FORMER Dudley Council leader Pete Lowe has confirmed he will be throwing his hat into the ring in the West Midlands mayoral election.

The Labour councillor, who represents Lye and Stourbridge North, hopes to taking on current Conservative mayor Andy Street in the 2020 election.

But first he has to secure his party's nomination.

Former Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho has already confirmed she too will be vying for the top job as has Birmingham MP Liam Byrne (Hodge Hill) - endorsed by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell from Birmingham Momentum.

Cllr Lowe, who is currently spearheading a fight to try to save Stourbridge College, says he is determined to become the first Labour mayor of the region and he added: "I have dedicated my entire life to making people’s lives better – as a nurse, a union representative, council leader, father and friend.

"I am passionate about building strong and fair communities where everybody has a chance to prosper. I am committed to building a region where no individual, village, town or city is left behind."

The trade unionist and former NHS nurse, who joined the Labour Party in 1984 during the miners' strike, will be campaigning to incentivise public transport to encourage people to be less reliant on their cars, as well as backing green technologies and taking inspiration from Preston to help push for a People's Bank to be set up to help keep wealth within the region.

He said: "It is imperative that we elect a Labour Mayor in 2020, committed to the team approach advocated by Jeremy Corbyn.

"Although the Mayor is an individual, I am committed to this team approach, where everybody contributes and feels valued. We need unity to make people’s lives better.

"I'm thrilled to be launching this campaign with a transformative agenda for what our region can be.

"We have the opportunity to bring fresh policy to the West Midlands that brings our region to the fore."