A think tank has urged the Government to commit to doubling the mayoral capacity fund to help strengthen capacity and accountability in combined authorities.
A new report from the Institute for Government called for each mayoral combined authority (MCA) to get at least £2m to support in-house capacity.
It also recommended the Government bring forward plans to establish Devolved Public Accounts Committees for all MCAs.
Combined authorities should also conduct strategic reviews of staffing and explore ways to share staff between the local authority and combined authority, the report said.
‘Changes to voting requirements for key strategic decisions in MCAs to remove the veto power of individual constituent councils will enable faster progress on key regional policies and projects,’ said report author Rebecca McKee.
‘But faster decision-making doesn’t automatically mean better decision-making. A broader package of support for capacity and accountability needs to be implemented simultaneously to ensure effective decision-making and better policy outcomes.’
