Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said the one per cent rise in GDP was good news for confidence but did not change the overall economic picture.
She said: “We have been saying for some time now that it is not all doom and gloom in the economy but there are clearly major issues that need to be resolved.
“A rise in GDP in the third quarter of 2012 is positive news and will certainly bring added confidence to the economy, which is welcome.
“But we recognise that it doesn’t mean the necessary rebalancing of the economy to provide the foundation for sustained growth is complete.
“For example, we know we need to get more companies exporting if we are going to see strong growth in years to come and that is something we are pushing hard here in Coventry and Warwickshire.
“We also need to get more people starting their own businesses – again something we are very much able to support here in this region.
“So overall, this is positive news, which builds on a range of other positive economic measures recently, but we certainly cannot become content that the hard work has been done.
“Government still needs to look at every way possible to support and free up businesses to grow and take on new staff.”
