Greater local leadership could be achieved if regional development agencies (RDAs) were upgraded to regional executive agencies (REAs) and held to greater account by both communities and the government.

Such is the conclusion of a new report by the New Local Government Network (NLGN), which recommends that ministers oversee regional strategies and scrutinise their work in a process whereby successful agencies are rewarded with greater autonomy.

Redesigning Regionalism: Leadership and Accountability in England’s Regions indicates that RDAs need additional responsibilities akin to REAs - managing housing and environmental concerns, for instance - in order to achieve success.

And, with formal scrutiny and accountability involving both local leaders and regional MPs, such a system could take off, the NLGN believes.

“While the institutional structures for regional decisions should be a second order issue, the fact remains that clarifying both the leadership and accountability in England’s regions is unfinished business,” comments NLGN director Chris Leslie.

“The successful regional coordination of public policy can make a major impact on the conditions for growth, so it is right that the debate about the future of regional governance in England continues to evolve,” he added.

Whitehall should devolve greater responsibilities to REAs in order to cultivate improved regional services, the report’s author concludes.