West Midlands mayor Richard Parker set for £5,000-a-year pay rise due to 'increased responsibilities'

The Mayor of the West Midlands could get a £5,000 hike in his annual salary due to “increased responsibilities”.

A report by the Independent Remuneration Panel has recommended a series of increases to allowances for members in roles at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) from 2026/27.

This is the first review of allowances since 2023 and will be considered by the WMCA board when it meets next week.

If approved, it will see mayor Richard Parker’s allowance increase from the current £100,035 to £105,035.

The panel has also recommended the deputy mayor’s allowance go up to £27,309.10 from £21,060, and that the new commissioner for communities and public service role be set at £34,661.55.

Other proposed increases could see each the allowance for each chair of the local scrutiny and audit, risk and assurance committees increase from £10,003 to £12,604.20. The report also proposes introducing a payment of £4,201.40 for the vice chairs of both those committees.

The allowance for members of those committees could be slightly reduced from £3,159 to £3,151.05 while the panel has also recommended scrapping the £2,500 for chairs of task and finish groups established within those committees.

No allowance is proposed to be introduced for members of the WMCA board, investment board or Investment Zone board.

The report said the annual cost of the proposed changes is £202,718 and that is within the approved members allowance budget for 2026/27 of £209,345.

Earlier this year, the board approved an overhaul of the WMCA scrutiny function which included the scrapping of the transport delivery overview and scrutiny committee.

This saw the number of councillors on scrutiny reduced, resulting in around £500,000 of savings over a four-year period.

But some councillors questioned whether reducing scrutiny at a time when the authority was getting more powers and financial responsibility was wise.

The report to the WMCA board, which meets on Friday (September 11) said: “Independent remuneration panels provide objective advice on member allowances helping ensure any scheme remains fair, transparent and evidence based.

“The panel considered the increased scale and complexity of the combined authority’s responsibilities, the evolving devolution landscape, comparator information from other combined authorities and constituent authorities, role descriptions, workload information, written submissions and interviews with members and officers.

“The panel applied a consistent percentage-based approach, using the mayor’s allowance as the reference point for other allowances.

“This was intended to create a fair, transparent and coherent structure that is easier to understand, transparent and proportionate.”