West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker has confirmed he will not increase residents’ council tax bills in the near future. Despite a projected £93 million funding shortfall for 2025-26 in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), Parker has stated that he will ‘explore every option’ to cover the deficit. As regional mayor, he has the authority to impose a levy on the seven West Midlands councils to fund some of his work.

Although the WMCA budget defeated Parker’s 2018 proposal to impose a levy, his Conservative predecessor, Andy Street, did not implement a precept during his term either.

Parker emphasised that the situation hasn’t reached that point yet but noted that ‘a precept can only be raised for functions specifically designated as mayoral functions.’

During a meeting of the WMCA Joint Scrutiny and Overview Committee, Parker explained that, since transport is not considered a mayoral function, it would not benefit from a precept. While acknowledging that transport had been underfunded compared to other regions, he noted ongoing discussions with the government to address the issue.

‘Those conversations are live and ongoing, and we will have more details about government support for this region’s transport priorities after 30 October,’ Parker said. He also noted, ‘Given the lead times for implementing a precept, as well as the legal and regulatory limits on its use, I can confidently say there won’t be a precept in 2025-26.’

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