The effectiveness of the work carried out by professionals in town planning jobs under Labour has been "mixed".
This is according to a new report from Professor Henry Overman, who has published a paper analysing the forthcoming general election for the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
He said it was "unsurprising" the staff in town planning jobs have not been completely successful in their aims since 1997.
"There is confusion about what urban and regional policy could and should try to achieve - and the parties' positions tend to be based on belief rather than evidence," it was stated.
Professor Overman said this has been partly caused by a poor level of understanding among politicians of the economic processes that affect the prosperity of different areas of towns and cities.
Earlier this month, the Royal Town Planning Institute launched a pre-election manifesto calling for the next government to work closely with professionals in the industry to ensure future developments help to shape the UK's economic recovery.
