Mayoral candidate Sion Simon is promising extensive public consultation to help frame a manifesto for Birmingham.

Mr Simon is to launch an on-line discussion forum where anyone will be able to contribute to a debate about the future of the city and suggest policies for the mayor to adopt.

The former Labour MP for Erdington will also hold a series of open public meetings and is being advised by a “non political” focus group consisting of ordinary citizens, business leaders, third sector, arts people, trade unionists, councillors and MPs.

He says the intention is to develop plans with a wide measure of public support that “have not just been handed down by the council, the chamber of commerce, or any single institution”.

Ideas being considered, but not yet formally adopted by Mr Simon, include:

* Inviting a successful entrepreneur to set up a team of experts to advise on how to establish and expand small and medium sized businesses.

* Negotiating a quality contract with National Express in an attempt to deliver better bus services with London-style Oyster cards.

* Establishing a public-private development company to build affordable homes for families in or near the centre of the city.

* A radical reorganisation of education aimed at building new schools “near where people with children actually live”.

Mr Simon admits that some of the ideas may prove controversial, but the power of a mayor to “knock heads together” could prove decisive.

He said: “We have to end the unfairness of ordinary people not being able to get their kids into a decent local school.

“We need to have a conversation about putting schools where people with children actually live. It’s the least that people have a right to expect.

“Building new schools is not cheap and not easy, but it’s not impossible either. Maybe it’s just got to be done.

“And, yes, maybe that means some other school somewhere will have to shut down. Maybe not, but, if so, then so be it.

“We need to talk about it. And, ultimately, taking hard decisions like that is one of the things we need a mayor for.”

On buses, Mr Simon said: “Let’s put National Express on a quality contract like they do in other parts of the country.

"They have a dominant position in the West Midlands market, they make multi millions in profit from the region yet we’ve got no night buses, our buses don’t have electronic signage on board like in London, or real time information systems.”