Several Whitehall departments have resisted devolving powers and funding, a senior officer at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has revealed.

The WMCA's executive director for strategy, integration and net zero, Ed Cox, told The MJ that while the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities had been ‘really excellent partners' in negotiating and developing a trailblazer devolution deal the authority had encountered resistance from other Government departments.