West Midlands Combined Authority and PCC working together on "trailblazer devolution" plan

West Midlands Combined Authority and the Police and Crime Commissioner have drawn up proposals they will present to Whitehall in September.

Greater Manchester and the West Midlands have been invited by the Department of Levelling Up to apply for new powers and funding to improve the lives of local residents through better technology, transport and law enforcement.

West Midlands PCC policy manager Brendan Warner-Southwell said: "Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities have been invited by the Government to take part in a consultation about Trail Blazing Devolution.

"Since March we have been looking to see which devolved powers would be most beneficial to us. One of the strands of this new devolution plan is crime, community safety and resilience which is what we are looking in detail at.

"The office has engaged in a thorough design process to generate ideas which will then be taken to central government. These ideas are all areas of policy which may benefit from devolved funding or devolved powers."

The West Midlands Combined Authority and the PCC will send devolution outlines and formulas to the government in September and then civil servants will decide which proposals can work.

However, due to changes at the top of Government and the uncertainty over the priorities of the next Prime Minister, there are worries all the levelling up agenda will be scrapped.

PCC Simon Foster complained about "the absolute chaos at the top of the Government" and how it would delay the devolution and levelling timetable, which is meant to be completed by 2030.

PCC chief executive Jonathan Jardine said: "There is an awful lot which can change in Government before September and it will be seen what the priorities will be then."

However, both candidates to be leader of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, have committed to "the levelling up of the North agenda".