:no_upscale():quality(75))
The opening shots in the 2021 battle for West Midlands green belt development have been fired.
The issue of green belt development is set to be one of the most fiercely contested in next year’s West Midlands mayoral election.
Conservative incumbent Andy Street is already setting out his stall as a protector of green belt land.
He issued a joint statement with the Conservative leader of Solihull council promising to pursue brownfield sites ahead of greenfield.
The pledge comes after the West Midlands Combined Authority, which Street chairs, allocated £43M to help clear brownfield sites.
Securing Conservative votes in Solihull is essential to Street's re-election prospects.
A similar assurance has been made by prime minister Boris Johnson after interventions by a Conservative MP representing a Coventry suburb.
Securing sufficient Conservative votes from areas with high turn out like Solihull and Coventry, added to a healthy vote in areas with lower turnout like Dudley, provides the route to success for Street.
