West of England mayoral election, 2017

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West of England mayoral election, 2017
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4 May 2017 2021  →
Turnout29.7%
  Tim Bowles, 2017-04-03 (cropped).jpg Lesley Mansell, 2017-04-03 (cropped).jpg SWilliams Headshot.JPG
Candidate Tim Bowles Lesley Mansell Stephen Williams
Party Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat
1st Round vote53,79643,62739,794
Percentage27.3%22.2%20.2%
2nd Round vote70,30065,923Eliminated
Percentage51.6%48.4%Eliminated
  John Savage, 2017-04-03 (cropped).jpg Darren Hall Headshot.png
CandidateJohn SavageDarren HallAaron Foot
Party Independent Green UKIP
1st Round vote29,50022,0548,182
Percentage15.0%11.2%4.2%
2nd Round voteEliminatedEliminatedEliminated
PercentageEliminatedEliminatedEliminated
West of England Mayoral Election 2017.svg
Map of the results of the mayoral election by council

The inaugural West of England mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the Mayor of the West of England metropolitan area. The area is made up of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire. [1] Subsequent elections will be held every four years. [2] The election was won by Conservative Tim Bowles. [3] The overall turnout for the election was low, with only 29.7% of the electorate voting.

Mayor of the West of England mayoral post in England

The Mayor of the West of England is the directly elected mayor responsible for the strategic government of the West of England, including planning, transport and skills. For this purpose the West of England is defined as the local authority areas of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The creation of the role was agreed in 2016 by the then Chancellor George Osborne and the leaders of the three councils.

West of England Combined Authority

The West of England Combined Authority is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England. The first election for this post took place in May 2017, when the Conservative candidate Tim Bowles was chosen on a turnout of 29.7%.

Bath and North East Somerset Non-metropolitan district in England

Bath and North East Somerset is the district of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset Council that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset.

Contents

Background

The election coincided with the creation of the West of England Combined Authority, made up of the Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire council areas. North Somerset was not part of the Combined Authority, as its council voted against the devolution deal in June 2016. [4]

Bristol City and county in England

Bristol is a city and county in South West England with a population of 459,300. The wider district has the 10th-largest population in England. The urban area population of 724,000 is the 8th-largest in the UK. The city borders North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, with the cities of Bath and Gloucester to the south-east and north-east, respectively. South Wales lies across the Severn estuary.

South Gloucestershire Unitary authority area in England

South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in South West England. It comprises multiple suburban areas to the north and east of Bristol as well as a large rural hinterland. South Gloucestershire was created in 1996 from the northern section of the county of Avon, which was abolished at that time.

North Somerset Unitary authority area in England

North Somerset is a unitary authority area in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare.

Procedure

Bristol City Council acted as the Combined Authority Returning Officer. [5] Formal nominations to stand could be made from 28 March 2017 to 4 April 2017. [6]

Bristol City Council local authority of Bristol, England

Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 35 wards, electing a total of 70 councillors.

This election used the supplementary voting system, with electors having two votes. One vote for the first choice candidate, with an optional vote for a second choice candidate used if no candidate has more than 50% of the first choice votes. [5] [7]

Campaign

Independent John Savage proposed the development of a "super tram network" for the Combined Authority if elected, as part of a larger public transport policy. He also pledged to write to Channel 4 to ask the channel to consider moving to the West of England. Labour candidate Lesley Mansell promised greater protection for private tenants against "unscrupulous" landlords and 4,000 new homes a year. Conservative Tim Bowles pledged to build more affordable homes and protect the green belt. Liberal Democrat candidate Stephen Williams launched a range of policies with Vince Cable, including rolling out broadband to the region's villages and getting rid of the Severn Bridge toll. Bowles, Mansell and Williams all advocated making the region attractive for business. UKIP's Aaron Foot promised to build an online direct democracy platform and to "end the war on motorists". [4]

Timothy Bowles is an American attorney who has worked for the Church of Scientology and its related organizations for the majority of his career.

Stephen Williams (politician) British politician

Stephen Roy Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol West in the 2005 general election, and re-elected with an increased majority in May 2010. In October 2013 he joined the Government as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Communities and Local Government. In May 2015 Williams lost his Bristol West seat to the Labour Party's Thangam Debbonaire, and in May 2017 he came third in the election for the newly created role of Mayor of the West of England.

Vince Cable British Liberal Democrat politician

Sir John Vincent "Vince" Cable is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 20 July 2017 and as the Member of Parliament for Twickenham from 1997-2015 and since 8 June 2017. He served as the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2010-15.

Candidates

Candidates' Transport Infrastructure Debate at the Bristol and Bath Science Park 2017 West of England mayoral transport debate, side view.jpg
Candidates' Transport Infrastructure Debate at the Bristol and Bath Science Park

Six candidates stood in the election. [7]

Conservative Party

Tim Bowles, events company manager, South Gloucestershire councillor. [8]

South Gloucestershire Council unitary authority in England

South Gloucestershire Council is the local authority of South Gloucestershire, a unitary authority in the South West of England region. As a unitary authority it has the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. As such, it is administratively separate from the rest of Gloucestershire.

Green Party

Darren Hall, former RAF engineering officer, project manager, former Parliamentary candidate in Bristol West. [9]

Labour Party

Lesley Mansell, NHS manager, Westfield parish councillor and former Peasedown St John parish councillor. [10]

Liberal Democrats

Stephen Williams, chartered tax consultant, former MP for Bristol West and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. [11]

UK Independence Party

Aaron Foot, farmer, Coleford parish councillor, [12] 2016 candidate for Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner.

Independent

John Savage, businessman, chair of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Initiative, treasurer of Bristol Cathedral, 2012 Labour candidate for Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner. [13] [14]

Results

Overall

West of England Mayoral Election 2017 [15] [16]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Conservative Tim Bowles 53,79627.3%16,50470,30051.6%
​​
Labour Lesley Mansell43,62722.2%22,29665,92348.4%
​​
Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams 39,79420.2%
​​
Independent John Savage29,50015.0%
​​
Green Darren Hall22,05411.2%
​​
UKIP Aaron Foot8,1824.2%
​​
Majority4,3772.2%
Turnout 196,95329.7%

By local authority

Bath and North East Somerset

West of England Mayoral Election 2017 (Bath and North East Somerset) [17]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Conservative Tim Bowles 13,10332.1%3,34316,44661.2%
​​
Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams 10,02124.6%
​​
Labour Lesley Mansell6,13715.0%4,30910,44638.8%
​​
Independent John Savage5,53013.6%
​​
Green Darren Hall4,39810.8%
​​
UKIP Aaron Foot1,6043.9%
​​
Majority6,00022.3%
Turnout 40,79330.5%

Bristol

West of England Mayoral Election 2017 (Bristol) [17]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Labour Lesley Mansell29,67629.6%13,93543,61163.5%
​​
Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams 20,67520.6%
​​
Conservative Tim Bowles 18,14618.1%6,91725,06336.5%
​​
Independent John Savage14,46714.4%
​​
Green Darren Hall13,85713.8%
​​
UKIP Aaron Foot3,3543.3%
​​
Majority18,54827.0%
Turnout 100,17531.1%

South Gloucestershire

West of England Mayoral Election 2017 (South Gloucestershire) [17]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Conservative Tim Bowles 22,54740.3%6,24428,79170.8%
​​
Independent John Savage9,50317.0%
​​
Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams 9,09816.3%
​​
Labour Lesley Mansell7,81414.0%4,05211,86629.2%
​​
Green Darren Hall3,7996.8%
​​
UKIP Aaron Foot3,2245.8%
​​
Majority16,92541.6%
Turnout 55,98527.1%

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References

  1. ↑ "'Metro mayor' to run new West of England authority". ITV. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  2. ↑ UK Parliament. The West of England Combined Authority Order 2017 as made, from legislation.gov.uk .
  3. ↑ "Tory Tim Bowles elected West of England mayor". BBC. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  4. 1 2 Ashcroft, Esme (7 April 2017). "What have the Metro Mayor candidates promised so far?".
  5. 1 2 "Mayoral Election". West of England Combined Authority. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Prospective Candidate Information" (PDF). West of England Combined Authority. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  7. 1 2 "West of England Combined Authority Mayoral Election" (PDF). Bristol: Combined Authority Returning Officer. April 2017. BD9104. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  8. ↑ Alex Brown (23 January 2017). "Tim Bowles named Conservative Party candidate for West of England Metro Mayor elections". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  9. ↑ "Can this Metro Mayor candidate turn the West green?". Bath Chronicle. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  10. ↑ Ian Onions (6 January 2017). "Bristol Metro Mayor election 2017 Labour candidate revealed". Bristol Post. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  11. ↑ Ashcroft, Esme (2 May 2017). "Who are the Metro Mayor candidates you can vote for in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and B&NES?". Bristol Post. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "UKIP's Metro Mayor candidate | North East Somerset UKIP". www.nesukip.org.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  13. ↑ "Metro mayor independent launches campaign | News | Bristol 24/7". Bristol 24/7. 2017-03-14. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  14. ↑ "New Canon Treasurer appointed". Bristol Cathedral. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "Mayor of the West of England". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  16. ↑ "West of England Combined Authority Mayoral election result". West of England Combined Authority. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 "West of England Combined Authority Mayoral election result - bristol.gov.uk". www.bristol.gov.uk.
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