Communities secretary Eric Pickles and business secretary Vince Cable have today told local authorities to draw up plans for local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to replace regional development agencies (RDAs).

The MPs have written to local authority and business leaders today, explaining that the new partnerships will tackle issues including planning, housing, transport and infrastructure.

A deadline of 6 September has been set for local authorities and businesses to submit outline proposals to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The letter also reveals that the white paper on regional economic growth announced at the Emergency Budget will be published in July.

Some LEPs, such as Yorkshire Forward, are likely to retain the same regional structure as the RDAs that have preceded them, while others will cover smaller regions.

The letter says: “To be sufficiently strategic, we would expect that partnerships would include groups of upper tier authorities, but are flexible about how large they will be. In particular, if it is clearly the wish of business and civic leaders to establish a local enterprise partnership for a functional economic area that matches existing RDA boundaries, we will not object.”

Pickles and Cable say LEPs will be a “central” part of a drive to “rebalance” the economy towards the private sector, and reject the current geographical areas served by RDAs.

Local Enterprise Partnerships, Economic Development Directorate, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 1 Victoria St, SW1H 0ET;  or by emailing: .

To read the letter, click here: 10-1026-final-letter-local-enterprise-partnerships

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