The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is the

combined authority A combined authority is a type of local government institution introduced in England outside Greater London by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. Combined authorities are created voluntarily and allow a grou ...

for

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

in England. It was established by statutory instrument under the

Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The legislation places a duty on local authorities to promote understanding of the functions and democratic arrangements of th ...

on 1 April 2014. It is a strategic authority with powers over transport, economic development and regeneration. The metro-mayor of the authority is Tracy Brabin.

History

The abolition of

West Yorkshire County Council West Yorkshire County Council (WYCC) – also known as West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council (WYMCC) – was the top-tier local government administrative body for West Yorkshire from 1974 to 1986. A strategic authority, with responsibilitie ...

in 1986 left the county without a single authority covering the whole area, although some council functions including

archive An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual ...

services and

Trading Standards Trading Standards are the local authority departments with the United Kingdom, formerly known as ''Weights and Measures'', that enforce consumer protection legislation. Sometimes, the Trading Standards enforcement functions of a local authority a ...

continued to be provided jointly, through

West Yorkshire Joint Services West Yorkshire Joint Services (WYJS) provides a range of public services to the five districts of West Yorkshire, England (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield). It is jointly funded by the five district councils, pro rata to their ...

, and the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and

West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England and Wales by number of officers. History West Yor ...

continued to operate across the county. Since April 2007 the Leeds City Region Partnership has evolved to coordinate activities across the

Leeds City Region The Leeds City Region is a local enterprise partnership city region located in West Yorkshire, England. Prior to the West Yorkshire devolution deal, the partnership covered parts of South and North Yorkshire. According to the Office for Nat ...

, which includes

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough ha ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. ...

, the City of York and three districts of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...

, as well as the whole of West Yorkshire. Strategic local governance decisions have been made by the joint committee of the Leeds City Region Leaders Board. A multi-area agreement was established in 2008 and since 2011 economic development has been supported by the Leeds City Region LEP, which forms a business-led

local enterprise partnership In England, local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) are voluntary partnerships between Local government in England, local authorities and businesses, set up in 2011 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to help determine local econom ...

. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority was proposed in 2012 as part of a "city deal". The combined authority covered only West Yorkshire, and not the other areas of the Leeds City Region. In order to create a combined authority the local authorities had to undertake a governance review and produce a scheme of their proposals. A consultation ran from November 2013 to January 2014 and the responses were published in February 2014. The combined authority was established on 1 April 2014, following statutory approval on 31 March 2014. In June 2017 plans for the combined authority to re-brand as the Leeds City Region Combined Authority were shelved, as Bradford councillor Simon Cooke said it would "piss a few people off". Peter Box, then leader of Wakefield Council, agreed with Simon Cooke's opinion. The combined authority originally did not have a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The constituent members of the WYCA supported a mayor covering all of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, but the UK government refused this idea. The Mayor of West Yorkshire position was agreed in March 2020, the role's first election took place in May 2021.

Membership

Five members are leaders of the constituent authorities, with three additional district councillor members and two non-constituent partner members.

Structure

The Combined Authority operates through three committees: the West Yorkshire and York Investment Committee, Transport Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The Transport Committee replaced the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority. A Governance and Audit Committee also advises the authority in relation to financial management and governance. Public transport policy is delivered through the Metro brand, which was previously the public facing identity of the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.

Other roles

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority took over the responsibility of payment for the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers in 2015.

References

{{Combined authorities Combined authorities

Combined authority A combined authority is a type of local government institution introduced in England outside Greater London by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. Combined authorities are created voluntarily and allow a grou ...

Economy of West Yorkshire