I’m delighted to announce that Paul Dale, former public affairs editor at The , has joined The Chamberlain News as our lead blogger.

Paul, who left the Post at the end of last year, will contribute regular comment pieces and news items to the blog, which is rapidly becoming the region’s leading source of political intelligence, analysis and comment.

The former author of the Post’s Iron Angle column is one of the most respected political journalists in the regional press, and covered politics in the Midlands for 26 years. He was public affairs editor at the Coventry Telegraph before joining the Post to cover Birmingham City Council 12 years ago.

I worked closely with Paul during my own time at the Post, and in my view, he’s rightly regarded as one of the most forthright and knowledgeable journos in the business. His contributions to The Chamberlain News will help readers keep up to date with the rapidly moving political scene in the region, especially as Birmingham and Coventry prepare for the referenda to decide on elected mayors in May.

You can read Paul’s first contribution .

Paul can be contacted on 07429 026803, and via email at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter .

• The Chamberlain News is published by , the first public affairs consultancy to be founded in and focused on the West Midlands.