West Midland Combined Authority Mayoral WMCA Functions Scheme Consultation

Please note: this consultation ended on 21st August.

A consultation on the Mayoral West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Functions Scheme starts on Monday 4 July at 9:00am until midnight on Sunday 21 August.

Background

In November 2014 seven local authorities (Birmingham City Council, Coventry Council, City of Wolverhampton Council, Dudley Council, Solihull Council, Sandwell Council and Walsall Council) from across the West Midlands began discussing the benefits of creating a Combined Authority for the region.

After much negotiation, and further discussions with government, the seven constituent councils agreed to form a West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which came into being on 17 June 2016, and became the constituent councils of the WMCA.

As these negotiations progressed the Government began discussing the potential of a Devolution Agreement with the newly forming Combined Authority.  This first Agreement is based on government promising long term secure investment and on powers moving from Westminster to the region. 

An elected Mayor for the WMCA geographical area is a condition of the Devolution Agreement. Pending the outcome of the Parliamentary process to create the mayoral combined authority, the election for the Mayor will take place on 4 May 2017.

Where are we now?

This first Devolution Agreement will see £36.5m per annum over the next 30 years of new investment and will result in around £8bn of investment.  

Having negotiated and accepted the Devolution Agreement, the seven constituent councils and the Combined Authority have approved the creation of a mayoral combined authority including the election of a mayor and the associated Mayoral WMCA Functions Scheme. It is the proposals in the Scheme which form the basis of this consultation.  

These arrangements will allow the region to deliver the Devolution Agreement. Further details of how the Agreement will be delivered are contained in the recently published Strategic Economic Plan (SEP).

The full details of the Mayoral WMCA Functions Scheme are available here, along with FAQs, the Devolution Agreement, Governance Review and SEP. 
 
A Public Sector Equality Assessment of the Scheme has been undertaken, and can be found here.

The proposals in the Scheme, including the functions of the Mayoral WMCA, are the subject of this consultation. 

This consultation asks for your views on the different functions it is proposed that the Mayoral WMCA could have. 

Prior to any decisions being made, findings from the consultation will be sent as part of the Mayoral WMCA Functions Scheme to inform the decision making of the Secretary of State (SoS) and Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) before an Order could be laid before Parliament. 

It will give the SoS an understanding of what the public think of the functions and responsibilities of a Mayoral WMCA and how the Scheme meets the SoS’s key tests of whether they promote efficient and effective governance and their impact on local community identity.

There are nine questions on the proposals in the Mayoral WMCA scheme and free text boxes to provide any additional feedback.

Follow this link to complete the consultation.

For more information on the West Midlands Combined Authority, visit the website: www.westmidlandscombinedauthority.org.uk