West Midlands mayoral election: One week to go
With one week to go until the West Midlands mayoral election, residents are being encouraged to make the most of the opportunity to vote.
Next Thursday 2 May, a series of local elections will take place across England, including the election of the Mayor of the West Midlands.
The winning candidate will be come Mayor of the region and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) was established in 2016 following an initial 'devolution deal' agreed between the UK government and council leaders of seven local authorities in the West Midlands metropolitan area - Birmingham City Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, Coventry City Council, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, and the City of Wolverhampton Council.
These seven local authorities are now constituent members of the Combined Authority. Since then, further devolution deals have been reached between the government and WMCA - in 2017 and most recently 2023.
A further 10 neighbouring local authorities are non-constituent members, with fewer voting rights on WMCA decisions.
Following recent changes, the mayoral election will be a 'first past the post' voting system and individuals will need to present valid identification to vote.
Candidates for the West Midlands mayoral election are:
- Siobhan Harper-Nunes, Green Party
- Richard Parker, Labour
- Andy Street, Conservative (incumbent)
- Sunny Virk, Liberal Democrat
- Elaine Williams, Reform UK
- Akhmed Yakoob, Independent
Raj Kandola, director of external Affairs at the Chamber said: “Many eyes will be on next week's local elections as a potential precursor to national elections later in the year.
“We encourage readers to make the most of the opportunity to vote on Thursday.
“We look forward to working with the successful candidates, including the Mayor of the West Midlands, to implement the recommendations of the Business Commission West Midlands in order to drive growth and prosperity in the region."
Read the Business Commission West Midlands’ roadmap for unlocking business growth in the region.
Pictured: Labour candidate Richard Parker and Conservative incumbent Andy Street
