of certain powers to the West of England was announced in the 2016 budget. The government's vision was to create a "Western Powerhouse" analogous to the Northern Powerhouse concept. The proposal could bring nearly £1 billion of investment to the region over thirty years. The original proposal was to cover the same area as the County of Avon which came into formal existence on 1 April 1974 and was abolished in 1996. However, in June 2016 North Somerset council rejected the proposal. Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils agreed to progress with the proposal. The West of England Combined Authority Order 2017 came into force on 9 February 2017. The first public meeting of the combined authority took place on 1 March 2017 with an interim chair. The region covered by the authority had a population in 2015 estimated at 1,119,000.
Responsibilities
The authority's functions, as specified by the West of England Combined Authority Order, mostly cover planning, skills and local transport. In April 2017 the authority published a 207-page constitution which includes terms of reference for the body and its committees.
Planning, economy and skills
Responsibilities include:
Strategic planning, including a Joint Spatial Plan which will act as the framework for managing planning across the West of England region.
Control of a new additional £30 million a year funding allocation over 30 years, to be invested in the West of England Single Investment Fund, to boost growth.
The mayor and combined authority are responsible for a consolidated, devolved local transport budget, with a multi-year settlement. They will also be able to franchise bus services, subject to necessary legislation and local consultation, which will support the combined authority's delivery of smart and integrated ticketing. The authority is promoting the West of England Joint Local Transport Plan, which includes the MetroBus network and the MetroWest rail project. Travelwest is a transport information and advice service promoted by the WECA authorities as well as North Somerset. A new Key Route Network of local authority roads will be managed and maintained by the combined authority on behalf of the Mayor.
Budget
In 2018–19 the authority's income was £26.3m, of which £13m was from levies on the local authorities for WECA's transport functions and £7m came in grants. Expenditure was £25.3m, of which £12.8m was spent on concessionary fares and £1.7m on community transport; £2.6m was transferred to reserves and £2.9m was contributed to the Mayoral Fund. From this fund, which also received £17.6m from business rates, the mayor spent £12m on highways and £7m on transport, as well as £0.7m on the Joint Spatial Plan.
Personnel
The membership of the combined authority cabinet is as follows. Former South Gloucestershire Council leader Cllr Matthew Riddle was chosen to be interim chair of the combined authority until the first elected mayor took office on 8 May 2017, and Marvin Rees was chosen to be vice-chair. the authority employed 84, including the staff of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and the 'Invest in Bristol and Bath' team.
