Voters go to the polls across the West Midlands

Voters across the West Midlands are heading to the polls today in a number of local elections - including 12 council elections as well as four police and crime commissioner elections and the West Midlands mayoral contest.

Voters will decide who runs the West Midlands Combined Authority as well who oversees the police forces in the West Midlands, West Mercia, Warwickshire and Staffordshire police force areas.

They will also decide who runs 12 local authorities – including the metropolitan districts of Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton plus the district authorities in Cannock Chase, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Redditch, Rugby, Tamworth and Worcester.

Polls opened at 07:00 BST and will close at 22:00 BST.

Voters are being reminded that they will need to take photographic ID with them.

• Follow live election coverage across England

There are 22 acceptable forms of ID, including passports, driving licences, Older or Disabled Person's bus passes, Oyster 60+ cards.

You can use out-of-date photo ID as long as you look the same.

There are six candidates standing to be mayor of the West Midlands:

• The Green Party's Siobhan Harper-Nunes
• The Labour Party's Richard Parker
• The Conservative Party's Andy Street
• The Liberal Democrats' Sunny Virk
• Reform UK's Elaine Williams
• Independent Akhmed Yakoob

The role of police and crime commissioner (PCC) was first established in 2012.

A PCC holds police forces to account, sets priorities and budgets, and also commissions services to help victims and prevent crime.

West Midlands

There are just two candidates vying for the role in the West Midlands force area – which covers Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Solihull.

West Midlands Police is the second largest police force in the country, covering an area of 348 square miles and serving a population of almost 2.8m people.

• Tom Byrne, Conservatives
• Simon Foster, Labour

West Mercia

There are five candidates hoping to be the police and crime commissioner for the West Mercia police force area – which covers Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

• John Campion, Conservatives
• Henry Curteis, English Democrats
• Julian Dean, Greens
• Sarah Murray, Liberal Democrats
• Richard Overton, Labour

Warwickshire

Meanwhile, there are three candidates for the job in Warwickshire.

• Richard Dickson, Liberal Democrats
• Sarah Feeney, Labour
• Philip Seccombe, Conservatives

Staffordshire

In Staffordshire the role also incorporates overseeing the fire service.

There are three candidates bidding for the job:

• Ben Adams, Conservatives
• Alec Sandiford, Liberal Democrats
• Alastair Watson, Labour

There are local council elections taking place for:

West Midlands:

• Coventry
• Dudley
• Sandwell
• Solihull
• Walsall
• Wolverhampton

Staffordshire:

• Cannock Chase District Council
• Tamworth Borough Council

Warwickshire:

• Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council
• Rugby Borough Council

Worcestershire:

• Redditch Borough Council
• Worcester City Council

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