Mayor of the West Midlands

The Mayor of the West Midlands is a directly elected political post who chairs the West Midlands Combined Authority, covering the local authorities serving Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Mayor of the West Midlands
Incumbent Richard Parker since 6 May 2024
West Midlands Combined Authority
Style	Mayor[1]
Member of	West Midlands Combined Authority
Seat	16 Summer Lane, Birmingham
Appointer	Electorate of West Midlands by first past the post
Term length	4 years
Constituting instrument	Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016
Inaugural holder	Andy Street
Formation	8 May 2017
Deputy	TBA
Salary	£79,000[2]
Website	West Midlands Combined Authority - The Mayor

The most recent election took place on Thursday 2 May 2024. Richard Parker took his post as Mayor after defeating former incumbent Andy Street by 1,508 votes.^[3]

The previous election was delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,^[4] so the inaugural mayoral term was extended by a year, with the second term length being reduced to three years between 2021 and 2024. The Mayor's term of office will return to four years from 2024 thereafter.^[5]

Powers and functions

Homes and Land

The Mayor has devolved compulsory purchase powers and is responsible for the West Midlands spatial framework and land commission.

Transport

The Mayor is responsible for franchised bus services, allowing for standardised fares and branding on all bus services in the county, similar to how London's bus network operates.^[6] The Mayor is also responsible for the West Midlands Key Route Network, which is managed by Transport for West Midlands on behalf of the Mayor.^[7]

Devolution

The Mayor is responsible for ensuring that the first devolution deal is put into action and acts on behalf of the region in negotiating future devolution deals with central government.^[8]

The mayor is a member of the Mayoral Council for England and the Council of the Nations and Regions.

Police and crime commissioner

The Mayor was to be vested with the police and crime commissioner functions for the West Midlands Police area from 7 May 2024. Due to an appeal by the current west Midlands PCC, the PCC powers was not be given to the West Midlands mayor.^[9]

List of mayors

Colour key (for political parties)
Conservative   Labour

Name		Picture	Term of office		Elected	Political party	Previous occupations
	Andy Street		8 May 2017	5 May 2024	2017 2021	Conservative	Former managing director of John Lewis
	Richard Parker		6 May 2024	Incumbent	2024	Labour and Co-operative	Former strategy consultant and partner of PwC

References

1. Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, s 107A(5)
2. Elkes, Neil (22 February 2017). "Find out how much the West Midlands Mayor will be paid". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
3. "Who is the new West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker?". 4 May 2024.
4. Gibbons, Brett (13 March 2020). "Coronavirus forces delay to local elections with polls postponed for a year". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
5. "Coronavirus Act 2020". legislation.gov.uk. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
6. "WMCA Devolution Agreement: Key Points" (PDF). West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
7. "Freight & Highways". Transport for West Midlands. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
8. "West Midlands Combined Authority - FAQs". West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
9. Pilgrim, Tom (22 March 2024). "Home Office loses appeal bid over West Midlands policing powers merger ruling". The Standard. ESI Media. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.