The Mayor of the West Midlands is set to receive a £5,000 increase in his annual salary, reflecting the growing demands of his position. This recommendation comes from a report by the Independent Remuneration Panel, which has proposed a series of adjustments to allowances for members serving in various roles within the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) starting from the 2026/27 financial year.
This marks the first review of member allowances since 2023 and will be discussed at the upcoming WMCA Board meeting next week. If approved, Mayor Richard Parker’s salary would rise from £100,035 to £105,035.
The panel also recommends increasing the Deputy Mayor’s allowance from £21,060 to £27,309.10 and setting the new Commissioner for Communities and Public Service role’s allowance at £34,661.55.
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Chairs of the Local Scrutiny and Audit, Risk and Assurance Committees could see their allowances increase from £10,003 to £12,604.20, with a new payment of £4,201.40 proposed for the vice chairs of these committees. Meanwhile, allowances for committee members might slightly decrease from £3,159 to £3,151.05. Additionally, the panel suggests eliminating the £2,500 allowance previously given to chairs of task and finish groups within these committees.
No new allowances are planned for members of the WMCA Board, Investment Board, or Investment Zone Board.
The report estimates that the total annual cost of these proposed changes would be £202,718, which remains within the approved members’ allowance budget of £209,345 for 2026/27.
Earlier this year, the WMCA Board approved a substantial overhaul of its scrutiny function, including the abolition of the Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee. This restructuring reduced the number of councillors involved in scrutiny, generating savings of approximately £500,000 over four years.
However, some councillors expressed concerns that diminishing scrutiny at a time when the authority is gaining more powers and financial responsibilities could be detrimental.
The report to the WMCA Board meeting on Friday, 11 September, explains: “Independent remuneration panels provide objective advice on member allowances, helping ensure any scheme remains fair, transparent and evidence-based.”
It continues, “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.”