Graham Knight, chairman of Somerset Chamber of Commerce, looks at what 2015 has in store. 

From a business perspective, when you bat away all the political rhetoric that is rife in the Westminster-fuelled media, the economy of Somerset is growing and, as is the norm for our rural county 130 miles from the capital, it is steady unflamboyant growth that is the bedrock of our economy.

While we can aspire for more higher skilled and higher paid jobs in advanced engineering, technology-driven creative industries and the advancing nuclear new build sector, the majority of Somerset's working residents still work in the established employment sectors of social care, tourism, retail and land-based businesses.

This creates a conundrum for economists and social commentators.

More jobs being created by the private sector; unemployment in Somerset below 4%; little employment impact as a result of public sector contraction; and shortages of higher skilled staff - yet we continue to maintain a high percentage of part-time work that requires less advanced skill sets and therefore lower salary levels.

It is hard to grow an economy above the average when starting from this fairly typical idyllic semi-rural shire-county base that encourages tourism, attracts peaceful retirement and environmental protection supplied by a committed farming community.

So what will 2015 bring? A new government for sure!

Whatever the country votes on May 7, if the opinion polls are to be believed it is highly unlikely that the same governing arrangements will be in place.

What might this mean for Somerset's residents?

More of the same I suspect as it is pretty clear that there is still no real money to invest in our infrastructure without increasing taxation significantly, or shrinking our public services further - or both.

I defy any politician to argue differently as we gallop headlong into May 7.

What is clear is that the full recovery of our convalescing economy will only be achieved if Somerset's private sector companies have the opportunity to grow so they can invest in people and equipment.

To help this, a future government must invest in developing our young people to get them ready for work; invest in both our physical and digital infrastructure; provide more opportunities for businesses to trade overseas; and provide real leadership and commitment to our relationship with the UK's largest single trading area, the European Union.