What decisions affecting public services in North Somerset and the wider region would be made at a regional level?

As a result of expansion, North Somerset would have equal decision making and voting power on the WECA Committee as the other constituent authorities. It will work with WECA and the other constituent authorities collaboratively to decide regional priorities and important investment decisions in the Combined Authority’s areas of competence. With the caveat that further devolution may change the responsibilities of Combined Authorities in the future, and that Unitary Authorities remain important strategic and delivery partners in these policy areas, the relevant competencies include:

The government believes that high quality transport infrastructure and services support growth and opportunity, and that bringing decisions about transport closer to people is key to improving the transport networks everyone relies on. Currently, both WECA and North Somerset Council act as Local Transport Authorities. Under an expanded Mayoral Combined Authority, WECA would become the Local Transport Authority for the whole area including North Somerset.

WECA plays a vital role in the functioning of the bus network and the decarbonisation of the transport system to reduce the environmental and health impacts of transport.

North Somerset would also gain access to the Transport for City Regions (TCR) funding stream. WECA was awarded £752m in 2025 for transport infrastructure spending covering the period 2027-32. Through previous pots of funding, WECA has already led on the delivery of two new railway stations in the region (with several more planned in the years ahead) and has worked collaboratively with North Somerset to begin the process of reopening the Portishead line.

Active travel projects (such as walking, wheeling, and cycling) would also be coordinated at regional level, delivering a range of benefits for people and communities. WECA already has an established working relationship with Active Travel England to increase capability and address to skills gaps to ensure a consistent approach to safety and accessibility for all transport users, improving the experience of disabled passengers and those with additional needs.

WECA has devolved adult skills funding and functions from the Department for Education. Primarily, this funding is intended to support adults aged 19 and over to participate in education and training, although WECA does work with younger people as well. It is expected that further devolution in skills policy will happen soon, with funding to support disabled people, people with health conditions, and those with complex barriers to work and find a suitable job and sustain work. WECA is one of the pilot areas for schemes like the Youth Guarantee, which is aimed at supporting harder to reach groups.

These funds allow WECA to tailor the training and support for adults in the area to the types of jobs available locally and to local priorities. Working with partnership with the Unitary Authorities, WECA has produced a Get Britain Working Plan for its area, which is focused on reducing economic inactivity and driving greater coordination between national and local health, work, and skills provision in the area.

The government has committed to delivering 1.5 million new homes this Parliament and sees Mayoral Combined Authorities as integral to meeting that commitment. The Combined Authority is given funding to support regeneration and housing delivery. It has already signed a Strategic Place Partnership with Homes England, which brings together their respective strengths and resources in the interests of delivering the housing and infrastructure that the region needs.

There is a great deal of collaboration between WECA and North Somerset in this area already. For example, WECA is currently developing a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) that already incorporates North Somerset and North Somerset are a member of the Strategic Place Partnership. The Spatial Development Strategy will set the overall direction for infrastructure over the long-term, determining the needs of the region in terms of housing and associated infrastructure. It will work alongside Unitary Authority Local Plans, which designate specific sites for development, to ensure a strategic approach that builds the right homes in the right places, supported by good transport links and public services. Full membership of the Combined Authority for North Somerset would likely strengthen these links and partnerships further, as well as simplify the governance arrangements for many of these projects that currently require bespoke governance to take account of the fact that North Somerset is not currently a full member of the Mayoral Combined Authority.

Mayoral Combined Authorities play a crucial role in attracting investment into their regions, supporting businesses to grow and thrive, and creating vibrant places where people want to live and work. To achieve this, WECA delivers a number of programmes that are specifically designed to support business in the region, whether that is new start-ups, businesses looking to scale up and grow, or those that are already established and contributing significant benefits to the area. WECA hosts a Growth Hub, which is part of a national Business Growth Service but can tailor its support programmes to the needs and priorities of the region.

Currently, businesses and organisations based in North Somerset are not able to access much of this funding, as it is designated specifically for companies within the existing Combined Authority area. Full membership of WECA would allow for participation in these schemes, with North Somerset businesses benefiting fully from the opportunities and support that Growth Hub and other WECA services provide. This support covers a number of sectors that are of strategic importance to the region, including advanced manufacturing, digital and technologies, creative and cultural, and clean energy industries.

The West of England is a key delivery partner in the government’s ambition to make Britain a clean energy superpower. WECA is already leading on a number of projects that support the decarbonisation of the energy supply, the regional transport network, and the region’s homes and businesses. From the delivery of hundreds of new electric buses to the setting up of a dedicated Retrofit advice and business support service, the impact of this agenda is already being felt across the region. As with the other policy areas, full membership of the Combined Authority would allow North Somerset to benefit from participation in many of these schemes, as well as have influence in the overall strategic direction of the region’s environment and nature work.

The government believes that Mayoral Combined Authorities have a key role to play in improving health and wellbeing alongside wider public service reform. It has given them a bespoke duty to take into account the need to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities when exercising their powers and functions. By working with other local leaders, WECA will bring together local partners to work together on reforming, and driving improvements, in public services. This includes a key role for Mayors in NHS Integrated Care Partnerships, for example.

As this role for Mayoral Combined Authorities in this area becomes more developed, full membership of the Combined Authority for North Somerset will ensure the needs of its communities and the voice of its local leaders are formally included in the decision-making processes around health, wellbeing, and public service reform.

Mayoral Combined Authorities have an important role to play in ensuring public safety within their regions. The government believes that this should complement the role that local councils already play in this area. With the proposed abolition of Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs), it is anticipated that mayoral responsibilities in this area will continue to grow. Full membership of the Mayoral Combined Authority would allow greater influence for North Somerset in this important area.

Established Mayoral status

WECA is currently working towards achieving Established Mayoral Strategic Authority status, which is a deeper level of devolution. If it achieved this status, it would receive the additional powers available at this level, for example, an Integrated Settlement, which would provide much greater flexibility in how it invests its funding, tailoring them even more to local needs and priorities. As a full member of the Mayoral Combined Authority, North Somerset would benefit from the enhanced powers and funding flexibility that would come with Established status.

Mayoral elections

North Somerset becoming a full member of WECA would mean the population of North Somerset Council area being eligible to vote for the Mayor of the West of England. Elections are held every four years, with the next election scheduled for May 2029. The Mayor leads the Mayoral Combined Authority and provides political direction and leadership on all the policy areas set out above.

Governance arrangements

There are currently governance arrangements in place that take account of the collaboration that exists between WECA and North Somerset Council. There is a Joint Committee, which includes North Somerset, and the WECA Committee, which excludes North Somerset. Although those two Committee meetings take place concurrently, and representatives from North Somerset are present and able to contribute throughout both meetings, this arrangement leads to complexities in governance, for example, where North Somerset can vote on issues related to Joint Committee matters but not WECA matters. This current arrangement weakens the voice of North Somerset in important decision making that affects the economic prosperity and public services of the region.

The proposal to expand WECA, coupled with the election of a new Mayor in 2025, provides an opportunity to refresh these governance arrangements. It is proposed that, in the event of North Somerset joining the Combined Authority, the Joint Committee would be dissolved and a single WECA Committee established comprising of the Mayor and the Leader or nominated representative of each of the four constituent authorities.

Decisions would then be taken in line with the voting arrangements set out in the WECA Constitution and in line with current legislation. If those arrangements change as a result of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, voting arrangements will be in line with new legislation.

The expanded WECA would be accountable to its residents through its directly elected Mayor and representatives of the constituent authorities. It would have its own Scrutiny and Audit Committees, as WECA already does. These arrangements ensure that the Combined Authority is fully transparent and properly held to account for its decisions. Residents are able to contribute to the Committee process, through the Questions and Statements process, as well as contacting the Mayor and their local council leaders directly.

illustration of group, speaking