The South West saw a small but positive shift in payment performance between 2020 and 2021, although the 2.0-point increase indicates the underlying challenges of prompt payment persist. The increase in the number of companies assessed suggests either increased participation in payment reporting initiatives or a broader sample set used for the study, but it is unclear if this sample difference has caused any distortion to the data. Companies struggling with late payments can use a late payment calculator to assess the impact on their cash flow.
In brief: The average payment score in the South West rose modestly from 65.3/100 (293 companies) in 2020 to 67.4/100 (306 companies) in 2021.

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The year-on-year decline of 0.1 points, while statistically insignificant, suggests a stagnation in payment performance