For us, Mr Mayor?

Midlands Council five-two majority.

This led to the one major setback for Conservative Mr Street, when they voted down his proposal for a £10 per year council tax charge in January.

He said: “There was that one disagreement, but in the main, it has worked really well. One of the things as mayor and combined authority we needed to do is prove we could work cross-party and I genuinely believe has happened.

“My first loyalty is to the people here, my second loyalty to the Government.

“And, if you want an example, take the Midland Metropolitan Hospital, I’ve hardly made myself the most popular person with central Government over that. But the people of the West Midlands need that to be sorted out.”

The council tax shortfall was avoided when it emerged that business rate returns were better than expected due and Labour has a to an upturn in the local economy. Mr Street was keen to highlight that the West Midlands had the best job creation numbers in the UK for the first quarter of this year.

Growing the economy and jobs is a key function for the mayor. Birmingham and Solihull also had the highest increase in employment rate in the country last year. Mr Street said the region has backed the right sectors.

He said: “Over the last few years this region has moved its economy into high growth sectors. There’s jobs being created in advanced manufacturing, they’re definitely being created in life sciences, definitely being created more in professional services and digital and creative sectors. What this reflects is the region has followed a good plan for the last few years.

“And as chairman of the Local Enter- prise Partnership for a good part of it I’d like to think I had some hand in that.

“Where all the start-up businesses are being created, so many are in digital and creative. What this is all about is the sectors which are growing fast and have good wages we are doing well in. We are supporting those sectors which is why something like Channel 4 is so important.” This is where the region has struggled. The high skilled areas of the economy are growing but a large part of the workforce lack the skills to take those jobs, which are generally higher paying.

This is where Mr Street plans to focus his attention over the coming months. There has been progress with the development of the HS2 College, which is now training railway engineers, and construction skills like bricklaying, plastering and other building trades.

Mr Street said: “This is very much unfinished work and one of my real goals for my second year is to secure a skills deal with Government where we are given much more responsibility for shaping our skills plan to meet the needs of our economy.”

One setback is that much education and training policy, including the crucial further education and college sector, is controlled from London.

“We need to persuade the Department for Education to let go a bit,” he added.

“From the region’s point of view it’s three-quarters-of-a-billion pounds of investment which we have effectively won from Government and it was a team effort, but I know I did my part to persuade Government to make that investment.

“It’s more than symbolic, it gives us an opportunity to showcase to the world the progress we are making as well as being great participation event for young Brummies.” Many were sceptical when the job of West Midlands Mayor was announced, fearing more red tape, more cost and predicting that little would be achieved. So we asked if Mr Street felt he was proving the value of having a mayor.

“I believe it is being proven, but it’s not past tense yet. Let’s see when two more years are up,” he said.

“It’s only worth having if the outcomes for people here are better, it’s got to make a difference and if I look at the successes of the last year, the investment that’s come in, the housing deal, the devolution deal the investment in the Commonwealth Games for example, I do think having a mayor, someone to champion the region around Britain and around the world, is making a difference.” It is a brief three-year term for the mayor to prove himself before the next election. But does Mr Street think he is doing enough?

“The first thing to say is worry about second terms said.

“But if you think about political events, and think two years back it seems like a world away, so predictions are a mug’s game. But all I can do is deliver, demonstrate that I was the best person to do the job.

“During the election I treated it as a job interview with two million people not a party political popularity contest. And at the end of the term I want to be able to say I delivered.” let’s not yet,” he