Watch as mayoral candidates clash over police stations, transport and pledges at Express & Star hustings

The event, hosted by the University of Wolverhampton, brought five of the six candidates together for a two-hour question and answer session.

Members of a young audience, including students from the university, spoke of their concerns over knife crime, following a series of murders in the Black Country that have left a number of teenagers dead on our streets.

They questioned the visibility of policing in the region, calling for the presence of police stations within the community.

Mr Street, who failed in his bid to take over the Labour-controlled police and crime commissioner office, said: “Neighbourhood policing is so important and this is why police stations are vital.

“We would halt the closure of police stations, which the Labour police and crime commissioner is planning. Aldridge, Wednesfield – these stations are closing and this must not happen. Local community policing is so important.”

Challenging Mr Parker directly, Mr Street said: “Richard you are now supporting a Labour police and crime commissioner who has a proposal to close 30 stations.

“Your own literature says you will halt the police station closures, but now you are supporting his plan to close 30 stations, so which is it? Closure or savings?”

Mr Parker responded: “We have a fantastic Labour candidate for police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster.

“Responding to massive cuts to the budget, Simon is looking how the police can operate out of other public sector buildings.

“So it is not a matter of just closing police stations, it is finding places in the community where the police can work, where other civil servants work from.”

The West Midlands Mayoral election will provide the winner with the role of advocating for the region, bringing in investment and developing infrastructure such as the Midland Metro.

The Express & Star West Midlands Mayoral hustings highlighted the issues facing the region as voters go to the polls on May 2.

Candidates laid out their visions for the future at Wolverhampton University and were quizzed by voters and students. There were clashes between exasperated candidates who argued over both details of each other's promises and the various records of administrations, local and national.

Transport, police stations and the green agenda were the touchstone issues of the hustings.

Children from a Walsall school demanded the candidates reveal what they would do to make them, and their friends, safe from teenage knife crime.

Liberal Democrat Sunny Virk, Labour's Richard Parker, Conservative Mayor Andy Street, Reform UK's Elaine Williams and the Green Party Siobhan Harper-Nunes attended the event. Independent Akhmed Yakoob did not attend.

When Mr Street repeated again Mr Parker changing his mind about police station quotas, Mr Parker said, with his arms held aloft: "I don't know what more I have to say about this, it is about putting police officers in existing hubs, not closing stations."

Whereas Liberal Democrat candidate Mr Virk said: "Both Labour and Conservatives have failed people when it has come to crime in this region. West Midlands Police Force are in special measures, Birmingham City Council and other councils are cutting youth workers. They have cut police officers so neighbourhood policing cannot be done."

The hustings were held at Wolverhampton University's Business School. Vice-Chancellor Professor Ebrahim Adia outlined their importance.

Starting the proceedings, he said: "The university has been an important part of the city for over 200 years and we are proud to be hosting this hustings, it is a very important part of the democratic process.

"It is great to see so many people here, the candidates and hopefully our students will be asking them questions."

Newly appointed Express & Star editor Mark Drew said: "I'd like to thank the university for hosting this hustings, the university is a huge part of the city. This is a fascinating election, the outcome of this election is being watched nationally.

"This is the kind of event our political reporter Pete Madeley would have loved. His funeral was yesterday, and in a lot of ways this event is in memory of him."

Each candidate was then given two minutes to set out their pitch to the voters, and hustings host, Star reporter Mark Andrews ensured all had the same amount of time to answer questions.

Elaine Williams, for Reform UK, began proceedings and immediately went on the attack concerning the green agenda.

She said: "The Clean Air Zones, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph zones make needlessly difficult to travel around our cities. Local businesses are struggling because of these measures, they make it harder for customers to use their businesses."

Richard Parker said: "I have worked around here all my life. Under 14 years of a Conservative Government, and seven years with a Conservative Mayor this region has gone backwards. We need more jobs. most of those people come from the poorest part of the region, and too many of them come from the Black Country.

"I will have a mayoral base in the Black Country, I am committed to that. This region deserves a fresh start. We will revitalise the high street, and increase footfall in high streets across the region."

Tory incumbent Andy Street said: "If you look across all the deliverables of the mayoral office, we have done it. We have achieved our housing quota with not one part of the green belt in the Black Country has been built on. Lots have been done. Everything I commit to has been costed in detail in our manifesto."

Green Party candidate Siobhan Harper-Nunes said: "The reason I joined the Green Party is because I got tired of watching two parties making a mess of the country I love. The Green Party stands for social justice.

"In this region, we have become the worst housing stock in the whole of Europe, we have made a little progress on climate change, a little bit here, a little bit there, but there is not a systemic change."

Sunny Virk, for the Liberal Democrats, said: "All this talk about what is being done, well it should have been done already. If you want to vote for someone who will get something done, I am that guy,

"That nation is watching this election."

Transport was the first issue which the candidates demonstrated their differences, though at least three promised to deliver an oyster style tap and go system.

Reverend Sarah Schofield, the university chaplain, asked what could be done to improve transport options for those who did not drive in the region.

Richard Parker said: "A common theme is people can't get to work, cannot get to the high street, this is because the buses are in National Express hands, I will bring buses into public ownership, like Manchester, so we can make the decision where bus routes will go, and where they are most needed."

Mr Street shot back at Mr Parker claiming the plan would cost the taxpayer: "£140 million" whereas Mr Parker refuted that number and countered with "£25m."

There were arguments about the cost of buses compared to London and the reason why routes have been axed.

Pupils from St Thomas More School were the first to raise the issue of knife crime into the debate. With one pupil asking the candidates how they would tackle the rising tide of knife crime.

However, as they candidates gave their answers it was obvious not having the powers of the police and crime commissioner meant they could not do what other Metropolitan Mayors could do.

Mrs Harper-Nunes said: "We need to give youngsters a distraction, we need more youth workers not less. And when money is tight the first thing that gets cut is youth services, we are seeing the consequences of this now with so much knife crime."

Former police officer David Viner spoke from crowd: "I was a serving police officer for over 30 years and something which is so important is when you take bobbies off the beat, crime goes up. Officers lose contact with what's happening on the street."

There were also spats between Liberal Democrat Mr Virk and Reform UK Mrs Williams, with the former proudly reeling off Lib Dem by-election victories which prompted Mrs Williams to say: "We are the third party in the polls, and we are the clear opposition to Labour and the Conservatives."

Other topics of debate included rural poverty and the prospect of Midlands Velodrome. After two hours, and yet more pleas for votes, Mark Andrews brought proceedings to an end.

He said: "That's it, thanks to the candidates here today, and to everyone in the audience. Don't forget to vote on May 2."