‘High calibre’ commissioners to help make roads in the West Midlands safer an encourage more active travel are set to be appointed in the new year. West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said he has been ‘blown away’ by the standard of applicants received for the Road Safety Commissioner and Active Travel Commissioner roles.
He also said hundreds of people from a range of different fields have thrown their hats in the ring to become part of his ‘council of experts’ who will sit on four taskforces to drive the Mayor’s key priorities. The new Commissioners appointed will work with the new Transport Taskforce being set up, giving them a direct route to the authority’s Board.
They will be expected to work one day a week and be each paid £10,000 – around £200 per day – for their contributions. In the wake of a string of deaths on Birmingham roads in the summer, the Mayor said a new safety commissioner would be appointed.
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But Mr Parker refuted claims he was ‘skimping’ on the roles by not employing them as ‘full time’ as he said they would be augmenting what the authority already had. Transport for West Midlands has a full active travel team, encouraging people to do more walking and take up cycling, with a £71 million total budget whilst the authority already employs a road safety manager. Mr Parker said the commissioners would not duplicate any of their work.
Members appointed to the taskforces to form Mr Parker’s council of experts will focus on delivering his priorities of jobs, homes, journeys and growth for everyone. When the recruitment drive started, the Mayor said he wants them to not only advise on how best to deliver but also challenge existing policy and put forward solutions to existing problems.
Mr Parker said: “I’ve been blown away by the response – over 300 applications from talented people who want to work together to deliver change across the West Midlands. The calibre of applicants is inspiring. We’ve seen expertise from a range of fields, from transport and planning to public health and community engagement. It really reminded me of just how much talent we have in this region.
“We’re in the final stages of the selection process. And I’m looking forward to introducing the successful candidates early in the new year. It’s going to be a real game changer because I know they will bring fresh ideas and real energy to their roles.
“We’ve also interviewed candidates for the Commissioner roles, again the calibre is very high and I hope we’ll appoint them quickly and to take up their roles in January.”