Cracks and leaks are my starting point and no, this isn’t about winter pipework precautions.

Cracks and leaks are my starting point and no, this isn’t about winter pipework precautions.

Plenty of journalists,and others, are searching for cracks in the coalition - they have been since May - and the latest leaked ministerial letter gives them another place to look for evidence.

“I want to alert you to the strong concerns of the business community regarding our LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) policy,” were the opening lines of a letter from Mark Prisk, the minister responsible for LEPs, to Vince Cable.

Now that it’s become public, we can see the British Retail Consortium listed there among those business organisations.

So how concerned are we about the implications of LEPs for retailing across England?

Giving local decision makers the power to make choices that best suit local circumstances makes sense.

The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have been criticised for being inefficient, oversized and duplicating activity elsewhere. So there is a case for something more local and more responsive.

I can see why the nature and needs of Shropshire and Herefordshire (one of the proposed LEPs) would have more in common with each other than with Birmingham - which is currently with them in the West Midlands RDA.

In principle LEPs could work but, if they’re going to, they must meet some key conditions.

Above all, they need to be business-led.

At least half the board members must be from the private sector with a prominent business leader as chair.

LEPs need to have the experience, skill and expertise to make sure the big decisions they take on planning, transport and infrastructure put economic growth first. Talking shops made up of local career politicians won’t do.

They need to be given the funds to meet their responsibilities and actually achieve. And there needs to be a well-developed central framework to give coherence and consistency to what they do.

To plan investment and achieve the growth LEPs are all about, businesses want to know where they stand. For national companies, the long-term game plan is always going to be set nationally.

A mass of conflicting policies, differing from area to area, would make that much harder.

The good news is the Government’s new Local Growth White Paper suggests we are being listened to. It confirms there should be 50% business representation on LEPs and close working with universities and community organisations.

Mind you, we remain to be convinced that the £500m a year for three years pledged so far will be enough. The Government’s spending review made it even clearer that private sector companies are going to have to replace lost public sector jobs.

That’s why we’re fully engaged in ensuring LEPs evolve in a way that helps regional investment happen. Only in the plumbing profession is it good to lag behind.

Stephen Robertson director-general, British Retail Consortium