The West Midlands Mayor - FAQ

SOLIHULL Council has given its support to proposals to elect a Mayor who will represent the whole of the West Midlands. Other Side of Solihull looks at some of the most common questions about the new role.

Who will the new Mayor represent?
As the name suggests, the Mayor will oversee the whole of the West Midlands (an area of more than four million people.) At its core are seven council areas: Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Sandwell. Neighbouring councils such as Redditch and Tamworth will be involved in a more limited capacity.

Will the Mayor of the West Midlands replace the Mayor of Solihull?
No, largely because they're totally different roles. The Mayor of Solihull is a ceremonial position - a senior councillor who is responsible for chairing  council meetings and attending community events. He or she will serve for 12 months and must remain politically impartial during that period. By contrast the West Midlands Mayor will have significant powers and will have terms of office which last four years.

Who elects them?
The public! The first election is due to be held next year.

And they will represent a political party?
More than likely; all the major parties plan to contest the election and the balance of power in the West Midlands would mean that the Labour candidate would be the obvious frontrunner. That said, independents have previously run and indeed triumphed in cities including London and Bristol.

What powers will the new Mayor have?
The role would be similar although not identical to the Mayor of London in that whoever is elected will command considerable influence over issues such as transport, employment and housing. Unlike the Mayor of Greater Manchester, they will not take control over NHS spending locally.

What are the advantages?
The Mayor will head a combined authority which will have far greater powers passed down from central government and the arrangement will also unlock significantly more funding for the region. Leader of Solihull Council, Bob Sleigh, has said the deal would make it easier to tackle public transport problems and air pollution, which are harder for individual councils to confront.

But not everyone is happy?
The arrangement hasn’t been universally popular, with concerns that the individual authorities could lose much of their independence.
It's also worth noting that residents in both Birmingham and Coventry voted against installing directly-elected Mayors as recently as 2012. Some resent the fact that the idea has now been "rail-roaded" through regardless.
Chelmsley Wood councillor Chris Williams (Green) has said it is important to have a robust process to hold the Mayor to account.