Combined authority monitoring officer says “we can’t do politics” mindset is no longer sustainable amid political upheavals

Speaking during a panel discussion on devolution at the LLG Spring Conference in Birmingham on Friday (5 June), Kieran Stockley, WMCA's Chief Legal & Governance Officer and MO, said recent political changes across the region had underlined the need for officers to understand the political environment in which they operate.

The comments came in reference to the local elections in May, which saw many of the WMCA's constituent authorities either change political control or move to no overall control.

Speaking during the discussion, Stockley said: "I've said to our executive team that actually we need to be really honest with ourselves about the environment that we're now operating in.

"We have to be really comfortable about talking about politics, whilst also remaining politically neutral. We can't be politically unaware."

She said officers needed to understand local politics in order to support decision-making.

"We need to be supporting our team, with the right messages. We need to understand the political dynamics that are at play at a local level, but also how that will impact us in getting decisions through at a regional level, so that we can help the organisation navigate that complexity without stepping into a political role," she said.

"I’ve had to actually say to our organisation that the mindset of 'we can't do politics' is no longer acceptable or sustainable.

"What we need is political literacy without political partisanship."

Significant political shifts were seen across the West Midlands in May, with Coventry, Solihull, Birmingham and Dudley going to no overall control. Sandwell meanwhile went from Labour-controlled to Reform-controlled.

Reform also won control of Walsall, while Wolverhampton was one of the few local authorities to not change hands, with Labour holding on to control of the council.

Adam Carey