THE leader of Worcestershire County Council has ruled out a re-think over joining a new regional 'super council' in the battle for devolved powers.

Councillor Simon Geraghty has reiterated his desire to stay out of the West Midlands Combined Authority, saying he has "no plans" to sign up to the body as it seeks its own metro mayor.

County Hall's Conservative leader also admits he has no idea what devolved powers Worcestershire could secure from central Government, if any - saying new Prime Minister Theresa May would need time to "reflect" on the situation.

As the Worcester News revealed earlier this year, the region's new combined authority now features decision-makers in areas like Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Coventry seeking to grab devolved power and funding.

The county council's Conservative leadership has already rejected one approach to sign up, despite Redditch Borough Council joining as a 'non-constituent member' with limited rights.

Worcestershire's Conservative leadership wants a 'county deal' from ministers similar to Cornwall without tagging onto the regional authority, and held talks with Lord Heseltine about it back in April.

Councillor Geraghty said: "At the current time Worcestershire has no plans to join the West Midlands Combined Authority.

"But we'll continue to work with partners and various partnerships, including the 'Midlands Engine' and Midlands Connect (which lobbies over better transport links) on issues that need wider collaboration, to achieve the results and outcomes we want."

He also said the new-look Government would need time to get it together - and insisted having Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid as Local Government Secretary should help Worcestershire's case.

"We're now awaiting any changes that emerge from the new Prime Minister, Cabinet and indeed the Secretary of State for Local Government Sajid Javid over the summer months, before we reconsider the issue in the autumn," he said.

"Clearly there's a period of instability and we'll all want to reflect on that."

Speaking during a full council meeting, Lib Dem Councillor Fran Oborski asked him if Mr Javid's new position should help the county.

Councillor Geraghty said "I absolutely do see it as an advantage", calling Mr Javid "a rising star in the party".

The West Midlands Combined Authority is going to be electing a new metro mayor, who will run the new body similarly to how the Mayor of London operates.

All the existing councils in the region still exist, with the combined authority acting as an over-arching body taking on greater powers around issues like infrastructure, transport and education.

But the body is still growing - and areas like Warwickshire, Rugby, Shropshire and Stratford-upon-Avon are all officially awaiting membership.