2025 West of England mayoral election

Last updated

2025 West of England election
  2021 1 May 20252029 
Registered682,961
Turnout30.0% (Decrease2.svg 6.6 pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Helen Godwin 2025.jpg
Ref
Mary Page, 2025-04-23.jpg
Candidate Helen Godwin Arron Banks Mary Page
Party Labour Reform UK Green
Last election33.4%Did not run21.7%
Popular vote51,19745,25241,094
Percentage25.0%22.1%20.0%
SwingDecrease2.svg 8.4 pp NewDecrease2.svg 1.7 pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Con
Oli Henman, 2025-04-23.jpg Ian Scott, 2025-04-23.jpg
CandidateSteve SmithOli HenmanIan Scott
Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Independent
Last election28.6%16.3%Did not run
Popular vote34,09228,7114,682
Percentage16.6%14.0%2.3%
SwingDecrease2.svg 12.0 pp Decrease2.svg 2.3 pp New

2025 West of England mayoral election results.svg

Mayor before election

Dan Norris
Independent [a]

Elected Mayor

Helen Godwin
Labour

The 2025 West of England mayoral election was held on 1 May 2025 to elect the mayor of the West of England on the same day as other local elections across the country. It was the third election for the role and was won by Labour's Helen Godwin. For the first time, the mayor was elected using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Contents

Background

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) was created in 2017 as a statutory body which covers the local authority areas of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. [2] [3] It broadly resembles the Avon county that existed from 1974 to 1996, but excludes North Somerset because that council opposed joining the combined authority, although they collaborate on some projects. [4] [5] In October 2020, there were discussions around North Somerset joining the WECA in time for the May 2021 election, [6] [7] but councillors in Bristol voted down this proposal in early 2021. [8]

The mayor of the West of England is the directly elected head of the WECA. [9] Under a devolution deal agreed in 2017, they have powers over an annual allocation from the government, to fund transport management, strategic planning of land and housing and adult education. [5]

Electoral system

The first past the post system was used to elect the mayor; in this system the candidate with the most votes wins. Previous elections for the mayor had used the supplementary vote system. In 2024, the Electoral Reform Society described the change as lowering the bar for politicians and thus damaging British democracy. [10]

Candidates

Labour

A rule change approved at the Labour Party's annual conference in September 2024 had the effect that incumbent Labour Mayor Dan Norris would be ineligible to seek re-election. Under the new rule, an existing ban on councillors remaining in their local government roles if they are elected to the House of Commons is extended to other officeholders, including directly elected mayors. Norris had successfully stood for the newly created North East Somerset and Hanham parliamentary constituency in the July 2024 general election. [11]

There were three candidates on the shortlist to become the Labour Party candidate: [12] [13]

On 21 November 2024, the Labour Party announced that Helen Godwin had been selected as its candidate. [14]

Conservative

There were three candidates on the shortlist to become the Conservative Party candidate:

After a meeting on 9 November 2024, Conservative members selected Steve Smith as their candidate. [15]

Green

The Green Party originally announced that Heather Mack had been selected as its candidate on 20 November 2024. [18] However, on 9 January 2025, Mack stepped down, and was replaced by Mary Page. [19]

Liberal Democrats

On 21 January 2025, the Liberal Democrats elected Bath and North East Somerset councillor Oli Henman as the party's candidate for the mayorship. [20]

Independent

Ian Scott, a South Gloucestershire Labour councillor, announced he would stand as an independent candidate after he was not shortlisted for the Labour nomination. He had made a formal complaint, claiming age and sex discrimination, on the basis that only the three eldest candidates were removed in the shortlisting process. On 30 January 2025, the Labour Party announced it had expelled him from the party. [21] [22]

Reform UK

On 28 March 2025, Arron Banks was announced as the Reform UK candidate during the party's election launch. [23]

Opinion polling

Dates
conducted
PollsterClientSample
size
Godwin
Lab
Smith
Con
Page
Grn
Henman
LD
Banks
Ref
Scott
Ind
Lead
1 May 20252025 mayoral election25.0%16.6%20.0%14.0%22.1%2.3%2.9
29–30 Apr 2025 Find Out Now N/A84019%17%24%11%25%5%1
15–23 Apr 2025 More in Common The Observer99823%21%18%15%18%5%2
9–23 Apr 2025 YouGov N/A1,16523%17%27%13%18%2%4
6 May 2021 2021 mayoral election (1st round)33.4%28.6%21.7%16.3%4.8

Results

The election was won by Helen Godwin, the Labour Party candidate, with 25% of the vote. The change in the tables below reflect the difference from the first round of votes in the 2021 election.

Overall

2025 West of England mayoral election [24] [25] [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Helen Godwin 51,197 25.0 –8.4
Reform UK Arron Banks 45,25222.1N/A
Green Mary Page41,09420.0–1.7
Conservative Steve Smith34,09216.6–12.0
Liberal Democrats Oli Henman28,71114.0–2.3
Independent Ian Scott4,6822.3N/A
Majority 5,9452.9–1.9
Rejected ballots529
Turnout 205,55730.00–6.6
Labour hold Swing –15.3

By local authority

Bath and North East Somerset

2025 West of England mayoral election (Bath and North East Somerset) [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats Oli Henman9,94223.2+3.3
Labour Helen Godwin 8,76420.5–11.4
Reform UK Arron Banks 8,58620.1N/A
Conservative Steve Smith8,52219.9–12.3
Green Mary Page6,25014.6–1.4
Independent Ian Scott7411.7N/A

Bristol

2025 West of England mayoral election (Bristol) [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Helen Godwin 29,99130.8–5.8
Green Mary Page27,45228.2–0.1
Reform UK Arron Banks 17,22017.7N/A
Conservative Steve Smith11,33511.6–9.1
Liberal Democrats Oli Henman9,6329.9–4.7
Independent Ian Scott1,8901.9N/A

South Gloucestershire

2025 West of England mayoral election (South Gloucestershire) [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform UK Arron Banks 19,44630.1N/A
Conservative Steve Smith14,23522.0–20.0
Labour Helen Godwin 12,44219.2–8.8
Liberal Democrats Oli Henman9,13714.1–3.0
Green Mary Page7,39211.4–1.5
Independent Ian Scott2,0513.2N/A

Analysis

Thom Oliver, a lecturer in politics at the University of the West of England and part of the Bristol Civic Leadership project studying mayoral governance in the area, wrote that with turnout of about 30%, and the mayor winning with 25% of the vote, the mayor had won with just 7.5% of the electorate voting for her. He stated that "directly elected mayors derive their legitimacy from a clear and personal democratic mandate" giving them local authority for bold actions, and expressed concern whether the mayor had a good mandate. [28]

Notes

  1. While Norris was elected as the Labour mayor of WECA, he was suspended from the Labour party on 4 April 2025. [1]

References

  1. Doherty, Caitlin; Timms, Katie; Smith, Mikey (5 April 2025). "Somerset MP suspended after 'rape and child abduction arrest'". Somerset Live. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  2. Pipe, Ellie (23 July 2020)."Metro mayor on the future of transport in the Bristol region". Bristol 24/7. Retrieved 13 May 2024
  3. "Elections 2017 results: Who are the new metro mayors?". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  4. Grubb, Sophie (24 July 2020). "West of England Mayor election 2021: Lib Dems announce candidate". Bristol Live. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 Ashcroft, Esme (4 May 2018). "Weca Metro Mayor marks first anniversary - but what has he done?". Bristol Live. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  6. "North Somerset Council joining Weca 'could secure vital funds'". BBC News. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  7. Sumner, Stephen (27 October 2020). "Not joining regional partnership would be "stupid"". Bristol Live. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  8. Postans, Adam (3 February 2021). "Minister offers path for North Somerset to join Weca". Bristol Live. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  9. Team, Bath Echo News (17 February 2017). "First meeting set for newly established West of England Combined Authority". Bath Echo. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  10. Wright, Mike (8 May 2024). "Local elections: A third of the vote shouldn't make a mayor". Electoral Reform Society. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  11. "MP won't run for West of England Metro mayor again after rule change". Midsomer Norton, Radstock & District Journal . 24 September 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  12. Green, Daniel (1 November 2024). "West of England mayor: The three aspiring Labour candidates shortlisted". LabourList. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  13. Booth, Martin (3 November 2024). "Darren Jones endorses Helen Godwin for metro mayor". B24/7. Bristol24/7. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  14. Booth, Martin (21 November 2024). "Helen Godwin is Labour's metro mayor candidate for 2025 election". B24/7. Bristol24/7. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  15. 1 2 Postans, Adam (11 November 2024). "Tories name ex-Bristol councillor as WECA mayor nominee". Bristol Live. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  16. Seabrook, Alex (6 November 2024). "Two more candidates enter the West of England mayoral race". Bristol Live. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  17. Seabrook, Alex (25 October 2024). "'Scrap the mayor' campaigner running to be Green WECA mayor". Bristol Live. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  18. "Heather Mack to be Green candidate for WECA mayor". 20 November 2024.
  19. Cork, Tristan (9 January 2025). "Greens change Metro Mayor candidate ahead of election". Bristol Post. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  20. Massoudi, Hannah (21 January 2025). "Oli Henman announced as Lib Dem candidate for WECA mayor". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  21. Postans, Adam (8 November 2024). "Labour councillor accuses own party of age and sex discrimination over mayoral election race snub". Bristol Post. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  22. Postans, Adam (30 January 2025). "Labour expels South Gloucestershire councillor for announcing bid to stand as independent WECA mayor". Bristol Post. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  23. Luckman, Tom (31 March 2025). "Arron Banks running for mayor of the West of England". Insurance Post. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  24. "1 May election result declared". West of England Combined Authority. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  25. Norris, Phil; Wimperis, John (2 May 2025). "Weca mayor election 2025 - live results and reaction". Bristol Live. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  26. "West of England Mayor election results". BBC News . 2 May 2025.
  27. 1 2 3 Wimperis, John (2 May 2025). "How your area voted for West of England Mayor and who won where". Somerset Live. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  28. Oliver, Thom (4 May 2025). "'Do we now have a mayor without a mandate?'". B24/7. Bristol24/7. Retrieved 7 May 2025.