And the gravy-train keeps on rolling

It would be wrong to say West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker doesn’t know what he’s doing but that may be because he spent £1.1 million asking other people – in June alone.

According to that month’s West Midlands Combined Authority accounts, he and his cohorts spent £310,000 on ‘consultants’, £553,000 on ‘external advice’, £38,000 on ‘land advice’ and £191,000 on ‘legal advice’.

And it would be wrong to say nobody wants to work for him, though his dependence on temporary staff cost the taxpayer £858,000 – just in June.

Still, according to the unaudited accounts for 2025-26, he is looking after his ‘Director of Mayoral Strategy’ who, at £130,000 a year, earns £30,000 more than the boss. The mayor also has a Chief of Staff who gets a mere £91,000 while the Deputy Mayor’s on a trifling £10,000 (though as leader of Wolverhampton Council, it's reasonable to assume Coun Stephen Simkins is not on the breadline).

Luckily for everyone on the gravy-train, there’s more to come. The WMCA report and accounts notes:

‘There is a need to reconvene the Independent Remuneration Panel to refresh existing allowances and to consider new allowances that may come out of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill such as allowances for Leaders and the appointment of Mayoral Commissioners.’

Mind you, it’s not necessary to work for Mayor Parker to coin it in. There have been 16 ‘exit packages’ in 2026 costing a total of £631,000 compared with 12 in 2025 costing a mere £165,000. Nice work if you don’t have to do it…

• Meanwhile the Cock of the North is flogging ‘Manchesterism’ baseball caps for £25 and ‘Good Growth in Every Postcode’ bags for £20 to anyone idiotic enough to want one.