There are currently thirteen non-constituent members, made up of three Local Enterprise Partnerships, as well as ten local authorities from outside the West Midlands county. There are also four 'observer organisations' (organisations awaiting non-constituent membership and non-voting observers).[6]
The authority has previously (incorrectly) been referred to as the Greater Birmingham Combined Authority, or simply Greater Birmingham,[7][8][9] as the final model and membership was worked out and negotiated. Greater Birmingham is a term present in the current Local Enterprise Partnership which serves Birmingham, Solihull and some additional local council areas within the West Midlands.[10]
Organisation
The authority's initial priorities involved co-ordinating the city-region to act as one place on certain issues, such as international promotion and investment; reforming public services such as mental health services; and improving internal and external transport links.[11]
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is an executive body of the WMCA that oversees transportation (road, rail, bus and Metro) within the metropolitan county. The organisation carries over the previous responsibilities of Centro (the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive).[12] TfWM has a similar level of responsibility to Transport for London - although its responsibility for highways is limited to a defined set of major routes (the West Midlands Key Route Network).[13] TfWM's policies and strategy are set by the WMCA's transport delivery committee.
Transport for West Midlands operates the West Midlands Metro tram system, and is currently expanding the system from Birmingham City centre to Birmingham Airport, and to the west to Brierley Hill via the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. Metro extensions are planned and constructed through the Midland Metro Alliance, of which TfWM is a member.
TfWM is also looking at improvements to the M5 and M6 motorways, and new cycle routes as part of a metropolitan cycle network. There are also plans to work with central government over the future of the underused M6 Toll.[14]
Housing and planning
While local planning will remain in the hands of the seven boroughs, the WMCA will be able to analyse county-wide brownfield sites and decide where new homes should be built.
Health
A mental health commission was formed in order to create a reformed mental healthcare system in the county.[15] The WMCA will not, however, have control over a devolved NHS budget, as is the case in Greater Manchester.
Youth Engagement
The WMCA has co-run the West Midlands Young Combined Authority with Birmingham-based organisation Aspire4U CIC, via its specific project named LyfeProof, since June 2021,[16] and before that with the Beatfreeks Collective from September 2019 to May 2021.[17] Upon its establishment in September 2019, the YCA had 33 members aged between 16 and 25 years old, drawn from all seven constituent local authorities.[18] The members of the YCA are appointed by the Combined Authority Board, and they have provided an update on its work at each WMCA Board meeting since January 2020.
At the close of the first session of the YCA in August 2020, the number of members had reduced to 16, and it was agreed that the YCA would adopt a bicameral approach to its operation, featuring a core YCA board, combined with a YCA community, who would comment on the work of the WMCA and YCA.[19]
The YCA board was reformed in September 2020, and between October 2020 and November 2021 was co-chaired by Aisha Masood, a member from Birmingham, and Chris Burden, from Wolverhampton, who was elected councillor for the Fallings Park ward at the 2021 Wolverhampton City Council election.[19] It functions as a scrutiny and campaign body, and for 2020/21 had co-leads who dedicated to comment and engaged on the work of relevant WMCA portfolio leads. In November 2021, the YCA were awarded The Chair's Award, at the Royal Town Planning Institute's West Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence,[20] for the publication of a Vision and Priorities document in February 2021.[21]
In 2017, the West Midlands, like several other city regions, elected a 'metro mayor' with similar powers to the Mayor of London. A directly elected mayor for the combined authority area was described as 'inevitable',[22] as such a role had been stated as a conditional requirement for a more powerful devolution deal. The WMCA shadow board submitted proposals for a combined authority with and without a mayor leader, and decided which plan of action to take based on the devolution proposals from the government for each.[23] Powers sought for a regional metro mayor and the WMCA were first revealed in a leaked bid document first reported by Simon Gilbert, of the Coventry Telegraph.[24] Those powers included the ability of the mayor to levy extra business rates from companies in the region. Negotiations also included the desire to take away the ability of local councils to retain future business rates growth and to hand that cash to the WMCA, who would decide how it was spent across the region instead of by individual local authorities.
