Tax revenues will give me the firepower to do what matters most, says mayor Parker

The elected mayor for the West Midlands said he would use his share of the millions paid in income tax and business rates by local people to provide the things that matter most to them.

Richard Parker said the Prime Minister’s pledge to give him a share of the income from these two taxes would give him the financial firepower to drive more of the vital things the region needed, such as better jobs and skills, affordable housing, and better transport, while easing the cost of living for residents.

Reacting to Andy Burnham’s announcement, Mr Parker said the additional powers would accelerate the success already achieved by the West Midlands under its existing devolution deal with government.

He described the new devolution deal, which will formally be announced tomorrow, as the largest package of financial powers ever offered to English mayors.

Mr Parker added that the removal of Whitehall’s ability to block local transport and other infrastructure projects, and the transfer of control over the education of 16-19-year-olds, were also significant new powers.

“We’ve already shown under devolution what we can achieve when we are trusted, smashing government targets on homes, jobs and business support while building new rail stations and Metro routes,” he said.

“But the financial firepower being given to me by the Prime Minister means we will be able to go even further and faster, delivering the things that really matter to local people.

“The Prime Minister trusts us to deliver. He knows how much more we can achieve by putting further powers and funding into the hands of local people, who have skin in the game. Local decisions are better decisions and that means more local lives changed for the better.”

The mayor described the West Midlands as a mature region that was leading the way in harnessing new powers and funding for the benefit of its people, and where devolution had already proved to be working.

He said devolved transport powers were improving everyday journeys, with buses soon to be brought back under public control, new Metro tram extensions in the Black Country and Birmingham, and five new railway stations.

He said funding for pothole repairs had doubled, while the development of ‘tap and cap’ contactless ticketing would make transport by bus and Metro easier.

Mr Parker said devolved regeneration powers were creating opportunities for local people, with £5 billion of investment creating 30,000 jobs in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy and health tech.

Devolved housing funding was helping more residents find quality homes, he said, with a record 7,237 new homes built last year, of which 2,452 were designated ‘affordable’ and 1,086 were in the social housing sector.

He added that he had recently announced a dedicated £75 million fund to train 12,000 people to work in the booming construction industry.

Local support for business funding had strengthened the region’s economy, said Mr Parker, helping more than 10,000 local businesses to grow and create almost 3,000 new jobs between them.

He said that in addition to a share of what the region pays in income tax and business rates, local leaders will gain greater control over the services that shape people's lives, including housing, transport, skills, jobs and public services.

These include putting rail and bus services under greater local control, stronger planning and regeneration powers, speeding up approvals for major transport schemes such as trams, and giving mayors control of 16-19 funding and employment support.