AS consultation titles go I’ll admit Tees Valley Mayoral Combined Authority Consultation is not a humdinger, writes Rachel Anderson.

JK Rowling isn’t going to be shifting nervously in her seat looking anxiously at the Times Best Seller List and wondering if her world’s most successful author crown is under threat.

You might think that as consultations go it is as dry as old sticks and you’d be partly right, but, if you are a business in the Tees Valley, it will shape how you are listened to in the future, how the economy around you will develop and ultimately how decisions affecting everyone’s businesses are taken.

Now, over the past few years the private and public sectors in the Tees Valley have had a good relationship, the area is thriving because we all, by and large, get along and want to see this area succeed.

I see no reason why that should change, but now the Government in the guise of a devolution deal is making us write things down.

Whereas before we have felt our way forward and worked together as and when things have arisen, now, there is a lot more money, power and responsibility involved and you need to have something about who makes decisions on paper.

This document does that, but doesn’t say much about the private sector.

It is up to us to make sure the working relationship and influence the private sector has recently enjoyed is in there, particularly if the Government carries forward reforms such as the ones they suggested to business rates where the private sector LEP board members may pass or veto a levy on business rates the “what”, “how” and more crucially “who” becomes very important.

Just like every September, the people who are to take part in Strictly or the Great British Bake Off suddenly influence the nation when, other than knowing one end of a whisk from another, it’s often not clear how they got there.

For LEP private sector board members a soggy bottom and passable cha cha might be an advantage as well as business acumen and experience but, the point is, nothing is written that says so.

Having it all set out in black and white gives individuals clarity around their role.

We have some talented individuals in place who should remain on the LEP board, but the devolution deal, elected mayor and combined authority change the game and to maintain influence the arrangements must be formalised.

Rachel Anderson is head of policy and representation at the North East England Chamber of Commerce