Local authorities should ‘seize the day' to secure inward investment for their areas, a former government adviser has urged.

Jackie Sadek, who is now chief executive of UK Regeneration, told an audience of council chief executives at the Local Government Association's annual conference today: ‘I think this is your moment.'

Ms Sadek said that even after Brexit there was plenty of potential global market investors eyeing up opportunities in the UK.

She continued: ‘You've had several years of austerity and it's been very difficult but there is a shed load of money out there.

‘Find yourself a greedy, venal agent and you will find you get a very good result.

‘Pro-growth local authorities can really just go on out there and get on.'

Ms Sadek also advised councils to ditch ‘flabby and lazy' platitudes like being ‘open for business' and warned against exposing potential inward investors to the hard-wiring of the public sector.

She added that talking about various tiers of government was potentially the ‘kiss of death,' adding: ‘Don't give them all your agony and anxiety.

‘Don't tell your inward investor that your leader's impossible to deal with.

‘Sort it.'