Following yesterday’s announcement that the coalition government planned to replace regional development agencies (RDAs) with a new system of local enterprise partnerships, we asked you your thoughts on whether the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) should be retained or scrapped. Ninety per cent of respondents were in favour of keeping the organisation in its current form. Julian Braidwood, managing director of Cumbria-based product development consultancy Triveritas, said the agency had helped his company grow from six to 32 staff, while Optima Management’s David Wertheim added it was “far more effective channel than the fragmented efforts of local councils”. However, Gordon Oliver, the finance director of James Halstead, said the NWDA was an “expensive luxury”. For a selection of your comments, click here.

Philip Green, the chief executive of United Utilities, said today that the company has delivered a “sound set of results in a tough economic climate” following a strong focus on cost management and efficiency improvement. The North West utilities giant’s underlying operating profit rose 3 per cent to £756m in the year to 31 March, but pre-tax profit was down from £529m to £474m, mainly due to higher borrowing costs. But the company is optimistic about the outlook, following the latest Ofwat review of the sector which will see prices to consumers fall 0.4 per cent a year on average. Revenue edged up to £2.44bn from £2.43bn a year ago.

Rensburg Sheppards, the investment management company which was founded by Henry Rensburg in Liverpool in 1873, has increased its funds under management to £12.9bn in the year to 31 March, up from £10bn a year ago. However, pre-tax profits fell from £30.2m to £27m during the period. Steve Elliott, the group’s chief executive, said it was a “creditable financial performance” in a challenging environment. In March the group agreed a takeover from major shareholder Investec that valued it at approximately £412m. Its shareholders will vote on the offer at a meeting on 1 June.

The chief executive and finance director of Manchester stockbroker WH Ireland are to leave the company as it prepares for another boardroom shake-up. Richard Ford will step down as chief executive on 31 August, while finance director Nigel Gurney will remain until 11 November. The announcement follows the departure of longstanding directors Laurie Beevers and David Youngman who left last year following an abortive attempt to merge with Blue Oar Securities. Ford said he felt he had achieved his objectives of restructuring the business since he joined two years ago.

Vimto-maker Nichols, based in Newton-le-Willows, has issued a bullish trading statement following a strong start to the year. Chief executive John Nichols said sales in 2010 were “well ahead” of last year and its own internal expectations. “In the UK, turnover is significantly up and we have out-performed the market as a whole,” he said. “With the key summer trading period still ahead, we are extremely pleased with the group's performance so far and the board is confident of delivering another strong year.” For the year to 31 December, Nichols reported a 29 per cent increase in turnover to £72.4m.

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In this month's property Ask The Expert Andrew Thomas, chief executive of the Centre for Construction Innovation, has been answering your questions on changes to the UK construction industry, both recent and required. Are contractors' practices really sustainable enough? And what does the industry need from the new government to recover from the recession? Read Andrew's thoughts here.