The creation by the Government of Enterprise Zones was always likely to result in a controversial list of winners and losers by the time hundreds of proposals had been reduced to a manageable number.

There will be delight in Birmingham, Nuneaton, the Black Country and Hereford, where EZs have been approved, and disappointment or anger in Coventry, Stoke and Worcestershire where proposals have been rejected.

It is to be hoped that these decisions do not re-awaken the old rivalries that have held the West Midlands back for many years, setting council against council with claims of Whitehall showing favouritism for Birmingham.

The fact is that by any reasonable measure of analysis, kick-starting the Birmingham economy is vital for the future of the entire region. Thousands of people living outside of the city rely on Birmingham for employment, therefore if Birmingham suffers so too does a large part of the West Midlands.

Attention must turn now to the way in which the EZs will work, and whether they can in fact deliver the vast number of jobs and economic wealth predicted by the Government.

Previous attempts to establish enterprise zones in this country had mixed results and did not always deliver sustainable long-term growth. On this occasion a mixture of financial and regulatory carrots should make a real difference to prospective entrepreneurs.

Businesses which choose to set up in the zones will benefit from rate relief and relaxed planning controls, which will be good for the firms but may well result in complaints from conservation groups.