Walsall and Bloxwich
Elaine Williams

Elaine Williams, Reform UK's candidate for Walsall & Bloxwich.

I am a solicitor and I care passionately about our people and our quality of life. My key priorities for our region are employment, health, wellbeing and social care, transport, crime, the environment, and you.

Like you, I want our region to be a first-class place to live and work, but our elected representatives have failed us, and we deserve better.

Business: Local businesses are being severely affected by the introduction of 'Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes', 'Clean Air Zones', imposed road closures and arbitrary traffic restrictions, all of which reduce public access to their businesses. These schemes also make travel around our towns and cities unnecessarily difficult. I will change these detrimental measures, invest in our town centres and revitalise our high streets to allow our businesses to flourish and thrive, and seek to encourage more businesses to invest in the West Midlands.

Net Zero, the Environment and Pollution: Much is spoken about the drive to Net Zero and the negative impact of pollution on the environment. Energy policies pursued across the region are making everyone poorer and colder as a result of soaring fuel prices and green energy levies. inflating our energy costs. West Midlands water companies discharged untreated sewage into our waterways over 60,000 times during 2023, a 54% increase in the number of sewage spills over 2020-2022. Measures must be taken to stop this practice, clean up our rivers and waterways and prosecute offenders. Excessive shareholder profit-taking must be stopped, and the money invested into reducing leaks, developing the water infrastructure, and combating pollution.

Transport: As predicted, HS2 has proved to be the white elephant we all thought it would be. It was heralded as the stimulus for transport and travel in the West Midlands, but has failed to deliver any tangible benefits, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation to the countryside in its wake. Instead of vanity projects, we need a complete rethink on travel to deliver a fully integrated, efficient, safer and more effective transport system for the West Midlands.

Crime: Crime is on the increase, particularly violent crime, with the West Midlands being one of the highest crime areas in the country. More measures are needed, as well as an increase in police officers on the ground. Working in partnership with the seven local authorities and the Police and Crime Commissioner, I will bid for additional funding to address these urgent needs.

Health and Wellbeing: Levels of care and access to services should be equally available to all. One of the most pressing issues is mental health, where levels of service and support vary dramatically across the region. I want to ensure that everyone has access to the services they need, including GP Practices. I will work closely with the NHS and Social Care providers to make this a reality.

Social Housing: There are too many homes in the region where significant repairs are outstanding, and many properties are affected by black mould and other environmental health threats. I will introduce stringent checks to ensure that existing tenants are living in decent accommodation, and work with Housing Associations to build more affordable homes. There are many former brownfield industrial sites that can be recovered for housing, reducing the need to build on Green Belt land. I will also work with industry to repurpose buildings that are no longer in use, which can be converted into housing accommodation and training centres for the homeless and our service veterans.

If elected as your mayor, your hopes, your needs, and your concerns will be my highest priorities. I will act in the best interests of everyone living in the West Midlands Combined Authority region.

So, TALK TO ME, I'M LISTENING

Prepared by Victor Applegate of 244 Walstead Road. Walsall, WS5 4DP, agent for Elaine Ruth Williams, address in the district of Walsall