THE Scots councils spearheading the pioneering £1.1billion City Deal have put forward plans for a regional enterprise and job creation agency.

The eight west of Scotland authorities said the proposals would be more effective than the current model in Scotland which sees a national sector approach to supporting enterprise.

The councils' plans are in response to the Scottish Government consultation on enterprise agencies which closed earlier this week.

The City Region Enterprise and Jobs Hub formalises the joint approach from Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, East and West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde and North and South Lanarkshire Councils to support business and employment opportunities across a wider geographical area, rather than focusing solely within their own geographical boundaries.

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They said the move reflects UK and international research which supports a regional approach to increasing business and job opportunities.

Renfrewshire Council eader Mark Macmillan said: "It's clear from evidence not only across the UK but also across the world, that the current nationwide sectoral approach to enterprise does not empower local decision makers to tackle the specific issues that hold back economic productivity in their area.

"In the west we have major businesses, a significant population and like the rest of Scotland, challenges that are specific to our region and if we are to successfully address these, we must have the flexibility and resource to effectively tackle these challenges head on.

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"We recognise the need for change and are taking this step to join our resource to ensure we are able to address the challenges ahead and we welcome the Scottish Government consultation. I would urge the First Minister to recognise this regional approach as key to securing our economic success."

A consultation with local and national business, enterprise, education and transport partners will be carried out across the region in the coming months.