Government places Weca into ‘special measures’
The Government has effectively put the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) into a form of special measures due to political infighting.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced on Tuesday it had issued a “Best Value Notice” to the authority setting out concerns about its performance.
It singled out ministers’ concerns about the poor relationships between Metro Mayor Dan Norris and other local authorities.
It even warned that these could “potentially limit the authority’s ability to optimise strategic opportunities”.
Some commentators in the business community have long suggested the lack of unified voice between Weca and local authorities in the region has damaged the West’s ability to gain major investment from the Government.
Many were keeping a keen eye on whether Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Budget yesterday delivered capital investment for the West.
The Best Value Notice was contained in a letter from DLUHC to Richard Ennis, interim chief executive of Weca.
It said: “Ministers are concerned as to the West of England Combined Authority’s capacity to comply with its best value duty.”
It ordered Weca to create an independent improvement panel, review its constitution, reset the relationships between the Metro Mayor and other local political leaders and to agree strategic priorities for the West.
It added that the notice followed inconsistent action after previous reports in November 2022 and February 2023 into political rifts at the top of Weca.
The special measures status will be reviewed in 12 months.
The letter, written by DLUHC deputy director Max Soule on behalf of Levelling-up secretary Michael Gove, said its concerns included: “The poor state of professional relationships between the West of England Combined Authority mayor and the representatives of the constituent members of the authority which is impacting partnership working and potentially limiting the authority’s ability to optimise strategic opportunities.
“The authority lacks a clear, shared narrative regarding the West of England and how it will operate for the benefit of the wider region.”
Weca, which covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset, was set up in 2017, but is not believed to have the same influence in Westminster as its counterparts in areas such as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
Cllr Kevin Guy, Liberal Democrat leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “We have been asking for change in the way that Weca works for years. We recognise how hard the Weca officers have worked to improve practices, but change has to come from the top.
“This effectively gives the metro mayor a year to turn this situation around, which he has so far failed to do.
“This Best Value Notice represents a serious step, but we believe it is a helpful one. It will lead to a board being appointed to ensure that agreed
It is hugely disappointing that the Weca mayor has not delivered for my constituents and residents across the West.
Bath MP Wera Hobhouse, inset
improvements are put in place.”
Mr Ennis, meanwhile, said: “The West of England Combined Authority has made significant progress through our transformation programme during the last 12 months.
“There is still more work for us to do, and I look forward to working with our regional partners and the Independent Improvement Board to address the challenges specifically highlighted in the Best Value Notice.”
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said: “It is hugely disappointing that the Weca mayor has not delivered for my constituents and residents across the West.
“All partners have tried to have a productive working relationship with the mayor, but he has let us down.”
Responding to the notice, Mr Norris said: “These are familiar issues. As political leaders, we all want the best for the West of England. It’s a fantastic place to live, work, and study.
“I will be redoubling my efforts to continue to deliver on our important priorities during this frightening costof-living crisis.”