Growing pains

AFTER the Government's decision to abolish regional development agencies, like Yorkshire Forward, on cost grounds, it is paramount that the proposed Local Enterprise Partnerships hit the ground running.

This region simply cannot afford issues like inward investment and transport to be left at the mercy of local authorities who will be pre-occupied with their own interests and approach to spending cuts.

If the LEPs are ineffective, areas like Yorkshire are likely to lose out, once again, to London – the capital appears immune from the cuts as Tory mayor Boris Johnson steps up his 2012 re-election campaign.

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The omens are not encouraging. While some economically-challenged areas like North Yorkshire and Hull have not been given LEP status, other cities – like Leeds and Sheffield – are pressing ahead with their partnership plans.

While this is welcome, it is imperative that the apparent policy dispute between Business Secretary Vince Cable and Mark Prisk, one of his deputies, is resolved at the earliest opportunity.

The objective of the LEPs is a simple one; their purpose will be to promote growth in the English regions as quickly as possible. This cannot happen quickly enough, given the spectre of rising unemployment as a result of public sector cuts and the imminent VAT increase. However the LEPs, already operating on a shoestring budget, will be doomed to fail unless there is political clarity from the outset.