Three bidding to oust Street as region mayor
THE West Midlands mayoral election is set to take place in less than two months’ time and a number of candidates who will be fighting for the role have been revealed.
Incumbent West Midlands mayor Andy Street, from the Conservative Party, will face opposition from those running for the Labour Party, Green Party and the Liberal Democrats when the election takes place on May 2.
The mayor represents around 2.8 million residents and is expected to seek investment and act as a champion for the region.
Last week, the Liberal Democrats confirmed their candidate is Sunny Virk, a father, barrister and mediator, who says the West Midlands is a place “that should be able to thrive”.
However, he claimed many residents are currently feeling hopeless and poorer. Mr Virk said: “We [the West Midlands] are the beating heart of Britain and the birthplace of modern industry, yet people tell me that they feel poorer than ever, and devoid of hope.
“We should have a world-class transport network, our people should have the skills to get top jobs and we should be attracting a lot more investment. It seems to me that Andy Street is great at developing plans and good at winning hearts and minds, but is he good at delivering?” he added.
He went on to say that people need quality, affordable homes while businesses and individuals want skills upgrades to fit the future workplace. “Our region needs investment to grow our regional economy,” he said.
“Our environment needs a reliable public transport network so that there’s a genuine alternative to personal cars. Our region needs fewer platitudes and more action.”
The Conservative Party candidate is Andy Street – the incumbent West Midlands mayor. The former John Lewis chief executive has held the post ever since the first election in 2017, successfully defending his
position at the subsequent election in 2021. He has previously said his focuses include creating new jobs and apprenticeships, delivering better transport and providing more homes. He added that he wants to champion the region’s interests and promote pride in the West Midlands and all its communities.
The Labour Party, meanwhile, has selected Richard Parker as its candidate – a former partner at accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Speaking last year, Mr Parker argued: “The West Midlands is being held back by a failing Tory mayor and a Tory government who have let our region down.
“Over the next year, I will campaign relentlessly in all of our communities, setting out a vision for a brighter future that brings betterpaid jobs and opportunity for all.”
“I will lead an all-out assault on low pay, rogue landlords and crime on our streets,” he continued.
The Green Party’s candidate is Siobhan Harper-Nunes, who has worked with charities and community organisations for more than two decades.
She says she wants to make the West Midlands Combined Authority work harder for the “most left behind communities” and be more accountable to residents. She also wants to increase the “pace and scale” of regional action on climate change. “What we have at the moment is just not working for the people of the West Midlands,” she said.
“Too many places in the West Midlands are still underfunded and left behind, and this has barely changed over the past seven years.”