The Conservatives have previously mooted the idea of getting rid of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and devolving their powers to local authorities.

About four years ago I conducted an indepth interview with Steve Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA.

He was adamant that decisions about large infrstructure project are best made at regional level. He claimed RDAs were best placed to make "difficult decisions" about where resources and money should be targeted.

"If you were to give the resources we currently have to, say, five smaller bodies, then I think decisions about which projects went ahead and which ones didn't would become political," he added.

I couldn't agree more. Merseyside's local authorities always outwardly insist they are united in one common purpose: bringing investment into the region.

But it is no secret they often don't see eye-to-eye. When tourism and inward investment body, The Mersey Partnership (TMP), first mooted the idea of dropping 'Merseyside' from external marketing campaigns in favour of 'Liverpool City Region' there was a certain amount of what we might call disquiet.

There were fears within the boroughs outside of Liverpool that the bulk of investment would come into the city itself and that they would lose out.

That debate is settled now, or so we are led to believe, but it illustrates the point that the default position of local authorities will always be to defend their individual interests.

If there comes a point when resources need to be pooled to make major schemes like the New Mersey Crossing happen then there is a real danger vested interests and political point-scoring will hamper progress.

A good recent example was Everton FC's proposed new stadium in Kirkby, which is within the borough of Knowsley. Liverpool City Council opposed the scheme and was keen to keep the club in the city.

A planning inquiry eventually settled that one anyway but the point is which of the two authorities was acting in the interests of the wider region? Neither is the answer.

If the Tories want to scrap the RDAs then they need to come up with an alternative model. Having no tier of government between local authorities and Whitehall is a recipe for gridlock.