CONCERNS about the future of business support in Herefordshire and the Marches dominated the annual conference of the Rural Regeneration Zone.

The zone is set to disappear following the decision of the new coalition Government to axe the regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.

Councillor Roger Phillips, leader of Herefordshire Council, told more than 150 business leaders that a scheme to introduce Local Economic Partnerships instead was still at an early stage. “This has not come as a complete surprise so we have been doing some work in this area,” he said, but warned that there would be no new money.

He said that whatever eventually replaces the existing business support structures for hard-pressed rural businesses will need to be “inventive”.

Sir Roy McNulty, chairman of Advantage West Midlands, told the conference that independent audits had shown that the agency was highly effective, generating a return of more than £8 for every £1 invested.

Worries about what will fill the gap in business support and the consequences of the uncertainty about the future were reflected in the questions from local businesses.

Projects which have been supported by the Rural Regeneration Zone – which covers Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire – include the Hereford Learning Village, the Eardisland Community Shop, Hereford’s Edgar Street Grid and James Gourmet Coffee in Ross-on- Wye.