Warwickshire County Council drops proposed merger with West Midlands Combined Authority

Warwickshire County Council has set aside plans for a merger with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) due to worries about time constraints.

The WMCA encompasses seven local authorities, including Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton City Councils. It has devolved powers relating to policy areas such as transportation, infrastructure, and housing. The Combined Authority is led by Chief Executive Laura Shoaf, alongside directly elected two-term Mayor Andy Street.

Councillor Izzy Seccombe – Conservative Leader of Warwickshire County Council – has previously advocated for a merger, citing supposed benefits regarding transportation and housing. However, these plans have been shelved for the time being since such a merger, were it to be attempted right now, would have to be completed on a tight time schedule.

Were plans for a merger to go ahead, Warwickshire County Council would have had to prepare a ‘Governance Review’ discussing both the costs and benefits of a merger to Warwickshire and the broader West Midlands region. The Review would then have to be subject to a public consultation. All of this would have had to occur before the WMCA Mayoral Elections – which are slated to take place in May next year.

It is a relief that these flawed plans are being halted as it was never in the best interests of Warwickshire residents

Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington

Seccombe argued: “It has become ever clearer that it is not possible to undertake that consultation within the necessary timescales whilst upholding Warwickshire’s strongly held principles of integrity and credibility.”

“A major change such as this, is one which should be given the time and consideration it warrants. The residents of Warwickshire, and those of the wider West Midlands, deserve the respect of full consideration to be sure that the evidence supports any decision. With the timeline set out for us, it has become clear that we could not deliver an evidenced case.”

The proposed merger has been deeply controversial, attracting criticism from opposition parties. Matt Western – Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington – and Labour Councillor George Duggins, Leader of Coventry City Council, have both argued that the merger is politically motivated. They allege that it is intended to bolster Street’s re-election prospects. Warwickshire has traditionally favoured the Tories, and as such, a merger would likely shift the WMCA to the right and benefit Street, who is a member of the Conservative Party.

The abandonment of the proposed merger was received positively by Western, who suggested: “It is a relief that these flawed plans are being halted as it was never in the best interests of Warwickshire residents, only the interests of Councillor Seccombe and Mayor Street.”

Councillor Susan Juned – Leader of Liberal Democrat-controlled Stratford-on-Avon District Council, echoed similar sentiments, saying: “Widespread opposition to the ridiculously tight timetable has pressurised the Conservative-run county council into a climbdown for now.”

In a press statement, the WMCA noted: “Whilst the WMCA is not seeking expansion, it is in the gift of local authorities to consider the best partnerships for their area and residents. “