West Midlands council leaders have vowed to "get on" with the creation of a new super-council following a meeting in Birmingham with Chancellor George Osborne and senior government ministers.

The leaders of Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Lichfield and the four Black Country councils are ready to take on greater powers and funding over transport, economic growth and investment and skills.

It now seems a new region-wide combined authority will be established within weeks and that further district councils will be invited to join.

But the council leaders have shelved controversial discussions and decisions over an elected mayor and the name of the new super-council until a future date, despite the Chancellor's insistence that maximum devolution will only be granted if a metro mayor is introduced.

In a joint statement, the eight council leaders described the meeting as "both positive and productive".

"We were encouraged to be as ambitious as possible and to move forward at pace. We were also reassured that we are trusted to deliver what is best for our citizens and the national economy.

"George Osborne shared our commitment to make a real difference for the people and businesses of the region and, in turn, the country as a whole.

"Government is clearly saying we should be highly ambitious and ministers will match that, with the Chancellor encouraging us to be in the vanguard of the devolution deals that will be agreed by the new Government."

The leaders, who were joined by representatives of three West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships, the agencies responsible for strategic economic development in the region, have set out a plan to take greater control of funding over five areas - including region-wide transport and economic investment.

They have also pledged to work more closely together to reduce costs and public spending.

But on the thorny issue of elected mayors the statement continued: "Whilst there was a broader discussion around elected mayors and any future name of a combined authority, the Chancellor's position was not prescriptive and there was a recognition the present focus was properly on the articulation of the ambition and benefits for the region, as well as forming the combined authority itself."

The Chancellor had earlier told the council leaders they would only get the full devolution package if they agreed to have an elected mayor.

"Local people who pay their taxes need to make sure they can hold power to account and they know who carries the can if things go wrong. The mayor model works best," he said.