Biography of the current Leader of Walsall Council
Councillor Mike Bird: Leader, Walsall Council
Mike Bird was born in Hockley in Birmingham, moved to Streetly, Walsall in 1974 and currently lives in the Paddock ward in South Walsall.
Mike was first elected in 1980 and represented the Streetly Ward until the boundary changes in 2004 saw Mike elected to the newly created Pheasey Park Farm Ward. Mike is a retired Fellow of the Institute of Credit Management and spent most of his early working life in this field.
In 1987 Mike purchased one of the companies from the group he worked for by way of a management buy out under his leadership as Managing Director, it became the second largest in its field of computerised sign writing in the UK and still trades today with a turnover of circa £5m. He subsequently sold his majority shareholding to a Belgian company in December 1990 and subsequently held office in ten other ventures.
Mike was first elected as Leader of the Conservative group in 1991 and occupied this position until 2001 during which time he was Leader of the Council from 1992 to 1995. Under Mike’s leadership Walsall saw the completion of Town Wharf phase one, Town Wharf phase two, the New Art Gallery, the new bus station and secured funding for the new ring road and P.F.I. lighting scheme for the Borough, served as a Director of the Black Country Development Corporation and was a founder Director of Advantage West Midlands and WMCA.
Mike returned as Leader of the Council in 2002, spearheading the developments at Junction 10 and under his leadership of the Council, 2009 to August 2014, spearheaded the £7m investment in the new Primark and Co-operative store developments in the town centre. May 2015 saw the return of a Conservative Administration and Mike became Leader of the Council again and more recently, Mike returned as Council Leader for the fifth time in May of that year.
Mike was elected as Mayor of Walsall in 2004 to 2005, devoting his year to promoting inward investment into the Borough, as its first citizen. Mike is married to Pearl, has a daughter Kara who is a qualified Embalmer, but certainly adds to the life of the Bird family and a 16 year old granddaughter, Ruby.
Mike has an impressive record of producing results wherever he applies his expertise.
Mike relaxes with a spot of clay pigeon shooting and a passing interest in antiques.
