Insider Media Limited

The government has distanced itself from a list of 22 bids reported to have been successful in their quests to become Local Enterprise Partnerships. The list, which emerged on a website, includes bids from Greater Birmingham, The Marches Enterprise Partnership, The Black Country, Coventry and Warwickshire and districts, and Worcestershire and districts.

The list is reported to be "circulating in Whitehall" and comes after communities secretary Eric Pickles told delegates at the Conservative Party conference that 15 to 22 LEP bids were "ready to go". This has caused some confusion as business secretary Vince Cable had previously indicated a preference for fewer and larger partnerships.

However, the controversial encompassing West Midlands bid, submitted by Business Voice West Midlands failed to make the list.

That bid, along with Coventry and Warwickshire’s, will go before a House of Commons' select committee on Tuesday, to be questioned on their bids.

But a spokesman for the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "No final decisions have been made on the successful proposals whatsoever.

"We are still considering all the proposals and will be providing feedback to the partnerships in due course.

"The list published is purely speculative."

The LEPs are set to replace the country's regional development agencies which are being axed in 2012.

The list, which comes with the warning that it is "provisional", says the following bids have been given the go-ahead:

North West: Greater Manchester; Merseyside; Cheshire & Warrington

Yorkshire & Humber: Leeds City Region; Sheffield City Region

West Midlands: Greater Birmingham; The Marches Enterprise Partnership; The Black Country; Coventry and Warwickshire and districts; Worcestershire and districts

East Midlands: Derbyshire CC and districts; Leicester & Leicestershire

South East: Greater Cambridge & Greater Peterborough; Hertfordshire CC and districts; Kent-Essex; Coast to Capital; Solent; Oxfordshire City Region

South West: West of England (Bristol, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire); Empowering Enterprise (Cornwall and Isles of Scilly)

North East: Tees Valley Unlimited; North East Partnership

The list has emerged after Insider exclusively reported that ten LEP bidders are to be asked questions at a House of Commons' select committee on Tuesday. They include bids from: Cambridge and Peterborough; Coast to Capital; Enterprise M3; Greater Manchester; Leeds City Region; Business Voice West Midlands; Coventry and Warwickshire; Newcastle Gateshead; Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and South East Midlands.