Agenda item

[To consider the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report]. 

Cllr Cathy Bayton, Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee along with Cllr John McNicholas, Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee were present for the item.

Cllr Bayton stated that a change which occurred over the course of last year, following a Governance review, was that the Transport Sub-Committee was now a Transport Delivery and Scrutiny Committee in its own right.   

Cllr Bayton stated City of Wolverhampton Council’s representative on the WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee was Cllr Phil Bateman.  Since the change to the Local Enterprise Partnerships, it was felt important to maintain the voice of business and so a business person from one of the Housing Associations attended on a regular basis.  The Scrutiny Committee met a total of seven times a year.  For the current Municipal year, there would be a total of two question and answer sessions with the Mayor.  The one on policy had already been completed which took place in the October.  The one on the budget would be taking place later that week and would be a combined session with the Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

Cllr Bayton commented that the Annual report outlined the work of the Scrutiny Committee in the last Municipal year.  The focus of the year had been to ensure that the powers of the Combined Authority and it’s policies were delivering for the people of the West Midlands.  For the current Municipal year there would be a strong focus on the performance of the Combined Authority and its outcomes delivered against its strategic aims and objectives.  She went into detail about the items the Combined Authority had already covered in the year to date. 

Cllr Bayton referred to the new Scrutiny protocol released by Government.  They would be making sure the Scrutiny model aligned with the protocol and was fit for purpose.  They wanted to strengthen their working relationships with stakeholders. 

Cllr Bayton commented that last year their Scrutiny deep dive had been on skills.  For this year it would be on examining how the Combined Authority exercised its power and funding in respect to Brownfield Development and to assess how the regions communities had benefited.

Cllr McNicholas described the Leader of City of Wolverhampton Council as a fierce advocate for Wolverhampton in his engagement with the WMCA. 

Cllr McNicholas described his aim as Chair of the Transport Delivery Scrutiny Committee was to ensure there was value to their work.  He gave his views on the current situation with transport in the West Midlands and some of the work which would be taking place in the year ahead, which included work on Hydrogen and Real-time information.  He was supportive of a two-way process with Wolverhampton.  Cllr Barbara McGarrity and Cllr Carol Hyatt were the two representatives from Wolverhampton Council on the Transport Delivery Scrutiny Committee. 

The Vice-Chair stated his support for Scrutiny and additional meetings when required.  As an opposition, Wolverhampton Conservatives did not have any places on any of the official Scrutiny Committees at WMCA.  He was not aware of the issues which the two Wolverhampton Councillors on the WMCA Transport Delivery Scrutiny Committee were raising, he described this as a vacuum of information.  He highlighted the difference between how Scrutiny Chairs were chosen at WMCA compared to Wolverhampton.  At the WMCA it had to be a Chair chosen from the opposition, whereas in Wolverhampton they were currently all Councillors in the administrative group. 

The Chief Operating Officer confirmed that under law there was a requirement that WMCA Scrutiny Chairs were from the Opposition.  Across Councils in the West Midlands, Wolverhampton gave more seats to the Opposition for the Vice-Chair of Scrutiny roles than any other authority, unless there was no overall control.  Most Councils had given the Chair and Vice-Chair roles to the controlling group, unless there was no overall control of the Council.  Wolverhampton Council was therefore more favourable to the Opposition than any other authority in the West Midlands. 

The Chair proposed that the WMCA should come before the Board at least on an annual basis. 

Cllr Bayton confirmed the legal position in regard to the appointment of the Chair of WMCA Scrutiny Committees.  All Scrutiny Committees were cross party.  All meetings were recorded for anyone who wished to see the proceedings.  The Chair of the WMCA Scrutiny Committee was always from a different Group to the Mayor.  When the Scrutiny Committee Members were known, Members could express an interest in the Chair position.  The people that had expressed an interest then went forward to the Mayor and the Constituent Authority Leaders, who made the decision as to who was to be appointed as Chair of the Scrutiny Committee.  

Cllr McNicholas confirmed that the two representatives from Wolverhampton Council on the Transport Scrutiny Committee did raise issues regarding transport matters relating to Wolverhampton. 

Resolved: That the WMCA Scrutiny Annual Report be brought back to Scrutiny Board on an Annual basis.