West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has refused to reveal how much he is spending on Facebook advertising, after he ran three paid-for ads.

It follows claims that he spent almost a million pounds in the run-up to the 2017 mayoral election, far more than his Labour rival Sion Simon.

While spending during election campaigns is tightly controlled, politicians such as Mr Street are under no obligation to reveal how much they spend between elections - and the official campaign lasts less than two months.

However, the mayor, or the Conservative Party on his behalf, is already spending money on political advertising, even though the next mayoral election is not due until 2020.

It raises questions about the lack of transparency in political campaigning, with politicians from all parties able to spend large sums between elections without scrutiny.

Facebook ad from West Midlands Mayor Andy Street

A Conservative spokesperson said: “Andy communicates updates with residents in his area throughout the year, like most elected people, via Facebook and leaflets.

“There is no budget set for the next election.

“Election expenses from 2017 were publically available.

“All regulated campaign spending by, and donations to, the Conservative Party and its candidates is properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and complies fully with the law.”

Mr Street is currently running three ads, paid for by the Conservative Party, designed to attract people to his personal Facebook page, Andy4WM.

This is a page used by Mr Street to promote his work, and the work of the Combined Authority. It contains posts highlighting reports by independent local media (including BirminghamLive) about his work, and posts highlighting announcements from the Combined Authority.

It also contains political content, including a video with Conservative branding setting out what the Tories have done for the West Midlands, which was shown at the Tory conference in Birmingham in October.

The page currently is currently “liked” by 19,810 people, and is followed by 20,777.

Once the next mayoral election begins, the page is likely to be used to promote Mr Street’s campaign. The name, Andy4WM - an abbreviation of Andy for the West Midlands - reflects its role as a campaigning tool.

One of Mr Street’s Facebook ads is a video which highlights his decision not to seek to impose a precept on council tax bills, and puts this down to his success in “using his business experience to win more government and private funding”.

Facebook ad from West Midlands Mayor Andy Street

The other two are simple photographs with a link to the Andy4WM Facebook page and the message: “Delivering for the West Midlands. Follow our progress.”

It was claimed that Mr Street spent close to a million pounds in the battle to become mayor before the 2017 election campaign officially began - far more than his Labour opponent Sion Simon, who is thought to have spent no more than £200,000.

There was no way of confirming the figure, but in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in May 2017, Mr Street said: “I haven’t spent quite a million, but I have spent a substantial amount more than my opponents.”