Businesses across the 海角视频 faced rising costs in February as some regions continued to struggle with the effects of Covid-19 lockdowns.
The latest NatWest Regional PMI report shows that whole some parts of the 海角视频 saw business activity start to pick up, others still saw economic contraction.
But confidence grew in most areas as the country started getting ready to open up again thanks to the ongoing vaccination programme.
The PMI index tracks the monthly change in the output of goods and services across the private sector, with a reading above 50 showing growth.
Only four of the 12 nations and regions covered by the survey saw a rise in activity in February - London, Yorkshire & Humber, the West Midlands and the North West.
In other areas the downturns slowed, with the North East almost stable and "modest declines" in the East and South East. The sharpest drops in output were seen in Northern Ireland, followed by Wales, Scotland and the South West, respectively.
Most regions saw new business fall in February. Just three regions - Yorkshire & Humber, the East Midlands and the East of England - recorded higher employment.
Prices charged for goods and services rose in all nations and regions except London - and input costs rose in all regions. Northern Ireland saw the highest rate of inflation.
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But in most regions, firms were optimistic about the year ahead - with Yorkshire & Humber reporting the highest expectations on record.
Sebastian Burnside, NatWest chief economist, said: “Despite lockdown measures remaining in place in February, some parts of the 海角视频 started to see business activity pick up since January, and there were also some positive signs for employment and business confidence as more firms were optimistic about the outlook.
"However, many areas are continuing to struggle amidst ongoing restrictions on travel and temporary business closures, and it's no coincidence to see that the regional economies most under pressure are some of those with the largest tourism and customer-facing sectors.
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"London outperformed in February, as did Yorkshire & Humber where record levels of business optimism were reflected in a renewed upturn in employment.
"However, labour market trends generally remain subdued, so the extension of the furlough scheme to September is a welcome step forward in protecting jobs until the economy is fully up and running.
“One advantage that the services-dominated London economy has had is less exposure to the rising cost pressures we're currently seeing from raw materials shortages and transport-related expenses, which have been hitting manufacturing businesses hardest.
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"While prices for goods and services have been rising across every other region, thereby constraining demand, in London the opposite is true as firms continue to use discounting to support new business.
"The variations in regional economic specialisations and the different roadmaps out of lockdown across the four nations of the 海角视频 mean we are likely to see varying speeds of recovery over the coming months.”