Express & Star

West Midlands Combined Authority 'shadow board' meets for first time

Council bosses from across the Black Country have met for the first time as a 'shadow board' to set up the West Midlands Combined Authority.

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Sandwell Council leader and Labour councillor Darren Cooper has been chosen as vice chairman of the group, which will meet to discuss proposals for the combined authority.

The authority brings together Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall, Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull councils on issues including regeneration, transport and skills.

The aim is for the authority to receive control over budgets and new powers devolved from Whitehall, but it may be required to have a directly elected 'metro mayor' for the West Midlands.

Other councils across the West Midlands will also be able to sign up.

Conservative Solihull Council leader Bob Sleigh will lead the board.

Councillor Coopper said he supported the idea to bring councils closer together on areas on shared interest.

But he has had to repeatedly respond to concerns that individual responsibilities and identities of different councils would be lost by the change and that the authority is just 'Greater Birmingham' by another name.

Councillor Cooper stressed the proposal was 'not about Birmingham swallowing up all of the smaller councils', and that leaders would be 'daft' not to take the opportunity.

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