The Local Scrutiny Committee of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) met on Monday 13 July 2026. The meeting saw the appointment of Councillor Edward Fitter as Chair. For the Vice-Chair position, there was a tie between Councillor Jamie Campbell and Councillor Jackie Gardiner, with the decision made by drawing lots. A key discussion focused on the implications of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 for combined authority scrutiny, and the committee reviewed the Integrated Settlement Annual Report for the 2025/26 financial year.

English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 - Implications for Combined Authority Scrutiny

The committee discussed the significant changes brought about by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, which aims to strengthen democratic accountability and the scrutiny of combined authorities. Dan Essex, Governance and Scrutiny Manager, presented the report, highlighting that many of the Act's provisions will come into force in April 2027, with detailed regulations expected in December 2026.

Key legislative provisions include:

• Enhanced statutory scrutiny functions: The Act mandates that combined authorities establish one or more scrutiny committees with powers to investigate local matters, review decisions of the WMCA and the Mayor, and make reports and recommendations. There will be a greater emphasis on outcome-based scrutiny and evaluating delivery and performance.
• Duty on the Mayor and WMCA Board to respond: If scrutiny recommendations are rejected, the Mayor or WMCA Board must provide written reasons, strengthening accountability.
• Statutory focus on value for money: Scrutiny committees will have an explicit duty to assess value for money in all decisions and activities involving expenditure.
• Strengthened information and attendance powers: The committee will be able to require 'key persons', including the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Mayoral Commissioners, WMCA officers, and potentially others specified in future regulations (such as the Chair of a Mayoral Development Corporation), to attend meetings and provide information. Failure to comply could result in sanctions.
• Independent expertise: Future regulations are expected to allow for the involvement of independent experts, appointed by the committee, to provide advice on policy, strategy, and delivery. These experts will be paid by the WMCA.
• New public petition mechanism: A mechanism will be established for local electors to petition the WMCA. If a petition reaches a threshold of 0.1% of local electors (approximately 2,000 signatories), the committee must decide within 30 days whether to undertake activity in relation to it.
• Enhanced review of decisions prior to implementation: Scrutiny committees will have strengthened abilities to review decisions before they are implemented, with the power to recommend that a decision be paused or reconsidered.

Councillor Jackie Gardiner raised concerns about the reduction in committee membership from 34 to 14 and questioned the possibility of a second board to manage the workload. Dan Essex explained that while the government's view is that a single committee is best for strategic oversight, the WMCA board has the power to establish multiple committees if deemed more effective.

Councillor Rupinder Singh inquired about the possibility of implementing the petition mechanism and other aspects of the Act early, to which Dan Essex confirmed there was no reason to wait and that early implementation could provide valuable feedback to the government. Discussions also covered benchmarking for effective scrutiny and the process for appointing independent experts, with an emphasis on the committee having the final say on appointments.

Integrated Settlement Annual Report

Daniel Stone, Strategic Lead for the Delivery of the Integrated Settlement, presented the annual report for the 2025/26 financial year. The Integrated Settlement consolidates various government funding streams into a more flexible allocation, aiming to align spending with regional priorities and provide multi-year certainty. The first settlement covered 21 funding lines totalling £392m.

Key findings from the report include:

• Financial Performance: £364.7m (93%) of the £392.4m allocated funding was spent or accrued by the end of March 2026. Only £1.6m remained uncommitted, largely due to the late receipt of funding for the Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels programme.
• Outcomes Performance: Of the ten outcomes in the Integrated Settlement Outcomes Framework, seven were rated 'green' (delivered), three were rated 'amber' (outcome not fully delivered but progress made), and none were rated 'red' (delivery fallen far short).
  • Green outcomes included boosting local economic prosperity, delivering infrastructure for place-based growth, healthier and greener transport, increased housing supply, reducing the number of residents with no qualifications, and reducing carbon emissions from domestic and public sector buildings.
  • Amber outcomes were improved public transport, especially bus services (where bus punctuality fell due to infrastructure projects like HS2), increasing the number of residents qualified to Level 3 or above (due to a shift towards longer, more expensive programmes), and supporting disabled residents and those with long-term health conditions into sustained work (as the 'Connect to Work' programme is new and still maturing).
• Readiness Check: Seven out of 20 recommendations from an external readiness check conducted by Deloitte had been completed, with others dependent on ongoing transformation programmes. The Programme Board expressed satisfaction with the progress.

Councillors raised several questions regarding the report, including the definition of 'delivered' for qualifications (enrolment versus completion), the rationale for focusing on Level 3 qualifications, and the monitoring of 'Connect to Work' and other amber-rated programmes. Daniel Stone clarified that for new programmes, initial targets often focus on enrolments, with completion and impact measured over subsequent years. He also noted that national evidence supports the importance of Level 3 skills for higher-level jobs.

Concerns were also raised about the threshold for public petitions (2,000 signatures being potentially too high for specific local issues), the effectiveness of bus service improvements and enforcement, and the need for more detailed data to evaluate performance. The committee also discussed the underspend on electric vehicle pavement crossings, attributing it to the late receipt of additional funding.

Work Programme

Lyndsey Roberts, Statutory Scrutiny Officer, presented the draft work programme for the committee and the WMCA Board's forward plan. The work programme is a rolling document, and members will have an opportunity to shape it further at a dedicated planning session. The forward plan aims to provide members with a clearer overview of all key decisions being made by the WMCA across its various committees.

The committee noted the reports and the discussions held. The meeting concluded with the exclusion of the public and press for private business.