The West of England Combined Authority Committee and West of England Joint Committee met on Friday, 27 March 2026, to discuss a range of financial forecasts, investment fund updates, and strategic plans. Key topics included the Mayoral Combined Authority and Mayoral Budget Forecast for 2025/26, updates on the Investment Fund Programme and Grant Assurance, and the Spatial Development Strategy.

Mayoral Combined Authority and Mayoral Budget Forecast 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to review the revenue and capital forecast for the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) for the financial year 2025/26, based on data from April 2025 to January 2026. This report aimed to provide an overview of delivery progress against agreed budgets, detailing projected spending across priority areas such as economic development, transport, adult skills, environment, employment support, and housing. The forecast indicated a projected revenue spend of £172.1m and a capital spend of £210.0m across the region. The report also noted that forecasted surpluses were expected to be transferred to reserves, primarily driven by stronger-than-expected treasury management performance, which would bolster the Authority's financial resilience.

Investment Fund Programme and Grant Assurance

This item was scheduled to provide an update on the overall Investment Fund (IF) programme and its available headroom. The report indicated proposed funding changes that would increase the programme's headroom to £7.8 million through to March 2028. Specific funding applications and awards were scheduled for consideration, including for the Nature Recovery Workplan, Climate Resilience Workplan, Clean Energy Workplan, West of England Housing Policy Development, Regeneration Capacity, and a Clean Energy Solution for Live Events and TV/Film Pilot. The committee was also to note the return of £10 million capital from the Green Growth West Fund to the Investment Fund headroom. Additionally, the report detailed the acceptance of various grants from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for projects such as the Brabazon & West Innovation Arc new town and the Creative Places Growth Fund. Delegations were also sought for the administration and award of Adult Skills funding and DfE-funded programmes.

Delivery Assurance

This report was intended to address changes to schemes within the Investment Fund programme against the agreed delivery assurance principles. It was scheduled to outline change requests made by schemes within the Investment Fund programme, which are being delivered by the combined authority and each unitary authority. A total of 20 projects had submitted change requests that fell outside of agreed thresholds for delegated decisions and were recommended for committee approval. These changes primarily related to rescheduling of project milestones or reprofiling of funding between financial years.

Social Value in Procurement and Contracts

This paper was scheduled to formalise the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority's (MCA) approach to Social Value in Procurements and Contracts. The report aimed to provide a consistent approach to how the MCA drives and maximises social value, aligning with the Growth Plan Strategy. Key principles included applying social value requirements to all above-threshold procurements with a minimum 10% weighting in tender evaluation, embedding social value from the earliest stages of the commercial lifecycle, and encouraging collaboration across directorates. The framework also highlighted social value priorities related to family and homes, economy and growth, and nature and climate.

Forward Plan of Regional Strategic Work

This item was to present a forward plan of regional strategic work, outlining upcoming strategy launches, development activity, and new programmes expected to commence in the near future. The plan was intended to provide committee members with early visibility of ongoing and upcoming strategic work, allowing for timely steer and strengthening collective oversight. Key areas scheduled for discussion included the Investment Prospectus, the Spatial Development Strategy, Investment Plans, a new Skills Strategy, and Sector Plans. New workstreams were also to be introduced, including the development of a Regional Transport Strategy, a Bus Plan, and further work on Mass Transit.

Transport

This report was scheduled to provide an update to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) Committee and seek approval for appropriate delegated authority to ensure timely decision-making. Key items included seeking approval for delegated authority to tender, award, and manage the next Integrated Micromobility Service contract, noting the submission of the detailed draft Local Transport Delivery Plan, and noting the outcome of the CRSTS re-baseline exercise. Delegated authority was also requested for the approval of all remaining CRSTS change requests and business cases. The report also provided an update on the Transport for City Regions (TCR) funding allocation and the re-baselining of the approved TCR funding, with over £140 million allocated to complete the CRSTS programme.

Joint Committee Budget Forecast 2025/26

This report represented the revenue and capital forecast for the West of England Joint Committee budgets for the financial year 2025/26, based on data from April 2025 to January 2026. It included change request approvals for schemes within the Economic Development Fund (EDF) and Revolving Infrastructure Fund (RIF) programmes. The report detailed projected revenue and capital expenditure, noting an underspend in the Environment theme primarily due to the phasing of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund 3. Reallocations of Bristol City Council's EDF were also proposed to support CRSTS match funding.

Spatial Development Strategy

Following the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in December 2025, this paper sought to further define the scope of the Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). The committee was asked to approve a proposed 30-year time period for the SDS, note the draft vision and Matters of Strategic Importance (MOSIs) to be covered. It was also noted that the MCA and North Somerset Council would work with MHCLG to establish a Strategic Planning Board as the formal decision-making body for the SDS. The acceptance of a grant of £1,553,846 from MHCLG to support the development of the SDS was also to be noted, with delegation requested for the finalisation of delivery details. The proposed Matters of Strategic Importance included decent homes for all, helping businesses succeed and creating jobs, connecting the region through transport, living within natural capacity, and access to public services and facilities.