Donkey - it is certainly a shame that there are not more commercial passenger flights from the UK regions. Were airlines to ask for slots at any of these airports, it is likely that they would be given a positive response. I imagine also that the people running route development at many of these airports would be only too happy to help set up new routes. I imagine that when, for example, Azerbaijan Air began talking to ABZ management, they were given strong encouragement.
The only thing missing from the current status quo is airlines who actively want to fly to/from the UK regions rather than London and sufficient passengers willing to pay enough in airfares to let said airlines make a profit.