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Street calls for £1bn to support car industry

Andy Street has called for an extra £1 billion to support the West Midlands car industry as it shifts towards greener technologies.

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West Midlands Mayor Andy Street

The West Midlands Mayor wants the government to stump up the cash over the next four years to help the transition away from diesel and into electric vehicle manufacturing.

He is pushing for the region to become a world leader in the sector, which he says will attract thousands of well paid jobs through major firms such as Lotus and Volvo.

Conservative Mr Street launched a new plan for the region's car industry as part of his campaign for a second term as Mayor.

He said: "The climate emergency makes it more urgent that we work together to support the car industry in the region in its transition to green technologies," he added.

"We have a great heritage of car-making in the West Midlands and we can be a world leader in the new clean electric vehicle and battery industries.

"There is the potential to bring thousands of well-paid new jobs into the region and that’s why we need a business-minded Mayor who understands the car industry and has been working hard to help the industry in the West Midlands stay one step ahead of our global competitors."

As part of the plans Mr Street called for van and bus manufacturing to return to the region, utilising electric drivetrain and battery technology.

He vowed to work with bosses at Jaguar Land Rover and Tata to secure the jobs of all workers in the existing JLR plants, while ensuring the Government prioritises the West Midlands car industry in the Brexit negotiations.

The Mayor also set out plans for the roll out of thousands of electric vehicle charging points – a move he said will create 400 jobs – and pledged to lobby ministers to launch incentives encouraging people to switch to electric vehicles.

Mr Street is also bidding to bring a new gigafactory to the region.

It came as Jaguar Land Rover unveiled its electric vehicle prototype Project Vector, which will be piloted next year through Transport for West Midlands.

In May's mayoral election, Mr Street faces competition from Labour's Liam Byrne, Lib Dem Beverley Nielsen and Kathryn Downs for the Greens.

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