Each Friday, Punchline-Gloucester.com editor Mark Owen is joined by leading Gloucestershire business figures from a range of backgrounds to review Fridays national & regional newspapers, discuss what is happening in their own business sector and in their own individual businesses. The Business Breakfast Briefer show is sponsored by Hazlewoods Accountants and Business Advisors.Jeremy Hilton (LIB DEM) - Leader of Gloucester City Council and Councillor for Kingsholm & Wotton for over 30 years.

He was first elected in 1982. Throughout his time as a councillor, he has earned a reputation as being one of the most hard-working members of the council in Gloucester. Make no bones about it this is a difficult job at one of the most difficult times in the city’s history, with devolution down the tracks, the city’s finances stretched, Gloucestershire airport sale fallen through – there are positives signs of the city’s renaissance. We’ll find out more. Julie Sargent – CEO – Cheltenham Lido – 50m heated outdoor swimming pool, that combines fitness, health and wellbeing. It has 100 staff, a turnover of £1million and receives over 240,000 visitors per year. Julie joined the team in 1996 as the first employee of Lido Ltd. This is a tough business – rising energy & staff costs, customers feeling the pinch, how does she balance it all. Plus Julie gives us a breaking news story on the future of the Lido!Marc Begg - Managing director of Cirencester Fabrication Services. Marc bought the business during the height of the pandemic and increased sales in the first year by 20%. He then launched a new company called Kyeburn and brought another - Muntions Traditional Plant Support. The company has 35 staff and a turnover of £1.5million. Like the Lido he faces cost of energy, staffing, fuel all going up, we find out how he managing to balance it all.Deirdre Clarke – owner – Off the Rails Café, a delightful small café set within one of the loveliest stations in the country – Kemble Station. Its renowned for its lovely homemade food, great coffee and great service. We’ll find out all about it.And so much more, including: the war in the Middle East, rising cost of energy, possible mortgage interest going up and inflationary pressures, Meta & Facebook facing age restrictions,. NHS doctors and dentists being Uber drivers, price of steel going up 30% to 50%, Next sales results, Gloucester Quays three new restaurants to open, Joe Brown opens in Cirencester, Gloucestershire food support scheme and so much more.Its all here in the Punchline!!