Business activity in the North East has fallen for a sixth month in a row, with the region seeing the worst trend of all regions in the UK, an influential survey has found. The NatWest North East PMI Business Activity Index – which measures changes in the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – recorded a sixth successive contraction in output in November, though the pace of decline slowed somewhat compared to the previous month. The score of 44.9 - where anything below 50 signals a contraction in the local economy - came amid evidence of deteriorating new orders and firms losing customers in the tough economic conditions…
