Mayoral election: Just weeks remain until polling day

TOTTING UP VOTES: Each of the seven council areas will count their ballot
papers separately and their totals will then be added together.

NEXT month the region will go to the polls to elect the first ever Mayor of the West Midlands.

The winning candidate will have direct responsibility for an area encompassing seven council areas (Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley), control a multi-million pound budget and represent almost three million constituents.
While the upcoming county council elections are mostly held in Conservative strongholds and the other Mayoral races (including Manchester and Merseyside) are in traditional Labour heartlands, the West Midlands contest is one of the few battlegrounds where the two largest parties both have a credible chance of winning.

The area has generally been dominated by Labour, who have the majority of MPs and overall control of four of the seven councils. Indeed, Solihull is the only local authority where they are not the largest party.
But the Tories will be buoyed by a significant lead in the national opinion polls and, based on results from the 2015 General Election, a swing of four per cent could be enough to hand the Conservatives victory.
While triumph by any of the other parties would be a significant surprise, the current political climate is such that it would be foolish to discount it altogether. Moreover, the election gives voters the chance to give a second preference, which could yet decide the outcome.

Whoever takes office in early May, they will be handed considerable decision-making powers, handling key areas including housing, business and transport.

Unlike individuals being installed elsewhere in the UK, they will not at this stage take responsibility for policing or local NHS services. In addition, services relating to schools, libraries bin collections etc will continue to be the responsibility of individual councils.

Depending on how the role evolves, more responsibility could be passed down from Westminster in the years ahead.

The Mayor, who is to receive an annual salary of around £80,000, will be in post for the next three years. Following the election in 2020, individuals will serve four years' terms from then on.
The election takes place on Thursday, May 4. Other Side of Solihull will be running a profile of all six candidates standing later this month. In the meantime, you can find more information here.