There is a ‘new world order', Deborah Cadman, chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority, tells The MJ. The beast that is the devolution agenda is starting to roar – and nowhere more so than in the West Midlands.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) signed its first deal in November 2015 and while it may not have been the first – Greater Manchester was signed a year before and arguably the roots of the metro mayors could be traced back to the Greater London Authority and Mayor – a second deal signed last month means it is snapping at the heels of its devolved friends in the North.