Calls for a campaign to raise the profile of West Midlands Mayor
DO you know who the West Midlands Mayor is and what he does?
If the answer is ‘no,’ you’re not alone - a study has found that just two in 10 people can name Andy Street as the West Midlands Mayor.
Calls have now been made for a public information campaign so more people become aware of the role and exactly what Mr Street does.
It came ahead of the next election for the post. This has now been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr Street said the report is “encouraging” in its support of greater devolution, and added that, as the role has only been around for three years, it’s “no surprise” that recognition is not yet high.
The research was carried out by Savanta Comres on behalf of Centre for Cities - and while their poll found that, in general, there’s strong support (80 per cent) for greater devolution of powers to the West Midlands, many can’t name the current mayor, and some weren’t even aware such a role existed.
People were asked: To the best of your knowledge, who is the current mayor of the West Midlands?
48 per cent of people said ‘don’t know’; 25 per cent of people said ‘wasn’t aware the city had a mayor’; 22 per cent said ‘Andy Street’; 3 per cent gave a wrong answer.
What do people want the mayor to be able to do?
80 per cent backed giving the mayor more powers; 50 per cent want the mayor to have more direct responsibility for providing affordable housing across the West Midlands; 42 per cent want the mayor to have more direct responsibility over bus services and 38 per cent say the same for local trains; 34 per cent want the mayor to have more responsibility to provide support to people looking to increase skills and local businesses.
So who is the mayor - and what does he do? The first elections to the role of West Midlands Mayor were held in May 2017, with Conservative Andy Street winning, beating Labour’s Sion Simon.
He was due to go up for re-election this year, but the election has been postponed until May 6, 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Mr Street represents around 2.8 million people across the West Midlands area, including Coventry.
His powers include economic growth, transport, housing, skills and jobs.
He also plays a part in issues such as tackling homelessness and rough sleeping, youth unemployment, community cohesion and air quality.
Another part of the role is to act as an ambassador for the West Midlands, helping to build trade links and attract inward investment.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “This is an encouraging report from Centre for Cities that highlights how the public wants the Mayor to have increased powers over housing, public transport, and skills - the three main areas the Mayor is responsible for.
“The good news is that we have already made huge strides in each of these areas, with a record number of homes being built, a multi-billion pound investment plan for public transport, and record numbers of people in the West Midlands in work.
“However it is clear that with further devolution we could be doing so much more. On housing for example the Mayor currently has incredibly limited powers over affordable housing, and every time we want a transport project funded we have to ask Government for the money rather than having our own pot to draw from.
“It is reassuring that the public recognise there is a role to play for a Mayor in the West Midlands, and that the debate surrounding metromayors has now shifted to what further powers do we need to become as effective as possible.”
The mayor added: “Given that the West Midlands has only had a mayor for three years - compared to London’s more than two decades - it is no surprise that recognition is not yet that high.”
It is reassuring that the public recognise there is a role to play for a Mayor in the West Midlands