WYCA responds to spending and management scrutiny
A West Yorkshire public body has defended its position after coming under scrutiny for its spending and management.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which is responsible for attracting inward investment, economic development and transport schemes among responsibilities, came under investigation from The Yorkshire Post over the weekend, which said that there were concerns over the level of spending on highly paid jobs “which contributed to a recent abrupt recruitment freeze when senior officials realised they were grappling with a pending £4m budget shortfall.”
It said there were also questions about WYCA’s spending on networking, including MIPIM, as well as executive coaching and financial commitment to a conference which was then cancelled.
In response, WYCA issued a full statement over the weekend, which said it was an open and transparent organisation which holds meetings in public, for which associated documents were published online.
WYCA said: “There is no “pending £4m shortfall” in the Combined Authority’s budget.
“Our processes had identified and addressed a potential budget issue. The Combined Authority will set its budget for 2017/18 in February. The draft budget was published at the Combined Authority meeting, held in public, last Thursday.
The organisation added that there was not a recruitment freeze, stating: “WYCA is recruiting and replacing staff according to its normal processes. Our staff are delivering, including the opening of three rail stations in the last 16 months, the Wakefield Eastern Relief Road, the Bradford-to-Leeds Cycle Superhighway and extensive investment in further education college facilities. Delivery of the £1 billion growth deal continues with pace.”
Of its inward investment remit, WYCA said: “Attracting businesses to this region is a critical part of our work to grow this region’s economy faster. This cannot be done from behind a desk in West Yorkshire. This requires attendance at carefully selected events overseas and our spending in this area is modest compared to many other regions.
“Our attendance at MIPIM is wholeheartedly supported by the region’s private sector which provides the majority of the funding.”
The organisation went on to say that its recruitment of staff “reflected the level of expertise required to devise and deliver the complex projects in order to deliver our plan to create 36,000 jobs over the next 20 years.
“In common with other successful organisations, WYCA invests in its staff to ensure they have the skills required to secure the funding this region needs to fulfil its economic ambitions and to manage the complex projects for which the organisation is responsible.”
It added that the Council of the North in partnership with ResPublica had to be postponed in the light of the decision to call a General Election. An event will be delivered in 2018.