Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the processes in place to make appointments in combined authorities are sufficiently robust to ensure a rigorous appointment process and the selection of the best candidates for the positions advertised.

It is for each combined authority to decide the appointment processes that it adopts within the applicable statutory framework which also applies to local authorities, including the requirement that all appointments of officers are to be made on merit. Should an appointment be proposed or made contrary to the statutory framework, the combined authority's monitoring officer is under a duty to make a public report.