At a debate held last Saturday Sion Simon, formerly the Labour MP for Erdington, spoke in favour of elected mayors and John Boyle of the Co-operative Party and Midlands Co-operative Society, spoke against the proposal.
During the following discussion a powerful plea for regional government was made by Phil Davis, former chair of the West Midlands Regional Assembly.
He asserted that the issues concerned overlap and should be addressed in a regional context, but that Conservatives have fragmented and hollowed out regional government adding:
“London has a regional government and we need it in the West Midlands. An elected mayor would simply be shifting deckchairs on the Titanic.”
