Words and pics supplied byErdington Ward Cllr Robert Alden – Leader of Birmingham Conservatives
It has been another busy month, here is some of what Cllr Gareth Moore and I have been up to:
Summer has arrived and so has the summer fete season, kicked off by a wonderful Arts and Crafts Fayre at St Barnabas Church, which Gareth and I attended. This included the launch of a historical exhibition of old photos of Erdington by the Erdington Historical Society.
It’s always great to see the wonderful range of community events that take place each year, put on and run by local volunteers.
Sadly, over the last month the High Street has had a series of serious criminal incidents. We’ve met with a number of local residents about these and are in contact with local Police.
These incidents are totally unacceptable, and it is vital that more is done by West Midlands Police to ensure residents in Erdington are kept safe and anyone causing ASB or crime on the High Street are not allowed to continue this behaviour.
We will of course do all we can to try and secure additional policing resources from West Midlands Police to support our excellent local policing team.
This month we’ve also been at the latest project meeting for the Erdington Baths Scheme. The £4m needed for converting the baths into an Enterprise Hub has now been secured.
Witton Lodge Community Association, who are running the delivery of the scheme, are hoping work will start later in the summer.
The Conservatives have won the Kingstanding by-election with a 5.8 percent swing of the votes, in a result which will take on national significance ahead of the General Election.
Under the party name Local Conservatives, Clifton Frederick Welch polled 829 votes – retaining the second councillor seat in the North Birmingham Ward for the Conservatives.
Mr Welch had previously stood for the Pype Hayes Ward in local council elections, losing out to Labour’s candidates by 92 votes in 2022 and only 16 votes in 2018.
Coming in second place in the Kingstanding by-election, Naz Rasheed won 680 votes for Labour – losing by 149 votes to the party’s main political rival.
In third place, and significantly behind the front two candidates, was Lucy Haywood for the Liberal Democrats who received 82 votes.
Christopher Lee was forth with 72 votes for the Green Party, Pete Higgins of George Galloway’s Workers Party of Great Britain came in fifth with 46 votes, whilst Kris O’Sullivan of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition took only 20 votes in sixth place. There were ten spoiled ballots counted.
Yesterday’s by-election in Kingstanding was sparked by the resignation of the Ward’s former Conservative Councillor Rick Payne’s – after a slew of his racist social media comments were made public following an investigation by national anti-racism charity HOPE Not Hate.
The by-election was the first Erdington constituency poll since Birmingham City Council was effectively publicly declared bankrupt, after a section 114 notice was issued by city officers in September 2023.
The nationally reported financial chaos brought in Government appointed commissioners, and saw Birmingham’s current Labour run Council increase Council Tax bills by 20 per cent over the next two years and pass a cost-cutting budget which axed lifeline services for the city most vulnerable adults and children.
The election is also the last meaningful vote before the General Election scheduled on 4 July. A Conservatives win in Kingstanding, with a 5.8 per cent swing, will send shockwaves throughout Westminster.
The result will be analysed by all the national parties and commentators looking for trends which can shed a light on voters intentions in the General Election.
The combined vote for the leftwing alternative to Labour, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition and the Workers Party was 66 votes which even if had gone to Labour would have still seen the Tories win.
Even if the Green vote, which many tactically vote instead of Labour, were added to the Workers and Socialist Parties the Tories still would have come out on top.
Further possibly reflecting the national trend, less than 1,700 Kingstanding residents turned out to vote in the by-election, with the official figures yet to be released by Birmingham City Council.
Rishi Sunak’s election team will likely seize on the result of what in national terms is an obscure by-elections as a glimmer of hope they can still win the General Election.
Following the results of the KIngstanding by-election, the Birmingham Conservative Group tweeted: “Birmingham Local Conservatives have won the Kingstanding by-election – with a 5.8% swing. The people of Kingstanding have sent a clear message to bankrupt Birmingham Labour over their double whammy of higher taxes and fewer services!”
At the time of writing, no message had been posted by either Birmingham Labour or their candidate Naziah Rasheed.
Polling company Election Maps UK claimed the Tories vote went up 4.7%, clinching 47.9% of the vote, whilst Labour’s vote dropped by 6.1% since the the 2022 local elections.
Councillor Welch is a familiar face in Erdington, campaigning in Pype Hayes with Birmingham City Council Conservative Group leader and Erdington Councillor Bobby Alden.
Erdington Conservative candidate for the General Election Steve Knee was knocking doors with Councillor Welch over the last week.
He said: “It was great to be supporting Clifton Welch in Kingstanding! Two out of the three days of this Bank Holiday weekend were spent in support of Clifton Welch in Kingstanding.”
Erdington Local has approached all political parties for comment.
For more on both local and national elections held across the UK, alongside advice on how to register to vote, visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk
Words by Erdington Local’s editorial team, profile pics supplied by Birmingham Conservatives and Birmingham Labour
Kingstanding residents will take to the ballot box on 30 May, as the resignation of Councillor Rick Payne has spurned an awkward by-election.
But with the ward’s second councillor from across the aisle under “administrative suspension” for wrongly pocketing over £6000 from the public purse, the people of the B44 postcode are living life without effective political representation.
As the race heats up for the open seat in the two councillor ward, Erdington Local takes a look at Kingstanding’s political past, present, and potential future.
“No taxation, without representation” was the refrain against the Kings of England for centuries.
Kingstanding, named such after King Charles I rested his troops in October 1642 during the Civil War, as he stumbled towards his own death six years later, is again on the political map for all the wrong reasons.
A by-election is set to be held on 30 May, after Conservative Councillor Rick Payne resigned from Birmingham City Council following an investigation from anti-racism group Hope Not Hate exposed a shockingly offensive Twitter account held by the elected official.
Worryingly, despite being a councillor for the governing party of the UK, the Conservatives, the former army veteran posted Islamophobic and racist tweets under a pseudonym ‘Ryk and the Los Palmas 7’ – calling a “civil uprising”, “revolution” and openly mused about the “assassinations of high profile political figures”.
The vile and vicious views of Mr Payne further included describing Pakistanis as “disgusting inbred mediaeval filth” and “dirtier than pigs”. Echoing Enoch Powell, he also hoped “blood will be spilt”.
What makes his heinous comments even more dangerous is the chequered past of political and racial tension in the ward he represented, an area sadly tarnished with a long-standing association with racism – which today the vast majority of Kingstanding residents vehemently oppose or have long since rejected.
But for decades, Kingstanding was one of the only wards in the country where the National Front would stand, even when the British National Party (BNP) stood as well. But the two far right parties only succeeded in splitting the vote between them and preventing the BNP candidate Sharon Ebanks from winning Kingstanding in 2006.
And in a significant sign that the race hate fuelled politics was no longer welcome in Kingstanding, when the National Front last stood for election in Kingstanding, in 2016, they received only 21 votes and have not been seen since.
At the time, veteran politicians complained about racist constituents letting the area down. But now it is the politicians who have let the people of Kingstanding down.
After the reorganisation of the political wards across Birmingham in 2018, Kingstanding went from having three councillors to two – and voters in 2022 returned Conservative’s Rick Payne and Labour’s Des Hughes.
But in March this year, a report was presented to Birmingham City Council’s Scrutiny Committee that found Cllr Hughes has breached the Council’s Code of Conduct on four counts – including pocketing over £6000 from a Council run special educational needs and disabilities service, SENDIASS, in what he claimed was intended to be “a voluntary capacity for a few weeks”.
Mr Hughes was first employed by SENDIASS in April 2019, in the position of Parent Partnership Support Officer. But after being selected as Labour’s candidate for the Kingstanding Ward in the Council 2022 elections he followed official protocol and resigned his city officer role, allowing him to campaign and take up office without a conflict of interests.
However, findings from Mr Lewin’s investigation showed Mr Hughes continued to work for SENDIASS until “at least” the end of August 2022, receiving a further £6,189.96 from the public purse – referenced as ‘SALERY OVERPAYMENT RECOVERY Late Leaver’ on the invoices
When questioned about the money, received after his official resignation from SENDIASS, Cllr Hughes claimed he was not aware he had been paid by the service and had not seen the invoices before – despite them being mailed to his home address in Kingstanding.
He told investigators: “…this might sound flippant, but if there’s money in the account when I go to the cashpoint, I tend not to investigate further.”
(pictured left to right – Rick Payne, Des Hughes)
Following the investigation, Birmingham Labour put their Kingstanding councillor on “administrative suspension”, with a final decision on how to address or resolve the matter yet to be made. And with a by-election now scheduled to elect a replacement for Rik Payne, the Kingstanding Ward is the political equivalent of a ship without a sail.
Payne quit his £18,876 a year post citing mental health struggles. But as Kingstanding’s Conservative councillor made an immediate exit when his political and personal world came crashing down, Kingstanding’s Labour councillor is still picking up the taxpayer’s dime.
And whilst it is difficult for any political party to force an elected official to step down, even if Birmingham Labour did decide to wash their hands of Mr Hughes he could still retain his position as Kingstanding councillor as an independent.
Although sitting in the Council’s chamber without a party to back you up is a difficult place to be.
One North Birmingham Labour councillor, who did not want to be named, told Erdington Local: “It is not easy being an independent councillor, especially if you want to get things done. Being in the party gives you research resources and just so much more information to do a better job for your constituents.
“And especially if your party is in charge, like Labour are. One phone call can solve a case work problem whereas if you are independent what sway have you got? You are just one step up from a member of the public when it comes to power and influence.”
Plus, having an independent councillor would mean Kingstanding will miss out again – with one of its elected officials unsupported and with their claws clipped.
But the upcoming by-election, to replace Mr Payne, could see a better candidate take up office – which would breathe life into the beleaguered political lung that currently wheezes for the Kingstanding Ward.
Six candidates have declared for the by-election on 30 May. Lucy Hayward for the Liberal Democrats, Pete Higgins for George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain, Patrick Christopher Lee for the Green Party, Kris O’Sullivan for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, and Clifton Frederick Welch for the Conservatives.
Naz Rasheed is standing for Labour; she will have to defend the party’s record at Birmingham City Council. Turnout is likely to be low. The Conservatives broke Labour’s stranglehold of the seat since the 1960s in 2014 during a previous by-election.
That year Gary Sambrook won the seat for the Tories. However, five years later he then became Northfield’s MP and Kingstanding was again left without representation until the following council elections.
There were also negotiations underway for a single issue candidate to stand against Labour in the upcoming Kingstanding by-election.
The Save Birmingham Youth Campaign wanted to turn the election in a referendum into Labour’s cuts to schools, SEND, and youth services. However, the plan did not get off the ground and whoever wins on 30 May from the six candidates in the race to replace for Councillor Payne will need to make up for lost time, and to start giving their constituents and the area the much needed support both have missed out on due to poor political representation.
Unlike the majority of local authorities Birmingham City Council does not reveal its councillor’s attendance record concerning meetings, committees, and or ward matters. And without entering a freedom of information request, which now often get refused on the basis of cost, it is almost impossible to discover how much case work each councillor is undertaking.
However, through anecdotal and data research using council agendas, minutes, and reports, Erdington Local can reveal Kingstanding’s most recent councillors did a fraction of the work other ward councillors have done. Whether it is objecting to planning applications or lobbying departments on behalf of desperate residents, Kingstanding’s political clout almost ground to a halt this spring.
Even public facing representation, including on social media, the blatant disinterest from those appointed to stand up and shout for the area is there all to see. The last post on Des Hughes’ Kingstanding Councillor Facebook page is from August last year, about a recycling day.
However, the penultimate post shows just how important it is to have an active councillor.
On August 11, 2023, Councillor Hughes posted: · “WARREN FARM URGENT CARE CENTRE UPDATE. Great news! I am delighted to be able to tell residents in North Birmingham that the future of our Urgent Care Centre on Warren Farm Road is assured for the foreseeable future.”
Any resident reading that now would think everything is indeed fine, instead it’s not. Warren Farm Urgent Care Centre’s services are being moved out of Kingstanding.
It has been one of the touchstone issues of the last 12 months, but for that you would have to keep up with local campaigners who grasped the nettle themselves – and neighbouring Labour Councillor Barbara Dring, suspended by Labour herself for three months until March.
And the health of the people of Kingstanding has long been a concern. Put simply, if you are born and live in Kingstanding you are more likely to die younger than people who live elsewhere. In the 2016 – 20 period, Kingstanding’s life expectancy at birth for females is 79.4 years and for males is 74.8 years.
This is worse when compared to the England average. In comparison, Birmingham’s life expectancy at birth for females is 81.9 years and for males is 77.3 years. However, this has still not stopped Warren Farm Urgent Care Centre being stripped of its services which local people depended on for decades.
Elsewhere in the ward, the campaign to keep Kingstanding Police Station was lost. But finally the Kingstanding Circle will soon have a brand new Lidl after the bulldozers began ripping down the derelict Kingstanding pub and decaying Kingstanding Shopping Centre.
And with residents never afraid to fight for their own cause, the latest battle will be to save Kingstanding Library – which could be lost in the huge cost cutting programme voted through by Birmingham councillors following the City’s financial collapse.
But Kingstanding is also known for its strength and resilience, with many of its resident dedicated to championing the area and standing for something that could inspire and encourage others. Some of the city’s first foodbanks were in the ward, the outreach programme of local churches have been praised nationally, and sport is a great way of inspiring the young in Kingstanding.
Second City Boxing Gym, on Kingstanding Circle is producing fine young people as well as champions like Niall Farrell. And K-Star Gym is giving direction and discipline through martial arts, their Gene Smith will be fighting for another world title this year.
There has always been a local pride in in the B44 postcode, which is not found everywhere. Whether that manifests itself with people standing on pub tables singing to Elton John ‘I’m Kingstanding, and I’m better than anyone’, or the instant generosity shown when an appeal for the less fortunate is launched.
On 30 May the people of Kingstanding will get the power to choose who represents them. And just as King Charles I faced his people and challenges there nearly 400 years ago, perhaps this time they will get someone they deserve.
For more on both local and national elections held across the UK, alongside advice on how to register to vote, visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk
Profile and campaign pics supplied by Birmingham Labour
Newly elected West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker wants to improve the fortunes of Erdington High Street and for people “to be proud” of the once bustling retail hotspot.
Labour’s first ever West Midlands Mayor won an incredibly tight election against the Conservative and two time elected Andy Street, but now he just wants to get on with the job.
Mr Parker has plans to introduce new policies and innovations to attract businesses to high streets like Erdington’s across the region, which will encourage residents to shop local and invest in their retail community.
He told Erdington Local: “I want people to be proud of Erdington High Street again.
“We will utilise new powers from a Labour government to bring empty shops on our high streets back into use and to help businesses to set up – in partnership with Business Improvement Districts and councils via a range of measures such as compulsory purchasing orders, ‘meanwhile’ uses, and flexible business rates.”
He added: “I want to establish a new Local High Streets Taskforce to ‘innovate and regenerate’ empty shops and to identify derelict sites that can be put back into use.
“We will establish an empty property register for our high streets and a proactive introductions system, which will work with partners to search for occupiers and promote empty spaces.”
The former business consultant and Price Waterhouse Cooper partner is also a big fan of market stalls as a way of revitalising high streets and has pledged to establish a new fund to help support market traders across the region.
Erdington Business Improvement District has itself been exploring plans for a new market to be held on the pedestrianised area by the Co-op supermarket.
Anti-social behaviour is also high on the list for the new West Midlands Mayor, and whilst his office lacks the powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) – which would have been absorbed by the Mayor’s office if it had not been recently blocked in the High Court by the PCC Simon Foster – the newly elected West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker wants to fight the scourge of anti-social behaviour and the impact it has on communities.
Mr Parker added: “I will work with the Police and Crime Commissioner, councils, faith and community groups, and West Midlands Police to make the streets of Erdington, Kingstanding, and Castle Vale safer.
“Anti-social behaviour blights the lives of many people and we know that having visible policing out on the streets tackling crime, gathering intelligence, and cracking down on anti-social behaviour is essential to making our communities safer.
“We will guarantee town centre patrols dedicated to their areas.”
The starting gun has been fired in the campaign of the 2024 General Election, putting the upcoming Kingstanding Ward by-election into the spotlight of national politics.
On 22 May, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a rare summer election with polling day on Thursday, 4 July. And unlike the vast majority of UK constituencies, voters in Erdington are being asked to pick their representative to Westminster for the second time in just over two years.
But as the country gears up to choose who represents them in the national corridors of power once again, another by-election has taken on added significance – as voters across the Kingstanding Ward head to the ballot box on 30 May to replace disgraced Conservative Councillor Rick Payne on Birmingham City Council.
Coming so soon after the recent local elections and before the now announced General Election, the up-coming Kingstanding by-election could be seen as a real electoral litmus test – with the results from the North Birmingham ward representing the feelings of voters across the country.
Candidates for the General Election will be given until Friday 07 June to confirm their intention to stand, but those running for local council in Kingstanding have already declared.
Contesting the seat for Labour will be Naz Rasheed, who ran for Kingstanding alongside Des Hughes in 2022 and lost by a narrow margin – coming fourth in the overall count, but only 65 votes behind Rick Payne who came in second.
Naz Rasheed fought a fierce campaign in the 2022 local elections, putting youth services and tackling crime in the area at the top of her agenda.
Also in the running will be Patrick Christopher Lee for the Green Party, who according to a Twitter profile under his name is the Communication Manager for the health focused NGO Impact on Urban Health – based in London.
Standing for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is Erdington resident and keen HMO activist Kris O’Sullivan, who was a big part of the Dave Nellist parliamentary campaign during the Birmingham Erdington by-election in 2022.
Hoping to repair the damage done by his now disgraced predecessor is Conservative candidate Clifton Walsh – a well known local resident who has previously stood for the Pype Hayes Ward in local council elections, losing out to Labour’s candidates by 92 votes in 2022 and only 16 votes in 2018.
Ahead of his run for the Kingstanding Ward, Mr Welsh launched the ‘Pride in Kingstanding’ campaign, encouraging community litter picking as Birmingham City Council faces cuts to its street cleaning services.
On the ticket for the Workers Party of Britain is Pete Higgins – representing George Galloway’s socialist and socially conservative political party that formed in 2019 and won the Rochdale by-election in 2024 on a strong pro-Palestine agenda.
Being held on Thursday, 30 May, the Kingstanding by-election is somewhat of a poisoned chalice for the main two political parties.
Conservatives do not want voters across the country to be reminded how one of their councillors was caught spewing racism on a secret Twitter account – and Labour do not want a light shone on their party’s very public record of running Birmingham City Council into financial chaos.
But whatever side you support in this game of political football, all the seven candidates standing in the Kingstanding by-election will have a lot more attention on their campaigns than they could ever envisaged – as the country warms up for a General Election on 4 July.
For more on both local and national elections held across the UK, alongside advice on how to register to vote, visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk
This month, I have been pleased to support Erdington Friends of the Library in their campaign to protect and preserve our local library, following a consultation by the Council.
Our libraries serve as essential hubs for learning, community engagement, and have historical relevance. As a local resident of Erdington who has used our local libraries for decades, I understand how important these local facilities are to our community.
These spaces promote knowledge, creativity, and social connections, and we must preserve them for future generations.
I wrote a letter to the Council expressing my strong opposition to any closures of our libraries and also attended the library consultation event in Erdington, where I was heartened to see so many passionate individuals coming together to voice their concerns.
I signed Erdington Friends of the Library’s petition, urging the council to carefully consider the views of local people about the future of their libraries.
I would also like to extend my warmest congratulations to our new Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker.
His leadership and vision will undoubtedly benefit our community and region. I look forward to meeting him soon to discuss how we can work together to fulfil one of his key pledges: revitalising our High Streets and making it a thriving destination once again.
Results like these send a clear message that people in Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale, and across the country deserve better. After 14 years of Tory chaos and mismanagement, it’s time for change.
Words and pics supplied byErdington Ward Cllr Robert Alden – Leader of Birmingham Conservatives
The last month has been busy as always, with colleagues and I continuing to push a number of campaigns to support residents.
Together with Kingstanding local campaigner, Clifton Welch, we recently met with staff from the NHS to continue to push for Warren Farm Urgent Care Centre (soon to be closed for urgent roof repairs) to be reopened longer term.
I have also been supporting Clifton Welch with his new ‘Pride in Kingstanding’ campaign that has seen him clearing dozens of bags of rubbish off the streets of Kingstanding, including clearing the alley between Gainford Road and College Road and clean numerous road signs locally to remove graffiti and dirt.
Cllr Gareth Moore and I were also joined by Kingstanding Campaigner Clifton Welch, who is leading the campaign to keep Perry Common and Kingstanding Libraries open, and Parliamentary Spokesperson Steve Knee at the public consultation event on the future of libraries in the city.
We have been clear to the Council that we think Erdington, Kingstanding and Perry Common Libraires should be protected and remain open.
We have put forward a fully costed alternative, approved by Council officers, which would allow the Labour administration to scrap their plan to close our libraires. We will continue to push them to listen to the calls of residents.
Finally, thank you to everyone who voted for Andy Street in the recent West Midlands Mayoral election, sadly Andy lost by under 2000 votes across the whole urban West Midlands..
Words by Cllr Ray Goodwin (Castle Vale Ward, Labour)
It’s been a busy few weeks on Castle Vale.
Work is about to start shortly on Filton Croft and by the time you will have read this we will have held our Crime and Community Safety Summit.
A lot has been said over the last few weeks about politicians not listening to the communities they represent, but one of the things I have done over the last two years has been open and accessible to residents – this is why my regular estate walk abouts are so important, it means I can talk to residents to listen to their concerns and issues and deal with them straight away where possible.
My commitment is to continue to do this and talk to as many people as possible on a daily and weekly basis and discuss what matters to them most, Castle Vale!
I want local democracy to be at the heart of everything I do, and this is the best way to do this. I see residents on a daily basis for appointments. But, also, I hold a monthly advice surgery for residents as well.
Whilst over the last two years a lot of good things have happened – including securing a new bus route to the fort shopping centre.
There is now, however, more to do, and I will be leading the charge to the West Midlands mayor that there is a train station and that station is called ‘CASTLE VALE’.
Pics sourced from candidates and Erdington Local archives
The West Midlands has a Labour Mayor for the first time.
Labour candidate Richard Parker narrowly beat the two-term Conservative Mayor Andy Street, the only man to previously hold the role after winning the first contest in 2017.
Due to a recount and technical difficulties, the announcement at Birmingham International Convention Centre was delayed by over seven hours.
This was also the first time the Mayoral election was decided by the First Past the Post voting system, unlike the second preferences style poll in previous elections.
But once the final results were verified, Labour’s Richard Parker clinched 225,590 votes to the Conservative’s Andy Street’s 224,082 votes – in an astonishingly close result.
Reform UK’s Elaine Williams came fourth with 34, 471 votes.
Coming in fifth was Gravelly Hill resident and Green Party candidate Siobhan Harper-Nunes, who earned 31,036 votes.
Ms Harper-Nunes fought a fierce campaign without major backing or finances from her national party, and previously told Erdington Local she believed “just running is winning” as it allowed her to place what she felt were important issues on the agenda.
The Liberal Democrats came in last with Sunny Virk convincing 12,176 people to put a cross next to his name.
There were 4,757 rejected ballots in the Mayoral elections, compared to 23,000 in the Police and Crime Commissioners election which was announced earlier in the day and saw Labour’s candidate Simon Foster re-elected.
The results from both elections, held on 2 May, mean this is the first time since the West Midlands Mayor and West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) offices were created that the same political party holds both offices.
However, the result in the race for West Midlands Mayor could have been a more conclusive for Labour without the impact from independent candidate Akhmed Yakoob – who galvanised communities across the West Midlands who felt anger over Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on refusing to call a ceasefire in Gaza last year.
Mr Yakoob won his third place through on a prominent social media, anti-Labour, pro-Palestine, George Galloway backed campaign, that only began four weeks ago but was helped by experienced ex-Labour councillors and members.
However, one the votes were counted, and recounted, the job of West Midladns Mayor and Chaor of the West Midlands Combined Authority went to Labour’s Richard Parker. After being declared the next West Midlands Mayor, MrParker said: “This is the most important thing I will ever do.
“This week people voted for the person and the party. They recognised that a Labour mayor can make a positive difference in this region.
“I believe a Labour Mayor working with a Labour Government will get this region back to its best again.”
Acknowledging his party’s massive loss of trust of the Muslim community, who voted for Mr Yakoob in unprecedented numbers for an independent candidate, Mr Parker further pledged to: “Build back trust within the Muslim community.”
Offering warm words to his vanquished opponent, he added: “Andy Street. You’ve led this region through a number of great challenges.
“You deserve credit through building up the combined authority into the powerhouse it is today, through the economic shocks and for leading this region when it came out of covid.
“I absolutely believe that whilst our politics are different, Andy, we both have the best interests of the West Midlands at heart.”
Mr Street responded: “I wish you all strength and wisdom as you take over the reins.
“It has been my honour to serve and to lead this place for the last seven years. I hope I’ve done it with dignity and integrity and I hope I’ve bequeathed to Richard a combined authority – and indeed a role – to which young, aspiring leaders will want to aspire one day.”
Whilst the delayed results to the count were coming in, there was frustration online as the West Midlands Combined Authority live election stream cut out after a day of gaffes, glitches, and technical difficulties which meant viewers could not see the speeches of Mr Street, Mr Yakoob, and other candidates.
However, after the final count was in Mr Yakoob told Erdington Local: “This has been an incredible four weeks. Imagine if we had started three months ago, we started with what people called was just a TikTok campaign.
“Well, we got nearly 70,000 votes and almost lost Labour what should have been an easy victory.
“Thanks to everyone for voting, I believe I got more young people registered and voting than any other candidate.
“Thank you for everyone in Erdington who supported my campaign, we had plenty volunteers from Erdington, and it looks like a lot of voters too.”
An official poll card for government elections and a UK photo driving licence as prove of identity.
Mr Yakoob added: “You wait till the General Election; I will be back.”
The next General Election is set to be held before January 2025.
The turnout for the West Midlands Mayoral election was 29.8% across the West Midlands, and in Birmingham it was 28.5 per cent.
Profile pics and campaign artwork supplied by Siobhan Harper-Nunes
As people across the West Midlands get ready to vote for their next Mayor, heading to ballot boxes across the region on Thursday 2 May, Erdington Local caught up with Green Party candidate and Gravelly Hill resident – Siobhan Harper-Nunes.
West Midlands Mayor Green Party candidate Siobhan Harper-Nunes believe she can “make a difference” and by getting important issues on the agenda “just running is winning”.
The 64-year-old charity founder, who was last seen by voters when she stood for the Birmingham Erdington seat in the 2022 parliamentary constituency by-election, is standing in the upcoming West Midlands Mayoral elections to get the two issues she cares most about on the agenda.
As people prepare to cast their vote on 2 May, Harper-Nunes told Erdington Local: “Child poverty and the climate change agenda are so important to this region. And they are both linked.
“I know Andy Street would not have been talking about net-zero unless there was a Green candidate in the last two elections, now I want him and (Labour’s candidate) Richard Parker to talk about child poverty.
“I am standing because I cannot bear to see how so many people from so many different communities are being left behind. When each election comes around the ‘haves’ have got even more than the ‘have nots’ and it just cannot continue like this.
“How are people working full time but are finding it difficult to feed their kids, it is just not right.”
Ms Harper-Nunes helps charities get funding to carry out vital work in the community and has worked both in the public and third sector raising money, including helping the Institute of Social Enterprise and NCVO National Council of Voluntary Organisations.
In 2007 she also founded Shakti Women – an organisation that supports women in both personal and professional development through coaching and training – and is currently Vice-Chair of Birmingham Race Impact Group.
She said: “I see it every day during my day job, on the front line of dealing with poverty. No candidate talks about child poverty in the West Midlands and how it is getting worse.
“The candidates talk about these big shiny projects. But in my experience no-one cares about these projects, what they care about is why they can’t pay their bills, if their children can get free school meals, and why there is no affordable housing anymore.”
An official poll card for government elections and a UK photo driving licence as prove of identity.
A prominent theme raised by several candidates of this year’s Mayoral election, held on Thursday 2 May, is how to address Birmingham’s often debated Clean Air Zone and net-zero targets.
Both the Reform UK candidate Elaine Williams and independent Akhmed Yaqoob are demanding the scrapping of the Clean Air Zone, claiming it is hitting business and the poorest drivers unfairly.
However, the Green candidate is happy to tell people why they are needed.
Harper-Nunes explained: “Yes, I might have done the Birmingham Clean Air Zone differently, but it is important it is kept. Every year in the West Midlands there are 300,000 preventable deaths due to poor air quality, so of course we need Clean Air Zones.
“In Birmingham a third of the population do not even have a car, so it is not like these green policies are hitting the poorest. But these Clean Air Zones will make a difference and are making a difference every day, so of course I will defend them.”
A Gravelly Hill resident, living just off one of the country’s busiest motorway interchanges, Ms Harper-Nunes also believes Erdington is the perfect example of where a high volume of traffic has caused poor air quality.
She said: “I live in Erdington, and if I had my way I would put a Clean Air Zone around Spaghetti Junction. I was knocking doors in Gravelly Hill and there was not even the need to take an air counter with me, you can just see by the grime on the windows how bad the air quality is around Spaghetti Junction.
“Local children are breathing that in every day, at the very least the surrounding area needs trees planting to counter-act the awful air quality.”
For the green agenda to really work Harper-Nunes believes public transport also needs to be a viable alternative for people to stop them using their car as much.
She added: “We need our public transport system to work properly, we need it to be efficient. We need the buses, trains, and trams to work when they are supposed to.
“And we need it to be cheap, cheaper than using a car – and if it needs to be subsidised to be free than even better.”
Siobhan Harper-Nunes is a mother of four and has four grandchildren, which is another reason why she is standing in the West Midlands Mayoral elections on 2 May.
She told: “I want my grandchildren to live a ripe old age, in a world worth living in. We need to start fighting climate change now for that to happen.”
Believing she has the skills to be the next West Midlands Mayor, Siobhan Harper-Nunes has already impressed in hustings for the upcoming election, making a strong stance against Labour candidate Richard Parker and the incumbent Conservative candidate Andy Street.
She added: “The campaign has been challenging in a lot of ways, but I am enjoying it. I can see I am making a difference in the campaign… the other candidates are taking notice.
“So for me, in a lot of ways, just running is winning.”
For more on Siobhan Harper-Nunes and her campaign to become the next West Midlands Mayor visit www.siobhan4wmmayor.co.uk
