Walkley to become first CEO of Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority
Former Homes England chief executive Nick Walkley has been selected to lead the combined authority’s officer team on an interim basis, with ratification of the appointment expected in March.
Previously chief executive of Haringey Council and Barnet Council prior to his four-year stint at Homes England, his joining the soon-to-be-established Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority marks a return to the public sector after more than four years as principal and UK president at Avison Young in his most recent role.
Walkley said he was honoured to have the chance to lead the CWCA, which will control a multimillion-pound budget including a £650m mayoral investment fund over the next 30 years.
“This region has extraordinary strengths – world-class businesses, talented people, beautiful places and a collaborative spirit that sets it apart,” he said.
The Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority is being established as part of the government’s devolution drive.
“Devolution represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape our own destiny,” Walkley added.
“[It offers the chance] to make decisions locally that reflect our priorities and ambitions, and to unlock investment that will transform transport connections, accelerate housing delivery, develop the skills our economy needs, and support businesses to innovate and grow.”
Walkley added that his career to date stands him in good stead to make a success of the role.
“I’ve spent my career working in partnerships between government, local authorities, communities and the private sector to deliver places where people genuinely want to live, work and invest,” he said.
“Cheshire and Warrington has the vision, the leadership and the economic firepower to become a blueprint for successful devolution. Subject to the board’s approval, I cannot wait to get started and to work with partners across the region to build something truly exceptional.”
Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and chair of the combined authority shadow board, said: “Nick Walkley’s appointment would be a defining moment for Cheshire and Warrington.
“His track record in large-scale transformation, combined with his passion for place-making and understanding of how devolution can drive inclusive growth, makes him the outstanding choice to lead our new combined authority.”
The Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority will be formally established in March 2026, working with Cheshire East Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Warrington Borough Council.
The region will hold its first mayoral election in May 2027.
Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority? So, Cheshire County then!
so, we have CEC, CW&CC, WBC, and Cheshire County Council, with no amalgamation planned in the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). Surely adding another layer of bureaucracy and operation, this combined authority is at odds to what the LGR is trying to achieve?
By Anon
@Anon 1:38pm Cheshire County Council hasn’t existed for 17 years. It will be returning to two tiers of local government but those tiers will have different powers/responsibilities than they used to.
By Anonymous
Anon –
It’s not that complicated – https://www.gov.uk/understand-how-your-council-works
CCC no longer exists having been replaced by CEC and CWCC. The CA coordinates activity across the county and district / borough councils.
By MaccLad
Maybe @Anon lives in a different Cheshire than me. Public transport provision is patchy, land use planning is dysfunctional, if you ever put your kids in to FE it’s very disjointed in provision, if there’s an industrial strategy to support key sectors like life sciences, energy, financial services etc.. I’ve not seen it. In other words loads of low hanging fruit for a Combined Authority.
By Rich X
How much is this costing ? Hope it is not another expensive failure that this government is so good at creating. Will we actually get vote or have they cancelled that.
By Stewart Tattersall
No one asked for this, another waste of money, no evidence the CA activity wouldn’t have happened anyway
By Anon
Next comes the appointment of a raft of Directors all on huge salaries. Would be interesting to know what this C.E. is being paid in relation to the existing Cheshire East C.E.
By Anonymous
Combined Authorities the most undemocratic and expensive form of government that nobody asked for. Each do absolutely nothing that local Councils couldn’t do if properly resourced.
By Anonymous
More pointless administrators with no democratic accountability and massive pay and pension arrangements. ‘Devolution’ in Scotland and Wales just created another layer of politicians when a perfectly good set already existed (and could have formed those parliaments themselves). Why on earth does Cheshire need another layer of administration ? How many layers do we have to pay for, before we’re all just working to support these people ?
By John Smith