The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has admitted breaching its own procurement rules while engaging two consultants formerly affiliated with Bristol City Council. This revelation came from WECA’s chief executive, Stephen Peacock, during a scrutiny committee meeting on July 14, 2025.
Mr. Peacock, who assumed the WECA CEO role in June 2024 following a significant tenure at Bristol City Council, acknowledged that although the procurement process adhered to public procurement law, it did not meet WECA’s internal standards. “It did fall short of our own internal standards,” he said, highlighting procedural shortcomings in hiring the consultants.
The consultants were specifically requested by Mr. Peacock for their relevant experience during a critical period. One of them, Kevin Slocombe, received £150,000 for his nine-month consultancy from July 2024 to March 2025. Mr. Slocombe previously served as head of office for former Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees and has since taken a consultancy role with Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Clare Moody.
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The other consultant, understood to be Nicki Beardmore of Latitude 83 Ltd, was hired from July 2024 to June 2025 for £118,200. Ms. Beardmore was Bristol City Council’s highest-paid interim officer and had been extensively involved in the council’s Clean Air Zone communications.
When informed earlier this year by WECA’s new monitoring officer about the procedural breaches, Mr. Peacock directed officers to rectify the situation. One consultant’s contract was regularized, but the other was not due to their imminent departure. Subsequently, two senior officers responsible for the flawed procurement process have left WECA.
Mr. Peacock justified the hires, stating these consultants were needed to address pressing organizational challenges, particularly improving communication which had been identified as dysfunctional, and enhancing overall organizational performance. These issues attracted a best value notice from the government in March 2024, after concerns arose over strained relationships between the then metro mayor Dan Norris and council leaders.
The government later expressed reassurance a year on, opting not to reissue the best value notice just two months before the May 2025 election, which saw Mayor Dan Norris succeeded by Godwin, also of the Labour Party.
Public scrutiny intensified during the committee meeting when Suzanne Audrey, representing the public, questioned the lack of transparency on the £150,000 consultancy expenditure and the procurement process followed. She challenged the perception that contracts below certain financial thresholds require no formal procurement protocol. Mr. Peacock acknowledged WECA’s internal controls had been compromised.
Separately, former metro mayor Dan Norris, elected MP for North East Somerset and Hanham, was arrested in April 2025 on allegations including sexual offences and remains on police bail during an ongoing investigation. He resigned from the 2025 mayoral race and is suspended from the Labour Party.
This series of events underscores ongoing challenges within WECA related to governance, procurement practices, and public accountability.