The eagerly awaited Government response to Lord Heseltine's independent growth review has many implications for the future role and structure of local government.

From approval to implement a single local growth fund - devolving certain Whitehall funding streams from April 2015 - new local growth deals for skills, housing and transport , a favourable borrowing rate for infrastructure projects, metro-mayors and combined authorities - the 81 growth recommendations accepted fully or partially by Government could pave the way for significant change.

Responding for the Local Government Association, Cllr Peter Box, chairman of the economy and transport board said the measures have to be backed-up with the kind of money proposed in Lord Heseltine's report.

‘We are pleased that the chancellor has listened to the LGA's call for local growth deals to be made available to all areas that want one. This is a significant win for the sector, Cllr Box added.

‘It is also positive that there will be no enforced restructuring of local government and it will be down to local areas to decide if they want a mayor to represent their community,' Cllr Box said.  He warned further cuts in the 2015/16 spending round would ‘have a devastating impact on councils' ability to support local businesses and stimulate growth'.