Warwick District Council leader urged to make most of West Midlands Combined Authority membership

Councillor Andrew Day led the council until his party lost power in 2023 with Councillor Ian Davison taking the helm through a Green Party-Labour coalition.

As part of work on the West Midlands Investment Zone, the authority has become a non-constituent member of WMCA having previously only been an observer.

It means the district joins Warwickshire County Council and all of the other districts and boroughs in the county in having limited voting rights – full members have more rights but Warwick had none until the recent change.

At this week’s meeting for all district councillors, Cllr Day congratulated his successor and chief executive Chris Elliott for getting the investment zone deal and membership status over the line.

He added: “The outcomes that have been achieved recently have in no small part been because of the work on building relationships across the West Midlands Combined Authority through attendance at their board meetings, even as an observer, which I was for four years and the chief executive similarly.

“My question to you as leader is are you attending the West Midlands Combined Authority board meetings?”

Cllr Davison didn’t seem to share his political rival’s enthusiasm.

“Frankly, rarely at the moment,” was his reply.

“There are now the ones you mentioned and the investment zone board meetings. I am very keen and pleading with them to give us times, dates and locations in advance so I can attend those (investment zone meetings). I certainly think those are high priority and I need to go to them.

“The board meetings, I’ll certainly have a discussion with you about them, but I must admit the agendas don’t fill me with excitement.”

Cllr Day said: “It is often what happens around a board meeting rather than what is on the agenda. If I may encourage the leader to attend, or find other mechanisms for us to be represented whether it is not you or your deputy.

“The point I make is that the West Midlands Combined Authority is a different creature to us, of course, but it presents huge opportunities for many of the issues that have been addressed tonight. They are going to be a major conduit for regeneration of brownfield sites – Kenilworth School, other sites that will come forward in the new local plan.

“We have real issues around our housing delivery, they can be a major power to benefit that, and they can help us deliver the infrastructure we have missed in the 2017 local plan.

“We are still trying to dual Europa Way and they could help us dual the railway line from Leamington to Coventry which would take 5,000 students off buses coming out of Leamington.

“Your attendance, or more particularly our authority’s representation, is terribly important. Therefore, my question is when will you be able to confirm what arrangements will be put in place?”

Cllr Davison replied: “From the conversations I have had with colleagues that are non-constituent members as well, the big divide is between constituent and non-constituent.

“I hear what you are saying, but I think we have gone a tiny bit towards the centre, not taken a big step.

"You’re right, it is very important to keep open the lines of communication, and of course our chief executive can attend, look in and so on. He always tells me if something is important.”