George Osborne's sacking 'could boost West Midlands powerhouse'

Transport lead Councillor Roger Lawrence says Mr Osborne had been 'obsessed' with the Northern Powerhouse, while new Cabinet appointments were likely to be positive move for the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Theresa May's new appointments saw Greg Clark – a noted supporter of the Black Country – come in as Business Secretary, swapping places with Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid, who became Communities and Local Government Secretary.

Meanwhile Mr Osborne has been replaced by Philip Hammond.

Mr Lawrence said: "Some of the ministerial changes that have taken place may not be a bad thing for the combined authority.

"We may actually see a speeding up of the devolution deal in the shire areas.

"There are certainly no indications of any significant problems lying ahead. Our focus now is on turning the plans into delivery."

Earlier this month an inquiry slammed the devolution deal for forcing regions to accept a new mayor.

The report by the Committee of Public Accounts, the cross-party body which scrutinises public spending on behalf of the Commons, said the Government was giving the impression that regions was being given more power.

But in reality they were being ordered to agree to the creation of a directly-elected mayor against their will, it added.

The report said: "The rhetoric surrounding devolution is that local areas are the driving force behind the deals.

"However in practice central government is stipulating certain requirements, such as around local governance, without making them sufficiently clear up front."

A consultation over the role of the mayor is underway, with members of the public being given until August 21 to have their say over the post's functions.

The mayor, who is due to be elected in May 2017, is likely to oversee a budget of around £36 million a year and will have powers over transport, infrastructure and house building.

Labour has put forward two candidates for the role, in West Midlands MEP Sion Simon and former Birmingham councillor Steve Bedser.

The Tories will finalise their selection in the autumn, with John Lewis managing director Andy Street expected to put himself forward for the post.

The WMCA includes Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, and Solihull, as well as Cannock Chase as a non-constituent member.