2021 West Midlands mayoral election explained

Election Name:2021 West Midlands mayoral election
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2017 West Midlands mayoral election
Previous Year:2017
Election Date:6 May 2021
Next Election:2024 West Midlands mayoral election
Next Year:2024
Turnout:31.2% 4.5%
1Blank:First Round 
2Blank:Percentage
3Blank:Swing
4Blank:Second Round 
5Blank:Percentage
6Blank:Swing
Candidate1:Andy Street
Party1:Conservative Party (UK)
Last Election1:41.9%
1Data1:299,318
2Data1:48.7%
3Data1:6.8pp
4Data1:314,669
5Data1:54.0%
6Data1:3.6pp
Candidate2:Liam Byrne
Party2:Labour and Co-operative
Last Election2:40.8%
1Data2:244,009
2Data2:39.7%
3Data2:1.0pp
4Data2:267,626
5Data2:46.0%
6Data2:3.6pp
Candidate3:Steve Caudwell
Party3:Green Party of England and Wales
Last Election3:4.7%
1Data3:35,559
2Data3:5.8%
3Data3:1.1pp
4Data3:Eliminated
5Data3:Eliminated
6Data3:Eliminated
Mayor
Before Election:Andy Street
Before Party:Conservative Party (UK)
After Election:Andy Street
After Party:Conservative Party (UK)

The 2021 West Midlands mayoral election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the mayor of the West Midlands, on the same day as other local elections across England and Wales, including councillors in six of its seven boroughs and the police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands city region.[1] This was the second election for the post, which had its first election in 2017 due to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016. The mayor was elected using the supplementary vote system. The election was originally due to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[2]

The incumbent Conservative mayor Andy Street was seeking re-election. The Labour Party selected the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Hodge Hill, Liam Byrne, a former Cabinet minister under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who ran as a Labour and Co-operative Party candidate, whilst the Liberal Democrats chose previous Parliamentary candidate for Sutton Coldfield Jenny Wilkinson.

Background

The West Midlands is the second most populous city-region of the United Kingdom after Greater London.[3] The position of Mayor of the West Midlands was created in 2017 following a devolution agreement between the UK government and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 required a directly elected metro mayor for combined authorities to receive additional powers from central government.[4] Under the terms of the devolution deal, the first mayoral term was set to last until 2020, followed by elections every four years.[5] In the inaugural election in 2017, the Conservative candidate Andy Street defeated Labour's Siôn Simon in the final round with 50.4% of the vote.

Prior to the election, the think tank Centre for Cities looked at the results of local elections in West Midlands for 2018 and 2019 to make a prediction of the result and found little movement for Labour and the Conservatives, describing the election as remaining on a "knife-edge".[6] On 12 December 2019 a general election took place in which the Conservatives secured an 80-seat majority, making it the worst seat performance for the Labour Party since the 1935 general election.[7] [8] In further analysis, the Centre for Cities assessed the two parties performance in the West Midlands city region, saw the Conservatives having an advantage going into this election.[9] Paul Waugh of the Huffington Post saw the election as a "tough mountain for [Liam] Byrne to climb". In contrast, writer for the New Statesman, Stephen Bush argued this is a difficult election for the Conservatives saying that the change in Labour's national leadership and being several months after Brexit would change the dynamic of the election.[10]

The election was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] [11] The change in election date is to be ignored when calculating the four-yearly election cycle, so the following election will be held in 2024 and the Mayoral Term of Office in 2021 will accordingly be reduced to three years.[12]

Street lobbied the government to integrate the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) role within the mayoral position in time for the 2020 election. This would have put the role's powers on policing in line with both the mayors of London and Greater Manchester. However, this broke down as the Combined Authority struggled with Street's lack of transparency.[13] [14] A public consultation ran in 2019 saw over 6,000 respondents and 58% supported the integration of the PCC role into the metro mayor. However, concern was expressed that local Conservative groups had encouraged people to fill in multiple responses.[15] In June 2020, Street signed a plan to create a West Midlands National Park, in cooperation with councils in and around the city-region.[16] In February 2021, the WMCA and mayor agreed on a budget and digital strategy for the project.[17] [18] That same month, a five year plan for decarbonising industry in the West Midlands was drafted for the WMCA.[19]

Electoral system

The election used a supplementary vote system, in which voters express a first and a second preference of candidates:

This means that the winning candidate has the support of a majority of voters who expressed a preference among the top two.

All registered electors (British, Commonwealth, Irish and European) living the metropolitan boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton aged 18 or over are entitled to vote in the mayoral election.

Campaign

Prior to the election campaign in December 2019, Street stated that council tax across the city region may have to increase in 2021. Street set targets of delivering 215,000 homes in the city region by 2030 as well as the West Midlands becoming carbon neutral by 2041.[20] On 4 February, Street released a prospective metro map for the West Midlands, planned to be built by 2040 should he get elected. The plan featured eight lines for the West Midlands Metro tram network and 21 new train stations.[21] The branding used on the map puts Street's name in green rather than blue and with no branding associated with the Conservatives.[22]

Liam Byrne, an MP and former minister, was selected as the Labour candidate in February 2020. He made reducing homelessness in the city region a core part of his campaign and making the city carbon neutral by introducing a Green New Deal for the West Midlands.[23] He appointed Beverley Nielsen, who had been the Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2017 mayoral election, to be his climate lead.[24]

Ashvir Sangha, a social entrepreneur and former organiser in the 'Brum Young Leaders' programme, was standing as an independent candidate. He laid out his launch into politics with the slogan "Our West Midlands", and set out his six key commitments for the city-region.[25] In early April, Sangha withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Andy Street.[26]

In February 2021, Green candidate Steve Caudwell was critical of government restrictions on campaigning - such as a restriction on volunteers to distribute leaflet; as it restricts smaller, more financially constrained parties.[27]

Candidates and party selections

Candidates were required to be aged 18 or over and be a British, Commonwealth or European Union citizen. In addition they should fulfil one of the following: be registered to vote in the WMCA area; own or occupy land in the area for 12 months before their nomination; work in the WMCA for 12 months before their nomination; or have lived in the WMCA during the 12 months before their nomination.[28] Candidates are also required to present 100 signatures of people on the electoral register, with 10 from each constituent authority, and provide a £5,000 deposit to be returned if the candidate receives more than 5% in the first round.[29]

Conservative Party

Andy Street was re-selected as the Conservative candidate in September 2019.[30] He was previously the managing director of John Lewis.[10]

Labour Party

Liam Byrne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, was selected as Labour's candidate in February 2020. Five politicians showed interest in standing. Two of them: Neena Gill a Member of the European Parliament and Lynda Waltho, former MP for Stourbridge[31] [32] withdrew their candidacy. The candidates for selection were Byrne,[33] Pete Lowe, a former leader of Dudley Council and vice chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority[34] [35] and Salma Yaqoob, the former leader of the Respect Party.[36] [37]

The Labour Party delayed their plan to announce their candidate in November 2019 due to the 2019 General Election.[38] The candidates were voted on by Labour Party members in the West Midlands, with the result announced in February 2020.[35] This was considered late as Labour selected their candidate for the previous election in August 2016 ahead of the May 2017 election.[39] Byrne was announced as the party's candidate on 6 February, with 6,948 valid votes being cast, a significant increase from the 3,817 recorded for the 2017 candidate selection. There was also five rejected ballots from the first round and a total of 698 votes non-transferable for the second round.[40]

Byrne was considered more centrist than the other two candidates, who were seen as being on the left of the party.[41] [42] [43] In Byrne's selection campaign he promoted ideas including the West Midlands being a "region of sanctuary" for refugees and municipal socialist policies for the city region.[39] He also promoted his positive relationship and endorsement from the then shadow chancellor John McDonnell.[44] Journalists including Sienna Rodgers and Stephen Bush noted that his success in the selection could be seen as a boost for Keir Starmer's campaign for national Labour leadership.[40] [44] [45]

Selection results

Liberal Democrats

Jenny Wilkinson, who stood for the party in Sutton Coldfield at the 2017 and 2019 general elections was selected in December 2020.[46] She also stood for the party for the West Midlands region in the 2019 European Parliament Election.[47] This was after their original selection of Beverley Nielsen, the party's candidate in the 2017 West Midlands mayoral election (announced as the party's candidate in January 2020,[48]) stood down as Mayoral Candidate in July 2020 citing the struggle to balance the added year of campaigning brought on by the election delay to due the COVID-19 pandemic.[49] She subsequently resigned from the party, along with three other Malvern Hills District Council Lib Dems, in protest after the group's new leader pulled out of the authority's ruling coalition administration.[50] Nielsen was later appointed Liam Byrne's Climate Tsar for the Labour candidate's campaign.[51]

Wilkinson was well known in her local area, notably for a campaign to save public libraries from closure, as she believed they played a vital part in local communities.[52]

Green Party

Steve Caudwell, the party's group leader on Solihull Council and the party's only opposition leader in the West Midlands was announced as the party's candidate in January 2021.[53] He was standing for: "An end to the West Midlands Poverty Scandal, a genuinely Green Industrial Revolution, and a transport system you can actually use."[54] They had originally selected the chair of Hednesford Town Council, Kathryn Downs.[55] Downs and other councillors resigned their party memberships to create a new independent group of councillors in June 2020.[56]

Reform UK

Pete Durnell, who stood as UKIP's candidate in 2017 and finished 4th but saved his deposit with 5.6% of the 1st round vote, was announced as Reform UK's candidate on 1 April.

Candidates who intended to stand, but did not

Withdrawn candidate

Ashvir Sangha, a social entrepreneur, was an independent candidate, under the 'Our West Midlands' slogan, before his withdrawal on 6 April 2021 to endorse the incumbent mayor Andy Street.

Opinion polling

Final Round

PollsterClientDate(s)
conducted
Sample sizeFirst preferenceFinal round
StreetByrneWilkinsonCaudwellOthersLeadStreetByrneLead
ConLabLib DemGreenConLab
data-sort-type="number" style="background:" data-sort-type="number" style="background:" data-sort-type="number" style="background:" data-sort-type="number" style="background:" data-sort-type="number" style="background:" data-sort-type="number" style="background:"
Election48.7%39.7%3.6%5.8%2.2%9%54%46%8%
OpiniumThe Times19–26 April97154%37%3%4%3%14%59%41%18%
Redfield and WiltonN/A18–21 April1,00046%37%6%5%3%9%
Find Out Now/Electoral CalculusDaily Telegraph1–7 April1,00045%38%4%8%5%7%52%48%4%
Election41.9%40.8%5.9%4.7%6.7%1.1%50.4%49.6%0.8%

Results

Wolverhampton

Notes and References

  1. News: West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor: What you need to know . ITV News . 24 April 2017 . 3 May 2017.
  2. News: Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus . 13 March 2020 . BBC News . 13 March 2020.
  3. Web site: Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Office for National Statistics . 1 February 2020.
  4. Web site: Everything you need to know about metro mayors: an FAQ. 27 June 2016. Centre for Cities.
  5. News: West Midlands mayor to be elected on May 4 2017. Walker. Jonathan. 19 July 2016. BirminghamLive. 23 August 2017. Reach.
  6. News: Jeffrey . Simon . Bell . Owen . What do the local elections tell us about the upcoming metro mayor elections? . 13 August 2019 . Centre for Cities . 22 May 2019.
  7. News: Wainwright . Daniel . How Labour's 'red wall' turned blue . 2 February 2020 . BBC News . 13 December 2019.
  8. News: Rodger . James . General Election: All the results from Birmingham and West Midlands . 2 February 2020 . BirminghamLive . 13 December 2019. Reach.
  9. Web site: Jeffrey . Simon . 2020 vision — What does Thursday's vote mean for May's Metro Mayor elections . Centre for Cities . 2 February 2020 . 17 December 2019.
  10. News: What should we expect from this year's mayoral elections? . 1 February 2020 . New Statesman . 13 January 2020 . Stephen. Bush.
  11. News: May's local and mayoral elections postponed for a year due to coronavirus . 13 March 2020 . ITV News . 13 March 2020 .
  12. Web site: Coronavirus Act 2020. www.legislation.gov.uk. 2020-05-13.
  13. News: Dare . Tom . 2020 to be the biggest year in the brief history of the mayor . 31 January 2020 . BirminghamLive. Reach. 6 January 2020.
  14. News: Guttridge . Richard . Tory candidate would work with Mayor Andy Street despite plan to abolish PCC role . 31 January 2020 . Express and Star . 30 January 2020. MNA Media.
  15. News: Dare . Tom . Controversial police consultation backs merger with mayor . 18 February 2021 . BirminghamLive . . 15 March 2019 . en.
  16. News: Robinson . Jon . Combined authority adopts national park plans . 18 February 2021 . Insider Media Ltd . 12 June 2020 . en.
  17. News: Evenstad . Lis . West Midlands refreshes digital strategy . 18 February 2021 . . 1 February 2021 . en.
  18. News: Parkes. Thomas. 15 February 2021. West Midlands Combined Authority's £900 million budget approved. en. Express and Star. 18 February 2021.
  19. News: Jones . Tamlyn . Green masterplan for West Midlands could create 92,000 jobs . 18 February 2021 . . 4 February 2021 . en.
  20. Web site: Rosser. Emma. 31 January 2019. West Midlands mayor Andy Street sets out his 2020 agenda. 1 February 2020. Estates Gazette. Reed Business Information.
  21. News: Billion pound transport plans for West Midlands include underground lines and 21 new rail stations. ITV News. 7 February 2020.
  22. Web site: Elledge. Jonn. The mayor of the West Midlands has released a map of his £15bn transport plan and it's so, so beautiful. 7 February 2020. CityMetric. 5 February 2020. NS Media Group. 7 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200207005112/https://www.citymetric.com/transport/mayor-west-midlands-has-released-map-his-15bn-transport-plan-and-it-s-so-so-beautiful-4925. dead.
  23. News: Pidd. Helen. 6 February 2020. Labour selects Liam Byrne as West Midlands mayoral candidate. The Guardian. 7 February 2020.
  24. Web site: Madeley. Peter. 21 September 2020. Byrne appoints former Liberal Democrat as climate tsar. 21 September 2020. Express and Star. Midland News Association.
  25. News: Haynes. Jane. 22 February 2020. Surprise candidate launches bid to become West Mids Mayor on platform of "youth and inclusivity". BirminghamLive. Reach. 25 February 2020.
  26. News: Madeley . Peter . West Midland mayoral candidate quits race and endorses Andy Street . 23 April 2021 . . 8 April 2021 . en.
  27. News: Crawford. Ross. 7 February 2021. Green Party's West Midlands Mayor candidate accuses Tories of 'trying to buy local elections'. en. Coventry Observer. 18 February 2021.
  28. Web site: Candidates. West Midlands Combined Authority. 5 April 2017. Combined Authority Returning Officer. 6 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170406111816/https://www.wmcaelects.co.uk/candidates/. dead.
  29. News: West Midlands mayoral race 2021: The candidates who say they will be standing . 18 February 2021 . BBC News . 12 February 2021.
  30. Web site: Andy Street to stand for re-election as Conservative candidate at next year's West Midlands Mayoral elections. Solihull Observer. 17 September 2019. Sarah. Mason. 17 September 2019. Bullivant Media.
  31. News: Birmingham MP Liam Byrne hopes to stand for West Midlands Mayor. Walker. Jonathan. 5 May 2019. BirminghamLive. 25 May 2019. Reach.
  32. News: Former MP Lynda Waltho pulls out of West Midlands mayoral race. Peter. Madeley. Express & Star. MNA Media.
  33. News: MP Liam Byrne wins backing of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell in bid to become West Midlands Mayor. Reach. Walker. Jonathan. 5 September 2019. BirminghamLive. 9 May 2019.
  34. News: Madeley . Peter . Dudley councillor Pete Lowe joins West Midlands mayoral race as 'anti-austerity' candidate . 31 January 2020 . Express and Star . 3 June 2019. MNA Media.
  35. News: Madeley . Peter . Proud Socialist Pete Lowe: I'm the man to win West Midlands Mayoral contest for Labour . 31 January 2020 . Express & Star . 28 January 2020. MNA Media.
  36. News: Parveen . Nazia . Former Respect party leader plans to run for Labour in mayoral election . 18 September 2019 . The Guardian . 18 September 2019.
  37. News: Yaqoob . Salma . Salma Yaqoob: Whitehall will not be able to ignore me as Labour Mayor for the West Midlands . 31 January 2020 . Left Foot Forward . 22 January 2020.
  38. News: Walker . Jonathan . Labour gives the Conservatives a two-month head-start in the contest to become West Midlands Mayor . 13 August 2019 . Reach. BirminghamLive. 31 July 2019.
  39. Web site: Chappell . Elliot . Who is running to be Labour's West Midlands mayoral candidate? . 1 February 2020 . LabourList . 24 January 2020.
  40. Web site: Liam Byrne wins Labour's West Midlands metro mayor selection race. 6 February 2020. LabourList. 6 February 2020. Sienna. Rodgers.
  41. Web site: Waugh . Paul . Why The West Midlands Mayoral Election Matters For Labour - And The Tories . HuffPost UK . Huffington Post . 7 February 2020 . 6 February 2020.
  42. News: Labour announces West Midlands mayoral candidate . 7 February 2020 . BBC News . 6 February 2020.
  43. News: Carlon . John . Labour ex-minister Liam Byrne to take on Andy Street in mayoral election . 7 February 2020 . Solihull Observer . 6 February 2020. Bullivant Media.
  44. News: Liam Byrne's victory is good news for Keir Starmer, but not for the reasons you think . 7 February 2020 . New Statesman. Stephen. Bush. 6 February 2020.
  45. News: Sabbagh . Dan . Keir Starmer leads the Labour race after unspectacular campaign . 25 February 2020 . The Guardian . 23 February 2020.
  46. Web site: Lib Dems announce mayoral candidate for West Midlands. 8 December 2020. Express and Star. 8 December 2020. MNA Media.
  47. Web site: Jenny Wilkinson. 2021-03-03. Liberal Democrats. en.
  48. Web site: Liberal Democrats pick Beverley Nielsen for West Midlands Mayor candidate. Walker. Jonathan. 16 January 2020. BirminghamLive. 6 February 2020. Reach.
  49. Web site: FORMER CBI DIRECTOR DROPS OUT OF MAYORAL RACE. Robinson. Jon. 30 July 2020. Insider Media. 27 September 2020. Newsco Insider Limited.
  50. Web site: Four councillors in Malvern quit Lib Dems over new leader's decision to leave administration. Barnett. Christian. 9 July 2020. Worcester News. 27 September 2020. Newsquest Media Group Limited.
  51. Web site: Byrne appoints former Liberal Democrat as climate tsar. Madeley. Peter. 21 September 2020. Express and Star. 26 September 2020. Midland News Association.
  52. Web site: Trustees – FOLIO Sutton Coldfield. 2021-03-03. en-GB.
  53. Web site: A Green Party Mayor for the West Midlands. Caudwell. Caudwell. 10 January 2021. Crowdfunder. 11 January 2021.
  54. Web site:
    1. Steve4Mayor - Campaign Video #1
    . www.youtube.com.
  55. News: Smith . Martyn . Green Party candidate for mayor launches her election campaign . Halesowen News . 10 November 2019 . Yes. Newsquest Media Group.
  56. Web site: Labour, Green and Lib Dem councillors quit parties to form new group. Madeley. Peter. 15 June 2020. Express and Star. 15 June 2020. Midland News Association.
  57. News: Halesowen campaigner to stand for West Midlands Mayor elections. 25 April 2020 . Halesowen News . 20 November 2018.
  58. Web site: West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor Election 2021. Rankine. Colin. 28 May 2019.