A UK-wide rollout of delivery robots could provide a £1.3 billion economic boost and create more than 550 new high-skilled jobs within the next ten years, according to a new report from policy consultancy Prysm Global.

Arguing for more support and greater regulatory certainty for developers, the study found that more than a third of this economic benefit would go to mayoral areas in England, with Greater London reaping the lion’s share, accounting for £116 million, followed by the West Midlands (£54m) and Greater Manchester (£48m).

Likewise, Prsym’s analysis, based on data and testimony from Starship Technologies, a developer of AI-enabled Personal Delivery Devices (PDDs), suggests that with the right frameworks in place, 555 high-skill robot manufacturing jobs could be created by 2035.

The study claims this could see local workers potentially earning more than £11 million in wage increases, with the investment in regional hubs providing a welcome boost for the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Plan, which has the ambition to nearly double annual business investment in the sector.

The study suggests that direct investment in UK PDD manufacturing could contribute 0.2% of that national growth goal, and up to 0.8% in the first three years, though existing hubs in areas like Milton Keynes and Leeds would stand to gain the most.

Prysm’s report also claims that these autonomous delivery vehicles could transform high-street spending, bringing in an extra £125 million of grocery shopping over the next decade, though again, the benefits would be widespread and disproportionate.

According to the report, Northern local authorities stand to gain the most from these PDDs, thanks to their strong impact in ‘delivery deserts’, areas with poor access to grocery delivery. Prysm estimates that for every £1 spent in big cities on PDD deliveries, nearly £6 will go to these underserved regions.

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However, the study claims that the UK is missing out on these opportunities thanks to a lack of national regulation.

Starship Technologies, for example, is among the operators of autonomous vehicles in the UK, yet the report says the firm has been forced to negotiate with individual council areas on the use of PDDs, holding back their rollout.

Speaking to the Guardian, Starship’s chief executive Ahti Heinla revealed that the firm had more robots serving Finland, with a population of 5.6 million, than across the entire UK, saying, “We want to bring delivery to the small towns in the UK as well. We’re ready to invest in scale.”