West Midlands mayor visits Solihull college

Social Science learners at Solihull Sixth Form College got an opportunity to question the Mayor of the West Midlands this week ahead of Mayoral elections making place in May.

Andy Street, who has been the Mayor of the West Midlands since 2017, is going for re-election on Thursday 2 May and he visited the College to talk to learners on the A level Criminology, Economics, Politics and Sociology courses. He gave students an idea of what his role as Mayor involves and the things he is responsible for and then opened up the floor to questions.

Learners made the most of the opportunity and asked the Mayor questions on a range of topics, including the legacy of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, cuts to public services, the bankruptcy of Birmingham City Council and his policies on education and housing.

Adam Iqbal-McLeod, teacher of Politics and Sociology at the College, commented: "We are grateful to Andy Street for giving up his time during campaigning to come in and talk to our young people. I was pleased to see that the learners had lots of questions for the Mayor. I hope this experience will encourage those who are already 18 years old to vote in the upcoming elections."

Candidates from other political parties, also vying for the position of Mayor of the West Midlands this May, were also invited into College for this event, but did not attend.

Pictured (L-R): College Principal Martin Sullivan and Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands