| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 523,201 (26.7%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The inaugural West Midlands mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the Mayor of the West Midlands, with subsequent elections to be held every four years from May 2020. The election took place alongside five elections for English metro mayors and other local elections, and ahead of the general election on 8 June 2017.
The contest was the first election for a governing body covering the entire West Midlands since the 1981 West Midlands County Council election, the former West Midlands County Council having been dissolved in 1986. Police and crime commissioner elections had taken in 2012, 2014 and 2016 with Labour winning those contests decisively.
The election was won by Conservative Andy Street, beating Labour's Siôn Simon in the final round by 50.4% to 49.6% with a turnout of 26.7%. The result was seen as a shock in what has been considered a Labour heartland. [1]
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | |||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | |||||
Conservative | Andy Street | 216,280 | 41.9% | 22,348 | 238,628 | 50.4% | | ||
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 210,259 | 40.8% | 24,603 | 234,862 | 49.6% | | ||
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 30,378 | 5.9% | | |||||
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 29,051 | 5.6% | | |||||
Green | James Burn | 24,260 | 4.7% | | |||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 5,696 | 1.1% | | |||||
Majority | 3,776 | 0.8% | |||||||
Turnout | 523,201 | 26.7% | |||||||
Conservative win |
In 2012, a referendum on a proposal to have an elected mayor for the city of Birmingham resulted in a 57.8% vote against. [2]
Following a devolution deal between the UK government and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), it was agreed to introduce a directly-elected mayor for the combined authority, with an initial election to be held in May 2017. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 required a directly-elected metro mayor for combined authorities to receive additional powers from central government. [3]
The mayor would be elected by voters in the metropolitan boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton, and act as chair of the combined authority as well exercise additional powers and functions devolved from central government relating to transport and housing and planning. The WMCA would also as a result receive further powers over economic growth, adult skills funding, employment, and business support. [4]
The supplementary vote system was used for the mayoral election. [5] Voters were able to express a first and second preference on their ballots. If no candidate receives 50% of valid votes cast in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes proceed to the second round while all other candidates are eliminated. Any valid second preferences of eliminated candidates are redistributed to the remaining candidates, and the candidate with the most combined votes in the second round is declared the winner.
Eligible electors are registered to vote by 13 April 2017; British, Commonwealth or European Union citizens; aged 18 or over by 4 May 2017; and resident in the seven boroughs that make up the West Midlands Combined Authority (Birmingham, Coventry Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton). [6]
On 27 April it was confirmed 1,961,153 people were eligible to vote in the mayoral election. [7]
Candidates are required to be aged 18 or over and be a British, Commonwealth or European Union citizen. In addition they should fulfill one of the following: be registered to vote in the WMCA area; own or occupy land in the area for 12 months before their nomination; work in the WMCA for 12 months before their nomination; or have lived in the WMCA during the 12 months before their nomination. [8]
Candidates are also required to present 100 signatures of people on the electoral register, with 10 from each constituent authority, and provide a £5,000 deposit to be returned if the candidate receives more than 5% in the first round. [8]
Six candidates were successfully nominated by the deadline on 4 April 2017. [9] They were James Burn of the Green Party; Pete Durnell of UKIP; Beverley Nielson of the Liberal Democrats; Siôn Simon, who received the nominations of the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party; Graham Stevenson of the Communist Party of Britain; and Andy Street of the Conservative Party. [9]
The first mayoral debate took place at the Black Country Living Museum on 7 March 2017 [10] with five of the candidates represented. [11]
Graham Stevenson was announced as the Communist Party of Britain's candidate on 8 March 2017. Stevenson is a former official for the T&G trade union (now Unite the Union) and sits on his party's national executive committee. [12]
On 7 July 2016 it was confirmed Andy Street, the former managing director of John Lewis and former chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, would seek the Conservative Party's nomination for West Midlands Mayor. [13] [14] After no others came forward and a meeting of local members on 29 September, Street was announced as the party's candidate. [15] Street's endorsements include that of former CBI director Lord Digby Jones. [16]
Street defended spending up to £1 million before the regulated campaign period where spending was restricted to £130,000 in the final five weeks. [17]
The Co-operative Party nominated Siôn Simon, MEP for the West Midlands and former MP for Birmingham Erdington, as its candidate in April 2017. [9] The party has stood joint candidates with Labour since 1927.
On 18 October 2016, James Burn was announced as the Green Party's candidate. Burn is a Green Party councillor for Chelmsley Wood and leader of the opposition on Solihull Council. [18] [19]
In January 2016, Labour's national executive committee agreed to select the party's candidate in July through a one-member-one-vote ballot. [20] It was suggested candidates for the post could include West Midlands MEP Siôn Simon, Hodge Hill MP Liam Byrne, Dudley North MP Ian Austin and Sandwell council leader Darren Cooper. [21] Edgbaston MP Gisela Stuart declined to enter. [21]
Five candidates came forward by the 10 June deadline. They were Steve Bedser, a former cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing on Birmingham City Council; Najma Hafeez, a former Birmingham city councillor and chair of City Hospital; Milkinder Jaspal, a cabinet member on Wolverhampton City Council; Siôn Simon, an MEP for the West Midlands, former MP for Birmingham Erdington and former government minister for creative industries and further education; and Mary Simons-Jones, a freelance bookseller. [22]
Bedser and Simon were shortlisted and went to a ballot among party members in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. [23]
On 9 August 2016 it was announced Simon had won the ballot with 2,718 votes to 1,099 for Bedser. [24]
Candidate | Votes | Percentage | |
---|---|---|---|
Siôn Simon | 2,718 | 71.21% | |
Steve Bedser | 1,099 | 28.79% |
The Liberal Democrats announced Beverley Nielsen, a businesswoman and director of Birmingham City University, as their candidate on 7 September 2016. [25]
On 6 January 2017 UKIP confirmed Pete Durnell as their candidate. Durnell stood for the party in the West Midlands police and crime commissioner election in 2016. [26]
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Birmingham [27] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | ||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | ||||
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 95,098 | 46.1% | 10,382 | 105,480 | 56.5% | | |
Conservative | Andy Street | 73,578 | 35.6% | 7,690 | 81,268 | 43.5% | | |
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 14,840 | 7.2% | | ||||
Green | James Burn | 9,787 | 4.7% | | ||||
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 7,537 | 3.7% | | ||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 2,312 | 1.1% | | ||||
Majority | 24,212 | |||||||
Turnout | 206,456 | 28.6% |
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Coventry [27] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | ||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | ||||
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 24,331 | 43.7% | 3,236 | 27,567 | 55.0% | | |
Conservative | Andy Street | 20,345 | 36.6% | 2,213 | 22,558 | 45.0% | | |
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 3,339 | 6.0% | | ||||
Green | James Burn | 2,984 | 5.4% | | ||||
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 2,928 | 5.3% | | ||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 821 | 1.5% | | ||||
Majority | 5,009 | |||||||
Turnout | 55,653 | 23.9 |
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Dudley [27] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | ||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | ||||
Conservative | Andy Street | 31,858 | 52.2% | 3,306 | 35,164 | 63.5% | | |
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 17,731 | 29.0% | 2,446 | 20,177 | 36.5% | | |
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 5,637 | 9.2% | | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 2,555 | 4.2% | | ||||
Green | James Burn | 2,096 | 3.4% | | ||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 623 | 1.0% | | ||||
Majority | 14,987 | |||||||
Turnout | 61,088 | 25.2 |
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Sandwell [27] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | ||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | ||||
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 29,085 | 54.2% | 2,476 | 31,561 | 65.5% | | |
Conservative | Andy Street | 14,361 | 26.8% | 2,260 | 16,621 | 34.5% | | |
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 4,704 | 8.8% | | ||||
Green | James Burn | 2,032 | 3.8% | | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 2,029 | 3.8% | | ||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 672 | 1.3% | | ||||
Majority | 14,940 | |||||||
Turnout | 53,657 | 23.3 |
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Solihull [27] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | ||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | ||||
Conservative | Andy Street | 35,903 | 67.9% | 2,981 | 38,884 | 81.3% | | |
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 6,695 | 12.7% | 2,256 | 8,951 | 18.7% | | |
Green | James Burn | 4,102 | 7.8% | | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 3,578 | 6.8% | | ||||
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 1,833 | 3.5% | | ||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 256 | 0.5% | | ||||
Majority | 29,933 | |||||||
Turnout | 52,871 | 33.7 |
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Walsall [27] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | ||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | ||||
Conservative | Andy Street | 23,694 | 48.9% | 2,186 | 25,880 | 58.3% | | |
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 16,725 | 34.5% | 1,811 | 18,536 | 41.7% | | |
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 3,501 | 7.2% | | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 2,047 | 4.2% | | ||||
Green | James Burn | 1,465 | 3.0% | | ||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 442 | 0.9% | | ||||
Majority | 7,344 | |||||||
Turnout | 48,468 | 24.6 |
West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Wolverhampton [27] | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | 1st round votesTransfer votes, 2nd round | ||||
Total | Of round | Transfers | Total | Of round | ||||
Labour Co-op | Siôn Simon | 20,594 | 45.8% | 1,996 | 22,590 | 55.3% | | |
Conservative | Andy Street | 16,514 | 36.7% | 1,712 | 18,226 | 44.7% | | |
UKIP | Pete Durnell | 2,911 | 6.5% | | ||||
Liberal Democrats | Beverley Nielsen | 1,990 | 4.4% | | ||||
Green | James Burn | 1,794 | 4.0% | | ||||
Communist | Graham Stevenson | 570 | 1.3% | | ||||
Majority | 4,364 | |||||||
Turnout | 45,008 | 25.2 |
David Charles Jamieson is a British politician who served as the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Labour Party, he was previously the Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Devonport from 1992 to 2005 and a Solihull Metropolitan Borough Councillor from 2010 to 2014.
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, or Sandwell Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority since 2016.
Siôn Llewelyn Simon is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington from 2001 to 2010 and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands from 2014 to 2019.
Liam Dominic Byrne is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, previously Birmingham Hodge Hill, since 2004. He served in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Cabinet from 2008 to 2010.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is the public body responsible for co-ordinating transport services in the West Midlands metropolitan county in England. It is an executive body of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), with bus franchising and highway management powers similar to Transport for London. TfWM's policies and strategy are set by the Transport Delivery Committee of the WMCA.
Lynda Ellen Waltho is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stourbridge from 2005 to 2010, succeeding Labour MP Debra Shipley, who had stepped down due to ill-health just days before the 2005 election was called. At the 2010 election, the Conservative candidate Margot James took the seat.
The ceremonial county of West Midlands, England, is divided into 27 parliamentary constituencies - 25 borough and 2 county constituencies, one of which crosses the boundary with Staffordshire. Each constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons. These constituencies were first implemented at the 2024 general election.
Simon Francis Murphy is a British charity executive and former politician who was a Labour Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 to 2004.
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Solihull Council, is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority since 2016.
City of Wolverhampton Council is the local authority for the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, England. Wolverhampton has had an elected local authority since 1848, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the majority of local government services in the city. The council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority since 2016.
The 2014 West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner by-election was a by-election for the position of Police and Crime Commissioner in the West Midlands Police region of the United Kingdom, held on 21 August 2014. It was triggered by the death of Bob Jones, the inaugural West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, who died on 1 July 2014.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is the combined authority for the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom. It was established by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. It is a strategic authority with powers over transport, economic development and regeneration. The authority formally came into being on 17 June 2016.
The West Midlands Labour Party mayoral selection of 2016 was the process by which the Labour Party selected its candidate for Mayor of the West Midlands, to stand in the mayoral election on 4 May 2017.
Sir Andrew John Street is a British businessman and Conservative Party politician who was the managing director of John Lewis from 2007 to 2016 and Mayor of the West Midlands from 2017 to 2024. He was Britain's first openly gay directly-elected metro mayor. Street won the May 2017 mayoral election, narrowly defeating Siôn Simon with 50.4% of the vote in the second round. He was re-elected in 2021 with an increased majority, defeating Labour candidate Liam Byrne in a landslide. He sought a third term in 2024 but was narrowly defeated by Labour candidate Richard Parker.
The Mayor of the West Midlands is a directly elected political post who chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, covering the local authorities serving Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
The 2021 West Midlands mayoral election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the mayor of the West Midlands, on the same day as other local elections across England and Wales, including councillors in six of its seven boroughs and the police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands city region. This was the second election for the post, which had its first election in 2017 due to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016. The mayor was elected using the supplementary vote system. The election was originally due to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Suzanne Webb is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Liz Truss from September to October 2022. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stourbridge from 2019 to 2024.
The 2022 Birmingham City Council election took place on 5 May 2022, with all 101 council seats up for election across 37 single-member and 32 two-member wards. The election was held alongside other local elections across Great Britain and town council elections in Sutton Coldfield.
The 2024 West Midlands mayoral election was held on 2 May 2024 to elect the mayor of the West Midlands. The election took place on the same day as other local elections across England and Wales. Richard Parker of the Labour Party won the election, narrowly defeating incumbent Conservative mayor Andy Street, who was running for a third term.
Richard Parker is a British businessman and Labour politician serving as the Mayor of the West Midlands since May 2024. He is a member of the Labour and Co-operative Party. He defeated Conservative incumbent Andy Street in the 2024 West Midlands mayoral election.