❌ FULL EXPOSÉ: The Political Paradox – Why Scrap the PCC But Empower WECA?
The Government is eliminating the Police and Crime Commissioner for savings, yet hands its powers to the West of England Combined Authority, a body critics already see as expensive, and ineffective.
1. The Flawed Logic: Trading One Tier for Another.
The UK Government’s announcement to abolish all 41 elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) by 2028 is officially about saving at least £100 million and ending a “failed experiment.”
However, the reality for regions like the West of England is a profound consolidation of power. Instead of eliminating bureaucracy, the government is simply shifting the PCC’s duties—setting police budgets, appointing the Chief Constable—directly to Regional Mayors and bodies like the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).
This decision immediately highlights a significant political paradox: the government is removing a single-focus, directly-elected accountability role (the PCC) for being non-essential, yet it is simultaneously empowering another layer of governance (the Regional Mayor), which many local critics already regard as a costly and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
2. The WECA Question: Why Does This Layer Survive?
The natural public question arising from the PCC abolition is clear: If efficiency and cost-saving are the goals, why is the highly criticised WECA structure being preserved and given more power?
The official explanation is that WECA is the necessary legal entity to secure devolution funding (like the guaranteed £900 million over 30 years) and manage issues that cross council boundaries, such as strategic transport and skills planning. A simple monthly meeting of local council leaders, the argument goes, lacks the legal authority and dedicated budget required for these long-term projects.
But this rationale fails to address the persistent, documented failures within WECA itself:
Documented Fault of WECA. Impact on Regional Governance. Lack of Clear Strategic Direction. External reviews, such as the 2023 Solace peer review, have reported persistent confusion and a “lack of clear strategic sense” about the organisation’s fundamental purpose, wasting resources on unclear objectives. Political Infighting and Delay. The body is plagued by high-profile political spats between the Regional Mayor and the constituent council leaders, frequently leading to delayed decision-making and inefficient use of meeting time. Operational Failures: Transport. Flagship projects have been heavily criticised. The WESTlink demand-responsive transport scheme, in particular, was widely deemed “poorly planned” and failed to meet key targets or adequately serve communities. Bureaucracy and Cost. Despite its coordination mandate, WECA maintains high administrative overhead. Recent reports show the body spent nearly £9 million on staff salaries in a single year, fueling the belief that it is an expensive layer of management layered over existing council departments. Flawed Economic Focus. Early growth strategies were criticised for being “star-struck” by high-tech sectors, neglecting the lower-paid, essential service sectors (care, construction, retail) where inclusive growth is most desperately needed.
3. The Dilution of Accountability.
The problem of giving the PCC’s mandate to the Regional Mayor is one of focus. The PCC was a single, directly-elected executive whose sole job was police scrutiny.
By integrating this into the Mayor’s already crowded portfolio—which encompasses buses, housing targets, skills, and economic development—the accountability for policing becomes severely diluted. When a political crisis hits—whether it’s a transport strike or a housing failure—policing strategy risks becoming a secondary concern.
While the existing system remains in place until 2028, and Avon and Somerset PCC Clare Moody has confirmed all current work will continue, the long-term outlook is a governance structure that has eliminated a transparent point of failure (the PCC) only to empower a politically contentious and often ineffective layer (WECA).
The public deserves clear, efficient governance. By eliminating one tier while consolidating power in another that has demonstrably struggled with core management and strategy, the government has arguably failed to achieve either goal.