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

2. 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

3. 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
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4. Scale of ambition Three LEP geography: 4 million people £80bn GVA
20 local authorities
90% self-containment

5. The economic context

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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?

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.