The Conservatives have released a party election broadcast filmed in and around Birmingham and featuring Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority. The PEB is in a tweet posted on the official account of the Conservatives at 6:30pm on Thursday 7th April, 2022.
In it, Street says this:
"As Mayor of the West Midlands, I work with hard working local Conservative councillors day in, day out..."
Only Conservative councillors? What about the Labour, LibDem, Green and Independent ones?
The councils covered by the West Midlands Combined Authority are:
- Tory controlled: Dudley, Solihull and Walsall
- Labour controlled: Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell and Wolverhampton
Looking at each of the councils in turn:
- Tory:
- Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council: 72 councillors, 46 Tory, 24 Lab, 2 Ind
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council: 51 councillors, 30 Tory, 12 Green, 3 LibDem, 5 Ind, 1 Vacant
- Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council: 60 councillors, 37 Tory, 22 Lab, 1 Ind
- Labour:
- Birmingham City Council: 101 councillors, 65 Labour, 27 Tory, 8 LibDem, 1 Green
- Coventry City Council: 54 councillors, 39 Labour, 15 Tory
- Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council: 72 councillors, 60 Labour, 8 Tory, 4 Ind
- City of Wolverhampton: 60 councillors, 43 Labour, 16 Tory, 1 Ind
Total councillors: 470 of which:
| Party | Councillors | Percentage of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Tory | 179 | 38.1% |
| Labour | 253 | 53.8% |
| Green | 13 | 2.8% |
| Independent | 13 | 2.8% |
| Liberal Democrat | 11 | 2.3% |
| Vacant | 1 | 0.2% |
If Andy Street is only working with Tory councillors, then he is not working with 61.9% of all councillors in the WMCA area.
