CLG ministers have announced 56 bids to form Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) but few could be approved in the first wave and questions remain over their scope and clout.

The majority of councils (80%) believe local transport and infrastructure are priority issues for LEPs, according to recent research by regeneration firm CommunitySense.

Ministers and Whitehall officials will assess the 56 applications over the coming weeks as they prepare to replace England’s nine Regional Development Agencies from 2012 with smaller, more ‘natural’ local partnerships between councils and businesses designed to support economic growth.

But a consensus appears to be forming over a likely outcome from the first phase of the LEP programme. Up to 15 of the strongest applicants for LEP status could be established as outriders, a move designed to ensure the initiative succeeds quickly.

Policy experts contacted by Surveyor predicted the first wave of LEPs would be those with a track record of close working between local public and private sectors, and operating at sub-regional – or sub-RDA – level.

That could make the existing city-regions of Greater Manchester and Leeds, for example, strong candidates for early approval, as well as potentially dynamic countybased partnership submitted by Essex and Kent.

The news coincides with a major BBC/Experian survey today (Thursday) showing economic differences between north and south remain marked.