The Government's sub-national growth ‘tsar', Lord Heseltine, has urged local businesses and councils to construct ‘compelling' funding proposals for an imminent allocation of cash designed to stimulate growth across local economies.

In advance of next week's deadline for applications for the first round of Regional Growth Fund (RGF) cash, Lord Heseltine said it was imperative that the UK's new local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) shaped their own economic future by identifying their localities' own priorities for future economic success.