Express & Star

West Midlands Mayor: YOUR chance to grill candidates with extra tickets made available for debate

Due to popular demand the Express & Star has made a small number of extra tickets available for this week's West Midlands Mayor hustings event.

Published

The candidates to lead the region's combined authority are set to go head-to-head in a Question Time-style debate at the Black Country Living Museum on Tuesday evening.

It will be the first major hustings event of the Mayoral campaign and will be chaired by Express & Star editor Keith Harrison.

  • UPDATE: All tickets now gone

Our initial allocation of tickets has already been snapped up, but five extra tickets have now been made available to our readers.

They will be distributed on a strictly first come, first served basis.

To request a ticket email peter.madeley@expressandstar.co.uk giving your name and a contact telephone number.

Successful applicants will be notified on Monday.

What’s it all about?

On May 4 voters in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Solihull and Coventry will elect a Mayor to head up the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The position will control a budget of £36 million a year.

What is the West Midlands Combined Authority?

It is the seven councils mentioned above, working together on issues that impact on the whole region, including transport and housing. It will not replace individual local authorities, which will carry on as usual. The WMCA was formed to give the region the power to make decisions over issues formerly controlled by the Government. It will have responsibility for jobs, skills, economic growth, transport and housing, as well as some responsibility for mental health.

Who is involved?

Along with the seven boroughs, there are five non-constituent authorities: Cannock Chase, Telford and Wrekin, Redditch, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Tamworth. Three local enterprise partnerships are also involved: Black Country, Greater Birmingham and Coventry and Warwickshire.

Where does the Mayor fit in?

When the Government first announced plans for devolution to the regions in 2015, the then Chancellor George Osborne made having a Metro Mayor part of the deal. The Mayor will chair the WMCA, which consists of the leaders of the seven constituent councils.

Who are the candidates for Mayor?

Five candidates have declared so far. They are Labour's Siôn Simon, Conservative Andy Street, UKIP's Pete Durnell, Lib Dem Beverley Nielsen and the Green Party's James Burn.

Candidates Siôn Simon, Peter Durnell, Beverley Neilsen, James Burn and Andy Street
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