A quick guide to West Midlands mayoral candidate Andy Street

Andy Street is the Conservative candidate for the West Midlands mayoral election. Here’s what you need to know about him.

He was a baby when his parents came to Birmingham

Although he was born in Oxfordshire, Mr Street was aged one when his family moved to Northfield in the city. His father was a salesman and his mother a pharmacist. He says he moved to London because there weren't enough opportunities in Birmingham, and leapt at the chance to return as mayor.

He was previously at the helm of a High Street giant

Mr Street was a graduate trainee when he began working for John Lewis in Brent Cross in 1985. Just over two decades later he became managing director, having worked his way up through the ranks. He left in 2016 to pursue his career in politics and says his business background has been key to helping him secure investment for the region.

This is his third time running for election

Mr Street was elected as the first mayor of the West Midlands in May 2017, when the role was one of six to be created across the UK. He was re-elected to serve a second term in May 2021 - the elections should have taken place a year earlier, but they were postponed due to the Covid pandemic.

Transport remains a top priority

Unsurprisingly, he was dismayed when the government scrapped the northern leg of HS2 and teamed up with Manchester's Labour mayor Andy Burnham to find alternatives. If he wins a third term, he has pledged to open nine new tram stations, three new railway stations, build a new interchange in Dudley and introduce new trains on the Cross-City Line.

He's targeting brownfield sites for new homes

Mr Street has set a target of building 15,257 new homes every year to beat the housing crisis. His plan to protect the region's green belt is by cleaning up derelict industrial areas and replacing them with housing for people to buy or rent. He also wants to work with council's planning departments to get new developments built quicker.

Careers advisors in 40 schools

Mr Street wants to create 425,000 new jobs and training opportunities over the next four years. Tackling youth unemployment is high on his list, too - with plans for major investment in apprenticeships, free training and travel discounts for those on low incomes, and careers advisors in 40 schools "so no-one gets left behind".

He wants the region to be a centre of sporting excellence

Mr Street has pledged to bid for Birmingham to host the 2027 Invictus Games and bring Ryder Cup golf back to the Belfry. He also plans to develop a business case for a West Midlands velodrome – including a new indoor venue for netball, table tennis, basketball, snooker and hockey. He also wants to provide an upgraded railway station at Witton in time for the 2028 UEFA European Football Championship matches at Villa Park.