Corin Crane, the chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said it was a further example of why the incoming Government must make doing business easier after the General Election.

The Chamber says more employment land is needed in Coventry and Warwickshire and that the next Government must make skills and bringing down the cost of doing business key priorities after July 4.

Corin said: “The economy has been flatlining for some time now and, while we came out of recession pretty quickly with a positive quarter at the start of the year, we are back to no growth in April.

“Businesses want to see stability after many years of uncertainty but there are also opportunities for the next Government to break down some of the barriers to growth.

“In this region, we are crying out for more employment land that will allow our growing businesses to expand and also for the region to attract more exciting, job-creating companies into the area.

“On skills, we’ve said don’t rip up the system because policies such as the Local Skills Improvement Plan are moving us in the right direction but more still needs to be done to make it easier for businesses to access the skilled workforce they need both now and in the future.

“And, the cost of doing business needs to be reduced with taxes such as Business Rates needing an urgent review.

“The Chamber is politically neutral – it’s our job to support our members on a day-to-day basis with as much help as possible to help them grow and to speak up on their behalf so that decision-makers at a local, regional and national level hear their voices.”