West Midlands mayoral election, 2017

Last updated

West Midlands mayoral election, 2017
Flag of the West Midlands County.svg
4 May 2017 2020  →
Turnout 26.7%

  Andy Street.jpg Sion Simon.jpg
Candidate Andy Street Siôn Simon
Party Conservative Labour Co-op
1st Round vote216,280210,259
Percentage41.9%40.8%
2nd Round vote238,628234,862
Percentage50.4%49.6%
 
Candidate Beverley Nielsen Pete Durnell
Party Liberal Democrat UKIP
1st Round vote30,37829,051
Percentage5.9%5.6%
West Midlands Mayoral election, 2017 (by Metropolitan Borough).svg
Mayor before election

Position established

Elected Mayor

Andy Street
Conservative

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.

Mayor of the West Midlands

The Mayor of the West Midlands is a directly elected political post responsible for the metropolitan county of the West Midlands in the United Kingdom. The mayor chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, and covers the Birmingham metropolitan area and Coventry. The first election took place on Thursday 4 May 2017. Andy Street, the inaugural mayor, will hold office for three years, with the term length being four years thereafter.

Contents

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.

A police and crime commissioner (PCC) is an elected official in England and Wales charged with securing efficient and effective policing of a police area. Commissioners replaced the now-abolished police authorities. The first incumbents were elected on 15 November 2012 to serve for three-and-a-half years, but subsequent Commissioners are to be elected for four-year terms. The most recent elections took place in May 2016.

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]

Conservative Party (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom. The governing party since 2010, it is the largest in the House of Commons, with 313 Members of Parliament, and also has 249 members of the House of Lords, 18 members of the European Parliament, 31 Members of the Scottish Parliament, 12 members of the Welsh Assembly, eight members of the London Assembly and 8,916 local councillors.

Andy Street British businessman and politician

Andrew John Street is a British businessman and politician who was the managing director of John Lewis from 2007 to 2016, when he resigned to run for Mayor of the West Midlands. Street won the May 2017 mayoral election, defeating Siôn Simon with 50.4% of the vote. He is the United Kingdom's first openly gay directly-elected metro mayor.

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The party's platform emphasises greater state intervention, social justice and strengthening workers' rights.

Results

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Conservative Andy Street 216,28041.9%22,348238,62850.4%
​​
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 210,25940.8%24,603234,86249.6%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 30,3785.9%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell29,0515.6%
​​
Green James Burn24,2604.7%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson5,6961.1%
​​
Majority3,7760.8%
Turnout 523,20126.7%
Conservative win

Background

Area covered by the new mayor. West Midlands UK location map.svg
Area covered by the new mayor.

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. [2]

Devolution in the United Kingdom Granting Parliamentary powers to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

In the United Kingdom, devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the London Assembly and to their associated executive bodies the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and in England, the Greater London Authority and combined authorities.

West Midlands Combined Authority Combined authority

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is a combined authority for the West Midlands metropolitan county in England. 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.

Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016

The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom designed to introduce directly elected mayors to combined local authorities in England and Wales and to devolve housing, transport, planning and policing powers to them. The bill was introduced to the House of Lords by Baroness Williams of Trafford, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 28 May 2015.

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. [3]

Birmingham City Council Local government body for the English city

Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham City councillors representing over one million people, in 40 wards. This means that Birmingham is technically the largest city in the United Kingdom. The council headquarters are at the Council House in the city centre. The council is responsible for running nearly all local services, with the exception of those run by joint boards. The provision of certain services has in recent years been devolved to several council constituencies, which each have a constituency committee made up of councillors from that district.

Coventry City Council Local government body in England

Coventry City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Coventry in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Local government body in England

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of seven in the West Midlands and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of local government services in Dudley.

Electoral system

Advertisement for the election at the Birmingham New Street railway station Birmingham New Street Station - St Martin's Queensway eye - West Midlands Combined Authority - The West Midlands Mayoral Election (33883383751).jpg
Advertisement for the election at the Birmingham New Street railway station

The supplementary vote system was used for the mayoral election. [4] 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). [5]

On 27 April it was confirmed 1,961,153 people were eligible to vote in the mayoral election. [6]

Candidates

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. [7]

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. [7]

Six candidates were successfully nominated by the deadline on 4 April 2017. [8] 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. [8]

The first mayoral debate took place at the Black Country Living Museum on 7 March 2017 [9] with five of the candidates represented. [10]

Candidate selections

Communist Party of Britain

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. [11]

Conservative Party

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. [12] After no others came forward and a meeting of local members on 29 September, Street was announced as the party's candidate. [13] Street's endorsements include that of former CBI director Lord Digby Jones. [14]

Street defended spending up to £1 million before the regulated campaign period where spending was restricted to £130,000 in the final five weeks. [15]

Co-operative Party

The Co-operative Party nominated Siôn Simon, MEP for the West Midlands and former MP for Birmingham Erdington, as its candidate in April 2017. [8] The party has stood joint candidates with Labour since 1927.

Green Party of England and Wales

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. [16] [17]

Labour Party

In January 2016, Labour's national executive committee agreed to select the party's candidate in July through a one-member-one-vote ballot. [18] 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. [19] Edgbaston MP Gisela Stuart declined to enter. [19]

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. [20]

Bedser and Simon were shortlisted and went to a ballot among party members in Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. [21]

On 9 August 2016 it was announced Simon had won the ballot with 2,718 votes to 1,099 for Bedser. [22]

First round
CandidateVotesPercentage
Siôn Simon 2,718
71.21%
Steve Bedser1,099
28.79%

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats announced Beverley Nielsen, a businesswoman and director of Birmingham City University, as their candidate on 7 September 2016. [23]

UK Independence Party (UKIP)

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. [24]

Results by local authority

Birmingham

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Birmingham [25]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 95,09846.1%10,382105,48056.5%
​​
Conservative Andy Street 73,57835.6%7,69081,26843.5%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 14,8407.2%
​​
Green James Burn9,7874.7%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell7,5373.7%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson2,3121.1%
​​
Majority24,212
Turnout 206,45628.6

Coventry

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Coventry [25]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 24,33143.7%3,23627,56755.0%
​​
Conservative Andy Street 20,34536.6%2,21322,55845.0%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 3,3396.0%
​​
Green James Burn2,9845.4%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell2,9285.3%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson8211.5%
​​
Majority5,009
Turnout 55,65323.9

Dudley

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Dudley [25]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Conservative Andy Street 31,85852.2%3,30635,16463.5%
​​
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 17,73129.0%2,44620,17736.5%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell5,6379.2%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 2,5554.2%
​​
Green James Burn2,0963.4%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson6231.0%
​​
Majority14,987
Turnout 61,08825.2

Sandwell

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Sandwell [25]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 29,08554.2%2,47631,56165.5%
​​
Conservative Andy Street 14,36126.8%2,26016,62134.5%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell4,7048.8%
​​
Green James Burn2,0323.8%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 2,0293.8%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson6721.3%
​​
Majority14,940
Turnout 53,65723.3

Solihull

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Solihull [25]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Conservative Andy Street 35,90367.9%2,98138,88481.3%
​​
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 6,69512.7%2,2568,95118.7%
​​
Green James Burn4,1027.8%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 3,5786.8%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell1,8333.5%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson2560.5%
​​
Majority29,933
Turnout 52,87133.7

Walsall

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Walsall [25]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Conservative Andy Street 23,69448.9%2,18625,88058.3%
​​
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 16,72534.5%1,81118,53641.7%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell3,5017.2%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 2,0474.2%
​​
Green James Burn1,4653.0%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson4420.9%
​​
Majority7,344
Turnout 48,46824.6

Wolverhampton

West Midlands Mayoral Election 2017, Wolverhampton [25]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Labour Co-op Siôn Simon 20,59445.8%1,99622,59055.3%
​​
Conservative Andy Street 16,51436.7%1,71218,22644.7%
​​
UKIP Pete Durnell2,9116.5%
​​
Liberal Democrat Beverley Nielsen 1,9904.4%
​​
Green James Burn1,7944.0%
​​
Communist Graham Stevenson5701.3%
​​
Majority4,364
Turnout 45,00825.2

Related Research Articles

West Midlands (county) County of England

The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western-central England with a 2014 estimated population of 2,808,356, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The county itself is a NUTS 2 region within the wider NUTS 1 region of the same name. The county consists of seven metropolitan boroughs: the City of Birmingham, the City of Coventry and the City of Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall.

Smethwick town in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough, England

Smethwick is a small town in Sandwell, West Midlands, historically in Staffordshire. It is 4 miles west of Birmingham city centre and borders West Bromwich and Oldbury to the north and west. Formerly a Staffordshire county borough, Smethwick is situated near the edge of Sandwell metropolitan borough and borders the Birmingham districts of Handsworth, Winson Green, Harborne, Edgbaston and Quinton to the south and east, as well as the Black Country towns of West Bromwich and Oldbury, West Midlands in the north and west.

Sandwell Metropolitan borough in England

Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county in England. The borough is named after the Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of the West Midlands conurbation. According to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, the borough comprises the six amalgamated towns of Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich, although these places consist of numerous smaller settlements and localities. Though West Bromwich is the largest town in the borough and its designated Strategic Town Centre, Sandwell Council House is situated in Oldbury.

David Charles Jamieson is a British politician who serves as the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, elected in a by-election in 2014. He was formerly the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for the Plymouth Devonport constituency from 1992 to 2005 and a member of the Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council from 2010 to 2014.

Siôn Simon Politician, activist

Siôn Llewelyn Simon is a British Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands since 2014. He previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Erdington from 2001 to 2010. Simon was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further Education from 2008 to 2009 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Creative Industries from 2009 to 2010. He stood down at the 2010 general election to campaign for a directly elected Mayor of Birmingham, with the intent of running in the first election. In 2014 Simon was elected a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. In 2016 he was selected as Labour's candidate for West Midlands Mayor but was defeated in the 2017 election by 50.4% to 49.6% of the vote in the final round.

John Spellar British politician

John Francis Spellar is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Warley. He served as a Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office and returned to the backbenches in 2005. Spellar was Comptroller of the Household and the third most senior whip in the Whips' Office between October 2008 and May 2010.

1999 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 1999 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.

The 1999 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.

The 2003 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.

2006 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2006 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 2006 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.

2008 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2008 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2008 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner by-election, 2014 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.

2016 West Midlands Labour Party mayoral selection

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.

2017 West of England mayoral election

The inaugural West of England mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the Mayor of the West of England metropolitan area. The area is made up of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Subsequent elections will be held every four years. The election was won by Conservative Tim Bowles. The overall turnout for the election was low, with only 29.7% of the electorate voting.

2020 West Midlands mayoral election

The second West Midlands mayoral election will be held in May 2020 to elect the Mayor of the West Midlands.

References

  1. ↑ Parveen, Nazia (5 May 2017). "Andy Street elected West Midlands mayor". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Everything you need to know about metro mayors: an FAQ".
  3. ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/477421/West_Midlands_devolution_deal_unsigned_final_web.pdf
  4. ↑ "Everything you need to know about metro mayors: an FAQ". Centre for Cities. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  5. ↑ "Election 2017 – Information for Voters".
  6. ↑ "BBC Local Live: Birmingham and the Black Country". BBC News. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Candidates | West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor". www.wmcaelects.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  8. 1 2 3 "Candidates announced for West Midlands Combined Authority mayoral election | Birmingham News Room". birminghamnewsroom.com. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
  9. ↑ "First West Midlands Mayor Debate at the Black Country Living Museum" . Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  10. ↑ "Audience Divided after West Midlands Mayor Debate" . Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  11. ↑ Elkes, Neil (8 March 2017). "Communists join the West Midlands Mayor race". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  12. ↑ Dale, Paul (7 July 2016). "Game on! Andy Street 'to seek Tory nomination' for West Midlands metro mayor". The Chamberlain Files. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  13. ↑ Silvera, Ian (29 September 2016). "John Lewis boss Andy Street 'very positive' as Tories select West Midlands mayor candidate". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  14. ↑ "Andy Street Endorsements". Conservative Party UK. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  15. ↑ Syal, Rajeev (1 May 2017). "Tory candidate defends spending up to £1m on West Midlands mayor campaign". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  16. ↑ "Solihull Councillor has put himself forward to become mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)". The Solihull Observer. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  17. ↑ "Green Party launch campaign for West Mids Mayor". westmidlands.greenparty.org.uk. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "West Midlands mayoral election: Labour plots selection strategy". Express & Star. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Battle to be Greater Birmingham Mayor is already becoming brutal". Birmingham Mail . 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  20. ↑ Neil Elkes (29 June 2016). "Euro-MP and ex-council social services chief to battle it out to be Labour mayor candidate". The Birmingham Post. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  21. ↑ Elkes, Neil (29 June 2016). "Euro-MP and ex-council social services chief to battle it out to be Labour mayor candidate". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  22. ↑ Dale, Paul (9 August 2016). "Sion Simon wins Labour mayor selection with 'growth, prosperity and social justice' pledge". The Chamberlain Files. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  23. ↑ "Top businesswoman Beverley Nielsen chosen as Liberal Democrat candidate for West Midlands mayor". Birmingham Mail . 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  24. ↑ "UKIP West Midlands Mayor candidate Pete Durnell: All you need to know about the nominee". Birmingham Mail . 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor Results". West Midlands Combined Authority. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.