Unspent funding 'could have changed many lives'

Solihull Council leader Karen Grinsell is one of those expressing concerns

Council leaders have expressed concern about the government taking back unspent money that could have "changed so many lives".

Members of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Board were told £1.6m from a £9.4m Free Courses for Jobs grant was returned to the Department for Education after it was not used in the 2023/24 academic year.

City of Wolverhampton Council leader Stephen Simkins and Solihull Council leader Karen Grinsell said they were concerned about the situation.

WMCA officers told them the authority was on track for full delivery against its 2024/25 allocation, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Simkins said it was disappointing that £1.6m had been "clawed back by the government that was underspent by the previous administration".

"What guarantees can you give us that any skills money or any more that comes from government is not clawed back?" he added.

Simkins said the money taken back by the government "could have changed so many lives".

Interim WMCA chief executive Ed Cox said it was "a big concern" they were not making sure the funding they were given was getting out of the door and delivering services to communities.

"We've worked very closely with the colleges in order to make sure they do have the capacity to deliver those skills and in this financial year, they are on target to hit 100% with that particular fund," he added.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker added: "We must ensure if ever there is a risk of us not using those funds, we will take action to intervene and mitigate to ensure we are using those resources."