but that’s only because this government has chosen to cut as fast and as deep as it has.

I would also have liked to have seen a measure introduced to force banks to be more transparent about their criteria for business lending. To a degree banks are open for business but it tends to be for businesses of a certain size and in certain sectors. What advisers are telling us is that a lot of time can be wasted talking to banks that ultimately have no intention of lending to their clients.

The ‘green bank’ proposals in the Budget were also widely welcomed but it would have been good - given the recent news of Coventry green van maker Modec going into administration - if more had been done to support cutting edge manufacturing businesses of this kind, perhaps through a safety net loan fund aimed at helping struggling high-tech manufacturers.

There is also a real issue with business support now that Business Link is due to close. Where, for example, will companies which are applying for funding and need help getting their business plans right turn? Advisers can help of course but it will be at a cost many SMEs are wary about taking on in the current climate. A replacement body to carry out at least some of Business Link’s functions would have been very welcome.

But we are where we are and given his - partly self imposed - restrictions which allowed for little wriggle room Osborne delivered a Budget that should at least restore some faith in this government’s ability to come up with ideas to give the economy a boost. So much depends on confidence at the moment and this message was a crucial one to get across.

Any comments? Andy Coyne, Insider