West of England Combined Authority
| West of England Combined Authority | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
West of England Combined Authority within South West England | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unicameral |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 9 February 2017 |
| Leadership | |
Interim chair |
Matthew Riddle, Conservative |
| Structure | |
 | |
| Elections | |
| Indirect election, directly elected mayor from 2017 | |
Last election | 4 May 2017 |
Next election | 2021 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
|
Engine Shed, Station Approach, Temple Meads, Bristol | |
| Website | |
| https://www.westofengland-ca.org.uk/ | |
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The West of England Combined Authority is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset.[1][2] The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England. The first election for this post took place in May 2017,[3] when the Conservative candidate Tim Bowles was chosen on a turnout of 29.7%.
Background
Devolution of certain powers to the West of England was announced in the 2016 budget.[4] The government's vision was to create a "Western Powerhouse" analogous to the Northern Powerhouse concept. The proposal could bring nearly £1 billion of investment to the region over thirty years.[1][2]
The original proposal was to cover the same area as the County of Avon which came into formal existence on 1 April 1974 and was abolished in 1996.[5] However, in June 2016 North Somerset council rejected the proposal.[6] Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils agreed to progress with the proposal.[3][7]
The West of England Combined Authority Order 2017 came into force on 9 February 2017. The first public meeting of the combined authority took place on 1 March 2017 with an interim chair.[8][9]
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the mayor and combined authority are:[10]
- Responsibility for a consolidated, devolved local transport budget, with a multi-year settlement.
- The ability to franchise bus services, subject to necessary legislation and local consultation, which will support the Combined Authority's delivery of smart and integrated ticketing.
- Responsibility for a new Key Route Network of local authority roads that will be managed and maintained by the Combined Authority on behalf of the Mayor.
- Powers over strategic planning, including to adopt a statutory spatial development strategy which will act as the framework for managing planning across the West of England region.
- Control of a new additional £30 million a year funding allocation over 30 years, to be invested in the West of England Single Investment Fund, to boost growth.
- Responsibility for the 19+ Adult Education budget, which will be devolved from academic year 2018/19.
Cabinet
The membership of the combined authority cabinet is as follows.[11]
| Name | Nominating authority | Position within nominating authority | Assumed office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Bowles | West of England Combined Authority | Mayor of the West of England | 2017 | |
| Cllr Tim Warren | Bath & North East Somerset Council | Leader of the council | ||
| Mayor Marvin Rees | Bristol City Council | Mayor of Bristol | 2016 | |
| Cllr Matthew Riddle † | South Gloucestershire Council | Leader of the council | ||
† Matthew Riddle was chosen to be interim chair of the combined authority until the first elected mayor took office on 8 May 2017, and Marvin Rees was chosen to be vice-chair.[12]
Local government
The combined authority consists of the following unitary authorities:
| Unitary Authority | Population | Area (sq mi) | Population Density (per km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath & North East Somerset | 182,021 | 135.57 | 518 |
| Bristol | 449,300 | 40 | 3,892 |
| South Gloucestershire | 271,556 | 191.87 | 550 |
References
- 1 2 "West of England £1bn devolution deal announced in Budget". BBC News. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- 1 2 Gavin Thompson (16 March 2016). "Metro mayor and £1 billion investment for Greater Bristol announced in Budget 2016". Bristol Post. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- 1 2 "The West of England devolution deal". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ↑ "Budget 2016" (PDF). GOV.UK. HM Treasury. March 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ↑ "The return of Avon: Osborne announces devolution plans". ITV news. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ↑ Crawley, James (8 June 2016). "West of England devolution: North Somerset rejects metro mayor plan". Bath Chronicle.
- ↑ Crawley, James (29 June 2016). "BANES backs £1billion west of England devolution deal and metro mayor but will residents support it?". Bath Chronicale. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ↑ "First meeting set for newly established West of England Combined Authority". Bath Echo. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ↑ UK Parliament. West of England Combined Authority Order as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
- ↑ "West of England Devolution Agreement" (PDF). Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ "'Metro mayor' to run new West of England authority". ITV News. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ↑ "First WECA Committee Meeting". West of England Combined Authority. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.