Case Studies in the North West and West Midlands of England
Government influence on industrial location is most usually defined in terms of the use made by central government of traditional devices affecting the locational decisions of firms. Within this range of devices are controls (such as industrial development certificates and office development permits) designed to counteract regional imbalances in the location of new industrial and commercial development. Other central government influence is less direct and consists of mainly financial and infrastructural incentives, together with the provision of factories. An important additional influence is in the provision of information to firms intending to locate, relocate or extend development. This is also a strong feature of local authority influence on industrial location, although local authorities also offer material incentives in, for instance, offering advantageous financial terms on industrial estates or housing for key workers. Information provision is the principal function of ad hoc bodies like the North West Industrial