West Midlands Combined Authority: Seizing the Opportunity Jan Britton Chief Executive, Sandwell Council 8 December 2016

West Midlands Combined Authority New era for the West Midlands Exciting opportunities to be seized Government recognises the pivotal role the region plays in the country’s economy Whole region committed to success of the CA

Background Provides gateway for devolved power and resources to regions Proposed Devolution Deal signed November 2015 Annual contribution from government of £40m for 30 years to unlock an overall investment package of £8bn Gov’t clear that Devolution Deal = Mayor Formal establishment of CA on 17 June 2016 [IL1: PROTECT]

Scale of ambition Three LEP geography: 4 million people £80bn GVA 20 local authorities 90% self-containment

The economic context

Economy Plus More than the sum of our parts… Facilitates the Midlands Engine Accelerate combined benefits - close £16bn productivity gap Drive public services reform - close £3.4bn public spending gap

Skills and employment Proposal across the 3 LEP geography Underpinned by an Employment and Skills Strategy CA to chair a CA-wide Area Based Review Devolved 19+ adult skills funding from 2018/19 Co-design employment support for hardest-to-help claimants

Supporting business & innovation Integrated national and local support structure for businesses wanting to invest Joint planning and promotion of regeneration sites Ring-fenced trade services resources based on agreed export plan Design joint approach to enterprise start-ups Expert advice offered to develop Innovation Audit Expression of interest

Transport Devolved multi-year transport settlement Responsibility for franchised bus services – to support smart ticketing Responsibility for a new Key Route Network Commitment to look at reducing congestion on the strategic road network MoU with Highways England and Network Rail Implement Low Emission Zones

More and better homes Accelerating the delivery of current housing plans to increase the level of house building to support increased level of growth Support for the West Midlands Land Commission £200m Land Remediation Fund Commitment to consider a Housing Investment Fund

HS2 growth strategy Maximising the benefits of the largest infrastructure project in Europe Support for the HS2 Growth Strategy - £4.4bn of £8bn CA programme Agreement to the city centre EZ extension £97m for Eastside Metro Extension to Digbeth Commitment to consider business cases for Metro Extensions to Brierley Hill and Interchange

Public sector reform Devolution gives us the chance to change public services for the better and pool our resources and technology to help local people Government commitment to: Engage with outcomes of the Mental Health Commission Co-design new approach for troubled individuals Consider further devolution of youth justice services Support public sector relocations

What’s been happening so far… Process of creating WMCA Negotiation of Devolution Deal 1 Undertaking baseline analysis – economic, infrastructure Drafting of Strategic Economic Plan and economic modelling/prioritisation tool Establishing three Commissions – Land, Productivity and Mental Health Designing financial mechanisms Establishing governance and assurance framework

Land Commission Independent Commission Examining the land supply issues surrounding the anticipated growth of the Combined Authority area What are the impediments to residential and commercial development? What new tools do we need to deliver the growth targets?

Emerging Recommendations Delivery rate of new homes needs to increase significantly to achieve the level of homes required Scale and speed of delivery required represents significant challenge Development of large scale sites requires years of preparation and promotion

Emerging Recommendations Need for a single spatial framework, providing focus, agreed priorities and pipeline of projects Scale of change requires greater range of new collaborative delivery approaches– alliances, partnerships and JVs Centre of technical expertise to bolster collective delivery capacity and capability Proactively creating the right conditions for development and investment, building delivery momentum

In conclusion… The Combined Authority and devolution agreement represent a major opportunity to improve the economic wellbeing of the region Collectively, we need to ensure we maximise this benefit A partnership approach across the sectors will be critical to deliver these aspirations.