West Midlands Combined Authority

West Midlands Combined Authority
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Name	West Midlands Combined Authority
Established	2016
Type	Combined authority
Jurisdiction	West Midlands metropolitan county
Headquarters	Birmingham

West Midlands Combined Authority is a statutory combined authority covering the metropolitan county of the West Midlands in England, created to coordinate regional strategy across Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Solihull. It works with unitary authorities, national departments and devolved bodies to deliver transport, housing and skills initiatives, operating alongside institutions such as the Greater London Authority, Tees Valley Combined Authority, and the West of England Combined Authority. The authority is led by a directly elected mayor and a board of local leaders, and interfaces with bodies including Department for Transport, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Institute for Government.

History and formation

The combined authority emerged from devolution discussions involving the Cameron ministry, Theresa May ministry, and local councils including Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council, following precedents set by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Negotiations referenced city-region deals such as the Northern Powerhouse proposals and the Localism Act 2011 framework. Devolution agreements culminating in a 2015–2016 order established the authority, matching ambitions seen in the Sheffield City Region, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. High-profile figures in the formation period included regional leaders and national ministers from the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.

Governance and political structure

Governance combines a directly elected Mayor with a board of council leaders and non-constituent members drawn from organisations such as Transport for West Midlands and local enterprise partnerships like the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. The mayoralty echoes structures found in the Mayor of London model and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, while local authority representation resembles arrangements in the Tees Valley and West of England areas. The board interacts with national actors including the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and ministerial offices in the Department for Transport. Oversight and audit functions reference institutions such as the National Audit Office and the Local Government Association.

Functions and powers

Statutory responsibilities include strategic oversight in areas modelled on other combined authorities: transport integration comparable to Transport for London, devolved adult education akin to pilots in Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and housing investment similar to schemes in the West of England Combined Authority. The authority administers funding streams negotiated with the HM Treasury, manages land and infrastructure programmes parallel to the Homes England remit, and commissions skills provision alongside entities like the Education and Skills Funding Agency and the West Midlands Combined Authority Mayoral Development Corporation model. It also engages with bodies such as the National Health Service for wider place-based initiatives and liaises with the European Regional Development Fund legacy projects.

Economy and strategic plans

Economic strategy builds on regional assets in manufacturing hubs like Birmingham, aerospace clusters in Coventry, and industrial zones in the Black Country. Plans reference national initiatives such as the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine and coordinate with trade bodies like the Confederation of British Industry and Institute of Directors. Major strategic documents align with investment priorities similar to Local Industrial Strategies and target sectors including advanced manufacturing, digital industries linked to institutions such as the University of Birmingham, Coventry University, and Aston University, and low-carbon technologies promoted in conjunction with networks like the Energy Technologies Institute. Partnerships extend to organisations such as the BBC for cultural regeneration and the Arts Council England for creative economy development.

Transport and infrastructure

Transport responsibilities include local rail franchising ambitions, bus reform similar to legislative changes in the Bus Services Act 2017, and integration of light rail systems akin to the Tyne and Wear Metro and London Overground models. Projects and programmes interface with national rail bodies such as Network Rail and operators formerly including West Midlands Trains. Infrastructure schemes mirror those in the HS2 debate, and local priorities engage with major routes like the M6 motorway and rail corridors connecting to Birmingham New Street and Coventry railway station. The authority works with agencies including the Office of Rail and Road and regional bodies like Transport for West Midlands to deliver congestion reduction, active travel and freight initiatives.

Finance and budgeting

Funding derives from devolved settlement deals negotiated with the Treasury and includes mechanisms comparable to business rates retention used in the Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire models, plus investment from the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy programmes. Budgets are influenced by national spending reviews overseen by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and audited against standards used by the National Audit Office. Capital programmes have been financed through borrowing powers similar to those exercised by combined authorities elsewhere, and through partnerships with institutions such as the European Investment Bank (pre-Brexit) and private sector investors represented by bodies like the British Business Bank.

Criticism and controversies

The authority has faced scrutiny over accountability debates resembling disputes around the Mayor of London and Greater Manchester Mayor arrangements, tensions with local councils paralleling disputes in Cambridgeshire and North Yorkshire, and controversy around funding allocations akin to criticisms of the Midlands Engine. Issues have included questions about transparency raised by watchdogs such as the Local Government Ombudsman, concerns from campaign groups like Save the Centre-style coalitions, and political disputes reflected in coverage by media outlets including the BBC and The Guardian. High-profile policy disagreements have echoed national debates over projects like HS2 and regional transport reform.

Category:Local government in the West Midlands (county)