By Local Democracy Reporter Adam Postans.

A meeting of the region's political leaders descended into chaos as "petty bickering derailed and delayed vital decisions" on the environment.

The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) committee was expected to create a climate board and a new director role to oversee it, as well as a £20million green recovery fund to create jobs and retrofit homes – but none of it was agreed.

The leaders of Bristol city, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils refused to back metro mayor Dan Norris's proposals and he, in turn, vetoed their alternative recommendations as the meeting became dysfunctional.

Despite members showing a mostly united front at the same meeting on Tuesday, September 21, to pass a motion formally opposing Bristol Airport's expansion, the two other main items on the agenda exposed divisions that have been previously played out behind closed doors at Weca.

The only policy they agreed was a new set of principles to underpin a more ambitious climate emergency strategy, approved unanimously by the West of England joint committee, which is Weca committee plus North Somerset Council's leader.

The intention was for a climate board to launch in November which would then draw up a revised action plan by spring to cut the region's carbon emissions by 10 per cent every year to meet 2030 targets.

However, this was torpedoed amid disagreements over the board's role and council leaders' concerns it could be just a "talking shop".

They also refused to back West of England Labour mayor Mr Norris's desire to create a new Weca environment director.

In blocking the decision, B&NES Lib Dem leader Cllr Kevin Guy, Bristol's Labour deputy mayor Cllr Craig Cheney and South Gloucestershire Council Conservative leader Cllr Toby Savage said there were unspecified high costs of an initial interim appointment that could set a precedent for how senior officers were recruited.

Counter-proposals by Cllrs Guy and Savage would have postponed establishing the new board and director until they could have more of a say on the appointment, remit and cost at next month's Weca committee.

Mr Norris voted these down, saying he just wanted to "crack on" with tackling the climate emergency which "couldn't wait".

Cllr Guy said bringing the report back in October to agree the board's terms of reference would not cause a delay and that it was "very frustrating" that the mayor had scuppered that.

But because no other member would second Mr Norris's original proposals, nothing was decided and they will have to try to reach agreement next month.

This was despite strong backing for the new board and director from Weca's overview and scrutiny committee.

Its representative, North Somerset Lib Dem Cllr Huw James, told members: "We really support the proposal to create an interim director for the environment.

"This lead person will be able to work really effectively with partners to create change.

"We also welcome a climate board. This aligns all the local authorities and the combined authority on that.

"We think the green recovery fund will create a multiplier effect. We've seen other authorities turn £10million into £20million.

"We welcome having this specific pot. It doesn't just give a name to a fund that already exists."

No decision was made on the £20million recovery fund, though, which was a promise in Mr Norris's manifesto, after Cllr Guy said it should have at least three times more money, a call backed by the other council leaders.

Cllr James said: "If we can't get leaders to agree with immediacy, we are never going to reach the 2030 goal.

"Can you not have the £20million pot now and then extend the fund in October so we can get the ball rolling?"

Mr Norris replied: "That is what I would want but these are strong leaders who know their own mind and have given their reasons and I am hoping we will find even more ambitious plans in the very near future.

"It would be nice to get on with the £20million because it's not good headlines to say that we voted down something like this.

"It's a misjudgement but other leaders have different views.

"We will be going away to look at what resources may or may not be available.

"I make no promises, but I'm absolutely determined and share Cllr Guy's ambition that we do even more in this area."

Cllr Cheney said one of the problems with approving it now was that it was not clear where the funding would come from and what projects would lose cash as a result.

"But we absolutely support this and £60million would be remarkable," he added.

Cllr Savage said collaborative working between Weca and local councils had not been good in the past few months, with regional officers "instructed not to work with the constituent authorities" until very recently.

He said: "We need to be working collectively to meet these principles of being accountable to the public for the actions we take and we need to have robust governance to make sure it's a genuine collective endeavour and not potentially the actions of only one of five leaders.

"I look forward to that genuine joint collaborative working in the weeks, months and years ahead."

Mr Norris said he was confident the leaders could work better in future.

The ex-MP said he was "haunted" by a failed bid from the region's local authorities who "couldn't get their act together" and lost out to Nottingham on funding for trams between Bristol and South Gloucestershire when he was in the former Labour government.