Housing, Communities and Regeneration Hustings

About:

Join the Centre for the New Midlands for our Housing, Communities and Regeneration Hustings, as we welcome all of the candidates who are standing for the Mayoralty of the West Midlands to share their ideas within this key area of public policy.

This event is designed to give all of the candidates the opportunity to share their priorities on how they will work to shape an even better region if they are elected as Mayor of the West Midlands on Thursday 2nd May 2024.

We are delighted to be hosting this key debate for the region at The Albany Theatre in Coventry and would like to express our sincere thanks to our sponsors, Midland Heart, for making the event possible.

the format:

We ask that guests arrive for refreshments between 10am and 1030am, as our event will commence promptly at 11am.  We will not admit any delegates after the theatre's doors have closed.

The Hustings will be chaired by Dr Halima Sacranie (Director of Housing Research, Centre for the New Midlands).  If you are new to the concept of hustings: 'a hustings is a meeting where election candidates or parties debate policies and answer questions from the audience. Hustings provide voters with an opportunity to hear the views of candidates or parties.'  This particular hustings will focus on Housing, Communities and Regeneration and will be shaped to provide each of the candidates with plenty of opportunity to share their ideas and give our audience insight into their motivations for standing for election and their personalities.

Following the hour long debate, guests will be invited to network over lunch in the theatre's foyer.

CONFIRMED CANDIDATES PARTICIPATING IN THE HUSTINGS (All confirmed candidates HAVE BEEN/OR WILL be invited; participants listed by last name in alphabetical order)

Siobhan Harper-Nunes (Green Party candidate)

Siobhan Harper-Nunes (pronouns she/her) lives in Birmingham. For over 20 years Siobhan has worked with charities and community organisations to support people in our most left-behind communities. She has worked both in the public and third sector raising money and working with a raft of organisations, such as ISE (Institute of Social Enterprise) and NCVO (National Council of Voluntary Organisations), to support and improve communities.

In 2007 she founded Shakti Women, an organisation that supports women in both personal and professional development through coaching and training. She is also currently vice-chair of Birmingham Race Impact Group, a group working for many years to promote racial justice in Birmingham. Siobhan knows the challenges our communities face and what support they need to thrive.

Richard Parker (Labour Party candidate)

Richard Parker is the Labour Party Candidate for West Midlands Mayor.

He is a qualified public finance accountant, who joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1989, working his way up to become a partner and the company’s lead on housing and communities. From 2010 to 2015 he led the firm’s relationship with the Labour Party, working closely with the Shadow Front Bench.

Richard has worked across the world on housing and economic regeneration projects with the United Nations and governments across Europe and Asia.

Whilst at PwC he led the team that advised on the establishment of the West Midlands Combined Authority, brokering the first devolution deal for the region.

He runs his own small business in the West Midlands and works with small, medium and social enterprises on green investment, housing initiatives and on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Richard has made a number of policy commitments during his campaign to become the West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor, including working towards a fully-integrated publicly controlled transport network, leading an all-out assault on low pay by reforming skills programmes and ensuring the Combined Authority doesn’t do business with firms who don’t pay the Real Living Wage. He has also pledged to do more on the NET Zero agenda by bringing the region’s target forward from 2041 to 2035. Richard has also committed to putting more money directly into local authority budgets and rebuilding our economy from the bottom up and the inside out.

Andy Street CBE (Conservative Party candidate)

Andy Street was elected as Mayor of the West Midlands in 2017. He grew up in Birmingham.

Andy started his career at John Lewis, where he was a graduate trainee. He became Managing Director of John Lewis in 2007 and stayed with the company until 2016.

Andy has worked with local and national government in economic development roles. He was chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership between 2011 and 2016. He has also been lead non-executive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group.

In 2015, Andy was awarded a CBE for services to the economy. He also received the President's Award from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce for his work in the region.

Andy studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University. He also holds honorary degrees from Birmingham City University, Aston University and the University of Birmingham. Outside work, he is passionate about the arts, and was previously vice chairman of Performances Birmingham Limited, which runs the city's Symphony and Town Halls.

Elaine Williams (Reform UK candidate)

Elaine Williams has lived in Walsall for the past 13 years and in the West Midlands for 18 years. Elaine is a law graduate of Nottingham Trent University and undertook her Legal Practice Course at Nottingham Law School. She is a solicitor specialising in private client work which means the majority of her work is with bereaved people or older clients.

Elaine's role as a solicitor sparked her interest in helping the community. She cares passionately about people and their quality of life.

She has been working with the local community in her area to help local businesses with the issues they are facing. Elaine is also working with tenants of housing associations who have significant issues with their housing providers and has been instrumental in setting up a local residents association to help the tenants in one area of her local community. She is also involved in the Walsall Tenants Alliance.

WHERE IS THE ALBANY THEATRE?

The Albany Theatre,  Albany Road, Coventry CV5 6JQ | Please use our new entrance to the Theatre on Albany Road.

By Car

SATNAV: CV5 6JQ: Head towards Coventry City Centre and onto Coventry Ring Road, exit the ring road at Junction 7. Exit the roundabout onto Butts Road (B4101) signposted Earlsdon,

The Albany Theatre entrance is located on Albany Road (which is the left hand turn at the first traffic lights.)

Parking Information

There is a multi-storey car park on site 100m from the Theatre entrance on Butts Road (The Albany does NOT control the car park). 

THE WAY THE MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK WORKS HAS CHANGED. It is now pay on entry – don’t get caught out!!!

You can’t miss the new signage – but do be aware that whereas in the past there were always queues when you were LEAVING, there are now likely to be queues when you ARRIVE – so we recommend you plan to come earlier if you use the car park – you can always get a pre-show drink from our new bar!

BUT there is some good news! The parking rates have not increased and in some case might be cheaper, making a visit to The Albany even better value. Thank you, Landlord!

SO TO SUM UP: the on-site car park is NOW PAY ON ENTRY and only accepts CARD PAYMENTS or online payments via an app that some people can find fiddly to use. – CONNECT CASHLESS PARKING.

Alternatively, the car park for Coventry Rugby Club is only a few yards further down the road on the left and many have said it is easier to use.

To access either car park from the ring road (Junction 7) drive past the main entrance of the former college towards the Butts Arena. The entrance to the on-site car park is on the left at the traffic lights – it is well signed, The Rugby Club car park is a little further along, past the traffic lights.

There are limited spaces (including Blue Badge) directly in front of the building (pay and display in advance), both run by Excel Parking, the car park company.

If you park at the front outside a marked bay or do not pay you will receive a Parking Charge Notice (£100).

There is a 2m height restriction on the multi-storey car park. Please note: there is no barrier – an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system is in place. 

Blue Badge Holders – you must pay for parking either at the front of the building or in the multi-storey.

There is a ramp for access to the Theatre.

Drop Off Points

For guests and visitors, there is limited space to drop off outside the front of the Theatre.

For visiting companies and contractors, our Stage Door is located off Albany Road towards the rear of the building. The stage door is clearly signed. Everyone entering the theatre via the Stage Door must sign in.

Please note: there is no right of access or parking at any time at the rear of the theatre: you will get a Parking Charge Notice (£100).

By Bus

There is a bus stop directly outside the Theatre on Butts Road (Butts Radial Link Technical College) which serves services: 6, 6A, 10, 18, 19 and 47. For bus enquiries please visit Network West Midlands or call the travel line on 0871 200 22 33.

By Coach

Coaches can drop passengers off at the bus stop outside the theatre (see above). There is no facility for coach parking on site but Coventry Rugby Club is close by (Butts Park Arena) and you may be able to make direct arrangements with them to use their car park – call 02476 231 001.

By Train

The Albany Theatre is less than ten minutes walk from Coventry’s railway station.

Contact Event Organiser