Richard Parker wins West Midlands Mayoral race
Richard Parker (pictured) has been elected as Mayor of the West Midlands.
Prior to being elected as Mayor, Mr Parker previously provided strategy, policy and governance advice to the public and private sector.
As a Partner at PwC he brokered the deal, working with Council Leaders, that led to the creation of the West Midlands Combined Authority in 2016.
Richard has advised Labour Politicians at a national and regional level and on major legislative change in housing and devolution including the 2009/10 reforms to Local Authority housing finance. He was also a member of the 2014 /15 Commission on Housing, chaired by Sir Michael Lyons.
The Labour candidate secured 225,590 votes and will begin his first term as mayor, after beating Conservative incumbent Andy Street by 1508 votes in the mayoral race.
Mr Street secured 224,082 votes while independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob obtained 69,621 votes. Elaine Williams from Reform UK secured 34,471 votes, Siobhan Harper-Nunes from The Green Party totalled 31,036 votes and Sunny Virk from Liberal Democrats got 12,176.
The overall turnout for Thursday’s mayoral election was 30 per cent, down by 1.6 per cent from the 2021 mayoral election.
The results of several metropolitan council elections in the West Midlands have also been revealed, which include Cannock Chase, Solihull, and Tamworth in Greater Birmingham. Labour made gains in Cannock and Tamworth while the conservatives held Solihull.
Meanwhile, Simon Foster was reelected as the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in the West Midlands. The Labour PCC secured 327,844 votes. He beat his Conservative rival, Tom Byrne, by 86,017.
Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce said, “We congratulate Richard on his election as West Midlands Mayor – it's been a hard-fought campaign and one carefully watched by many ahead of potential national elections later in the year.
“We also thank Andy Street for the impact he has made on the region during his two terms as mayor. He has been a relentless champion for the West Midlands.
“During the election campaign, the Chamber published the Business Commission West Midlands Roadmap for Business Growth, setting out a series of recommendations to put economic growth at the heart of the national and regional agenda.
“It was brilliant to have Richard join us for the launch of this report, sharing his priorities for the region and response to the recommendations in the report.
“The past few years have been an extraordinary period of economic turbulence, with geopolitical tensions, post-Covid headwinds and the fallout from the energy crisis continuing to impact local businesses.
“As a Chamber we stand ready to work with the Mayor to ensure that the West Midlands remains a destination of choice for investors, further enabling business growth and driving prosperity.”
Find out more about Richard Parker’s Mayoral Manifesto and what this means for local businesses.
Find out more about the Business Commission West Midlands Roadmap for Business Growth.
