THE £19,300 salary for the deputy mayor of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has been blasted after it emerged they did not deputise a single time last year.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed B&NES leader Cllr Kevin Guy had little to do in the role between May 2025 and May this year.

Democracy campaigner and journalist Andrew Lynch told WECA’s audit committee that the authority ‘had no clue about what the deputy mayor was up to on WECA’s behalf’.

WECA mayor Helen Godwin and Cllr Guy said in response that the position of deputy mayor was ‘important’ and ‘legally required’; although Ms Godwin’s predecessor Dan Norris did not appoint a deputy throughout his tenure from 2021-25.

They said the special allowance for the role of £19,300 was decided by an independent remuneration panel.

WECA’s response to the FOI said Cllr Guy did not deputise for the mayor in her absence at any statutory public meetings and he did not chair any advisory boards at Ms Godwin’s request.

The authority also said it did not hold information about the dates Cllr Guy represented the mayor at meetings.

Mr Lynch added: “How can members of this audit committee or the auditors be assured that any value for money is being created or maintained by paying unitary authority leaders for this seemingly nominal post?”

After the meeting, Cllr Guy said: “The role of deputy mayor is an important part of the West of England Combined Authority’s governance arrangements, helping to ensure continuity of leadership and representation across the region.

“During my year in the role, I was pleased to support the mayor and represent the West of England on our shared regional priorities.

“The allowance attached to the role is independently determined through the combined authority’s independent remuneration panel, which considered the responsibilities involved.”