FAQs

The Combined Authority was formed in April 2014 to be the driving force for economic growth across Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield. 

On 2 May 2024, Tracy Brabin was re-elected as Mayor of West Yorkshire after a first term which began in 2021. As the Chair of the Combined Authority, the Mayor works with partners across the region and beyond to lead regeneration and economic development and co-ordinate long-term programmes that will transform West Yorkshire. The Combined Authority also manages the transport network throughout West Yorkshire under the Metro identity. To find out more visit: www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk(External link).

A Mayoral Combined Authority is led by an elected Metro Mayor. They work in conjunction with leaders from each constituent council across their region. Together they collectively make decisions about policy and spending in areas including economic support, housing, transport, education and skills at regional level. 

The Mayor of West Yorkshire is Tracy Brabin. First elected as Mayor in 2021, she was re-elected for a second term on 2 May 2024.

Representing the interests of 2.4 million people across the region, the Mayor has responsibility for transport, housing and planning, and finance powers, as well as the functions of the Police and Crime Commissioner, supported by an appointed Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE. 

As the Chair of the Combined Authority, the Mayor works with partners across the region and beyond to deliver regeneration and economic development, and co-ordinate the long-term programmes that will transform West Yorkshire.

The Mayor also brings the region greater influence within Government at national level, including on economic recovery, the power to shape Government policy and access further funding.

The Mayor of West Yorkshire has made pledges to the people of West Yorkshire to deliver a brighter region that works for all. These are:

• To deliver a Serious Violence Strategy to tackle the serious violence on our streets, with a Child-First lens
• To begin a programme to insulate every social home in West Yorkshire
• To build 5,000 new affordable homes by 2028
• To ensure access to culture and grassroots sport for every child
• To develop West Yorkshire as a ‘region of learning’ with a new skills and training system
• To bring every bus in the region under public control by 2028 
• To get spades in the ground on a mass transit system by 2028.

On 2 May 2024, Tracy Brabin was re-elected as Mayor of West Yorkshire serving a four year term. 

The Mayor has a demanding and wide-ranging role representing a population of 2.4 million residents of West Yorkshire. The Mayor supports the objectives of the Combined Authority to deliver regeneration and economic development, and co-ordination of long-term transformational programmes, and budget responsibility.

The Mayor is responsible for specific functions of the Combined Authority that are ‘Mayoral Functions’ and functions of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Mayoral Functions are: transport-related functions, housing and planning functions, and finance powers.

The Mayor of West Yorkshire works with the Mayoral Combined Authority, council leaders, business representatives and partners to prioritise issues that matter to people in the region. Any matter that comes before the Combined Authority will be decided by a simple majority of the members present in voting. The Mayor and the Mayoral Combined Authority are held to account by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

The election of the Mayor has changed the way police and crime matters are overseen in West Yorkshire, with the Mayor taking on the functions of the Police and Crime Commissioner. The Mayor may also appoint a Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to support with this work.  

Local authority leaders and councillors from Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield are still responsible for the delivery of day-to-day public services within their constituency while the Mayor works alongside local authority leaders and councillors to create strategies and policies that benefit the people of West Yorkshire at a regional level. No functions or funding have been taken away from local authorities or their leaders.

Existing local authority mayors work with the Mayor of West Yorkshire in the same way that local councillors do. Local authority leaders and councillors are still responsible for the delivery of day-to-day public services within their constituency while the Mayor works alongside local authority leaders to prioritise issues that matter to people at a regional level.

Engagement is the process of reaching out to people (such as residents, colleagues, partners) and organisations to share information, ask for feedback, share thoughts, and ideas, etc. 

Some of the different ways we engage at the Combine Authority are:

• We share information on our website or on Your Voice, social media channels, through sending newsletters, leaflets. 
• The Mayor, Tracy Brabin and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, are often interviewed by local radio station or national TV channels.
• We organise or participate at events to promote our work and region and build relationships with local businesses and organisations.
• We have a dedicated team who responds to all customer service enquiries and complaints.
• We visit and speak regularly with communities and businesses.
• We deliver public consultations.

This is a question that we often receive and it’s important to clarify. 

When talking about engagement, we mean an ongoing dialogue and process of learning, sharing ideas and information. Engagement gives us the opportunity to raise awareness and knowledge, learn what people think and why and it helps develop and maintain relationships. We use a variety of ways to engage, such as roundtable conversations, meetings, surveys, etc, and we are always looking for new ideas.  

The thoughts and opinions we hear during an engagement activity lead to informing the way we think about or deliver a service, help us plan for a public consultation to ensure it is accessible, and help us have a better understanding of the needs of those we serve. 

Public consultations are more rigorous as they have to follow legally enforceable rules, are time limited, and are usually used to gather feedback and to inform decisions. You can read more about the law of consultation here: The Gunning Principles.pdf