Downgraded volunteer commissioners ‘do not reflect the scale and urgency of the challenge’

Critical commissioner roles for the West Midlands are to be filled by once-a-week volunteers reporting to a volunteer task force, in what appears to be a significant and disappointing downgrade to the previous Cycling and Walking Commissioner position.

The active travel role has been reduced from three-days-per-week to just one, with compensation cut by over 40%.

The Active Travel Commissioner will arrive at the WMCA to a programme of cycling and walking projects running five years late, and will need to fiercely protect future funding, which could be at risk without strong leadership.

The new Road Safety Commissioner will join the response to Birmingham’s road safety emergency, which is approaching its 100th day. The scale and complexity of this challenge is vast for a part-time volunteer.

Martin Price, Policy lead at Better Streets for Birmingham, said “We regret the outcome of the Mayor’s six-month reshaping of these roles.

“Our region is at a critical point - the number of pedestrians being killed on our roads has increased in the last year and delivery of life saving infrastructure is snail paced at best.

“In this context, many residents will be rightly disappointed that while London can pay £110,000 a year for their active travel commissioner, the West Midlands could only find £20,000 for two roles instrumental to their family’s safety.

“It’s difficult to see how these national anomalies can fulfil their responsibilities and continue to drive the regional change required.

“These roles do not reflect the scale or urgency of the challenge.”