2021 West of England mayoral election explained

Election Name:2021 West of England election
Type:Mayoral
Ongoing:no
Turnout:36.6%
Previous Election:2017 West of England mayoral election
Previous Year:2017
Next Election:2025 West of England mayoral election
Next Year:2025
Election Date:6 May 2021
1Blank:First Round 
2Blank:Percentage
3Blank:Swing
4Blank:Second Round 
5Blank:Percentage
6Blank:Swing
Candidate1:Dan Norris
Party1:Labour Party (UK)
1Data1:84,434
2Data1:33.4%
3Data1:11.2pp
4Data1:125,482
5Data1:59.5%
6Data1:11.1pp
Candidate2:Samuel Williams
Party2:Conservative Party (UK)
1Data2:72,415
2Data2:28.6%
3Data2:1.3pp
4Data2:85,389
5Data2:40.5%
6Data2:11.1pp
Candidate4:Jerome Thomas
Party4:Green Party of England and Wales
1Data4:54,919
2Data4:21.7%
3Data4:10.5pp
4Data4:Eliminated
Candidate5:Stephen Williams
Party5:Liberal Democrats (UK)
1Data5:41,193
2Data5:16.3%
3Data5:3.9pp
4Data5:Eliminated
Map Size:300px
Mayor
Posttitle:Elected mayor
Before Election:Tim Bowles
Before Party:Conservative
After Election:Dan Norris
After Party:Labour

The 2021 West of England mayoral election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the mayor of the West of England, on the same day as other local elections across the country. It was the second election for the role. The mayor was elected by the supplementary vote system.

The election was won by Dan Norris of the Labour Party.

Background

The West of England term has been used as a synonym for either south-west England or the former county of Avon which was abolished in 1996. 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.[1] It broadly resembles Avon, but excludes North Somerset because that council opposed joining the combined authority, although they collaborate on some projects.[2] In October 2020 there were discussions around North Somerset joining the WECA in time for the May 2021 election,[3] [4] but councillors in Bristol voted down this proposal in early 2021.[5]

The mayor of the West of England is the directly elected head of the WECA. Under a devolution deal agreed in 2017,[6] they have powers over a £30 million annual allocation from the government, to fund transport management, strategic planning of land and housing and adult education.[7] [8] The first election took place in 2017, with Conservative candidate Tim Bowles winning with 52% in the second round, and Labour placed second; the turnout was 29.7%, which was considered low.[9]

The think-tank Centre for Cities looked at the results of local elections in the West of England for 2018 and 2019 to make a prediction of the result and found the Conservatives had suffered considerable losses in Bath and North East Somerset, saying it "looks set to be tough for the incumbent".[10]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to other elections due to take place in May 2020 being delayed to occur on the same day as this election, including elections for many other metro mayors across England.[11] [12] [13] This meant that the mayor was elected at the same time as the mayor of Bristol, Bristol City Council and the police and crime commissioner for Avon and Somerset.[14]

Voting system

The election used a supplementary vote system, in which voters express a first and a second preference for candidates.[15]

This means that the winning candidate has the support of a majority of voters who expressed a preference among the top two.[16]

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in the West of England aged 18 or over on 6 May 2020 will be entitled to vote in the mayoral election. Those who are temporarily away from home (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) will also be entitled to vote. The deadline to register to vote in the election was 11:59pm, 19 April 2021.[17]

Campaign

The Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson was unable to name Tim Bowles, the incumbent Conservative mayor of the West of England, whilst campaigning in Gloucestershire.[18] Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, visited Bath to campaign for Dan Norris, the Labour candidate. He was kicked out of a pub by its landlord, who opposed lockdowns.[19] An opinion poll showed that 10% of residents of the West of England thought that Marvin Rees, the Labour mayor of Bristol, was the mayor of the West of England, while only 7% could correctly identify Bowles as the region's mayor.[20] The BBC broadcast a debate between the four candidates on 25 April.

Samuel Williams, the Conservative candidate, said that he would start a "collaborative growth forum" as a place for representatives of different industrial sectors to meet and discuss how the combined authority can support them.[21] He said he would "prioritise the regeneration of brownfield sites".[22]

Dan Norris, the Labour candidate, said that Bowles was the "only metro mayor who doesn't have more powers than when he started". If elected, Norris said he would seek more powers and finance from central government. He said he would establish a "Green Recovery Fund" to create 23,000 jobs by investing in "home retrofitting, tree-planting, flood and drought defences, and renewable energy". In the BBC debate, he said he supported more building on brownfield sites.

Stephen Williams, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said he would prioritise bus franchising and opening new railway stations. He said he would cancel plans for a ring road around South Bristol.[23] He proposed the establishment of a "West of England Centre for Green Technology Excellence" to promote workforce skills for the "green jobs of the future".

Jerome Thomas, the Green Party candidate, said his first priority would be opposing a proposed expansion of Bristol Airport. He said he would lobby the national government to institute a wealth tax and provide VAT reductions for energy-efficient products. In the BBC debate, he said he'd start community land associations to help people build homes for themselves, and reduce the number of cars on roads.

Candidates

Conservative Party

Samuel Williams was announced as the Conservative Party candidate on 20 December 2020. He had previously run as the party's candidate to be Mayor of Bristol.[24] The incumbent mayor, Tim Bowles, was elected as a Conservative but decided not to run for re-election.[25]

Labour Party

Dan Norris was selected as the Labour Party candidate on 16 November 2020. He served as MP for Wansdyke from 1997 to 2010, when it was replaced with North East Somerset. He was environment minister from 2009 to 2010.[26] Seven candidates were longlisted, including the party's candidate in the 2017 mayoral election Lesley Mansell. Of those seven candidates, Norris and Bristol councillor Helen Godwin were shortlisted at interview to proceed to a selection by members' vote.[27] [28] Norris won selection with 1,611 votes to Godwin's 1,558 with a turnout of 41.9%.[29]

Liberal Democrats

Stephen Williams, a former MP and minister, was announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate on 24 July 2020.[30] He served as MP for Bristol West from 2005 to 2015 and communities minister from 2013 to 2015. He was the party's candidate in the 2017 mayoral election, when he came third with 20.2% of the vote.[31]

Green Party

Jerome Thomas was announced as the Green Party candidate in January 2021. He was an entrepreneur who established and ran a business before he became a councillor.[32] He served as a Bristol councillor from 2015 to 2021 and was deputy leader of the Green Party group on the council.[33]

Results

The election was won by Dan Norris, the Labour Party candidate, with 59.5% of the vote in the second round.[34]

By local authority

South Gloucestershire

Notes and References

  1. News: Pipe. Ellie. 23 July 2020. Metro mayor on the future of transport in the Bristol region. en. Bristol 24/7. 11 August 2020.
  2. News: Grubb. Sophie. 24 July 2020. West of England Mayor election 2021: Lib Dems announce candidate. BristolLive. 11 August 2020.
  3. News: North Somerset Council joining Weca 'could secure vital funds' . 31 October 2020 . BBC News . 28 October 2020.
  4. News: Sumner. Stephen. 27 October 2020. Not joining regional partnership would be "stupid". en. BristolLive. Reach plc. 31 October 2020.
  5. News: Postans . Adam . Minister offers path for North Somerset to join Weca . 13 February 2021 . . . 3 February 2021 . en.
  6. Web site: 2017-02-17 . First meeting set for newly established West of England Combined Authority . 2023-02-02 . Bath Echo . en-GB.
  7. Web site: Combine Authority Factsheet West of England . . 11 August 2020.
  8. News: Ashcroft . Esme . Weca Metro Mayor marks first anniversary - but what has he done? . 12 August 2020 . . . 4 May 2018.
  9. Web site: Meet the mayors: Who are the new leaders? . . 11 August 2020 . 5 May 2017.
  10. News: Jeffrey . Simon . Bell . Owen . What do the local elections tell us about the upcoming metro mayor elections? . 13 August 2019 . . 11 August 2020.
  11. News: Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus . 13 March 2020 . BBC News . 13 March 2020.
  12. Web site: Elledge. Jonn. What is happening with England's mayoral elections?. 11 August 2020. City Metric. 8 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200808154001/https://www.citymetric.com/politics/england-mayoral-elections-postponed-4994. dead.
  13. Web site: Roberts . Jane . Assessing England's metro-mayors: a mixed picture . Democratic Audit . 11 August 2020 . 11 August 2020.
  14. News: Wilson . Kate . Bristol's next mayor will serve three-year term after 2020 elections postponed . 12 August 2020 . . . 7 May 2020.
  15. News: Tory elected West of England mayor . 12 August 2020 . BBC News . 5 May 2017.
  16. News: Elledge. Jonnk. London Elections: How The Voting System Works . The Londonist . 2 May 2012 . 12 August 2020.
  17. News: What is the Supplementary Vote?. en. Nudge Factory. 12 August 2020.
  18. Web site: PA. Emma Bowden. 2021-04-19. Boris Johnson can't name WECA mayor despite both being Conservative. 2021-04-25. BristolLive. en.
  19. Web site: Sir Keir Starmer kicked out of pub and Boris Johnson appears to forget name of Tory incumbent on difficult day of campaigning. 2021-04-25. Sky News. en.
  20. News: 2021-04-26. West of England mayor candidates aim to raise role's profile. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-04-28.
  21. Web site: 2021-04-20. West of England metro mayor election: Meet the candidates. 2021-04-25. ITV News. en.
  22. Web site: 2021-04-20. A green jobs revolution must go beyond construction and manufacturing. 2021-04-25. The Bristol Cable. en-GB.
  23. Web site: Cork. Tristan. 2021-04-19. South Bristol 'Wrong Road' plan becomes issue for two mayoral elections. 2021-04-25. BristolLive. en.
  24. News: Mabe. Huw. 20 December 2020. Conservative candidate for West of England mayor announced. South Cotswolds Gazette. 23 December 2020.
  25. News: 24 November 2020. West of England Mayor Tim Bowles announces retirement. BBC News. 25 November 2020.
  26. Web site: Postans. Adam. 2021-04-13. West of England metro mayor election: everything you need to know. 2021-04-17. BristolLive. en.
  27. Web site: Chappell. Elliot. 20 July 2020. Letter sent to NEC as just two make Labour's West of England mayor shortlist. LabourList. 12 August 2020.
  28. Web site: Chappell. Elliot. 4 August 2020. Party refuses to restart selection process for West of England mayoral candidate. LabourList. 12 August 2020.
  29. Web site: Rodgers. Sienna. 16 November 2020. Dan Norris selected as Labour's West of England mayoral candidate. LabourList. 17 November 2020.
  30. Web site: 2020-07-28. Lib Dems announce candidate for 2021 West of England mayoral election. 2021-04-17. Bath Echo. en-GB.
  31. Web site: Ashcroft. Esme. 2017-04-07. What have the Metro Mayor candidates promised so far?. 2020-10-22. BristolLive. en.
  32. News: 2021-03-29. West of England mayoral candidates. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-04-17.
  33. News: Postans. Adam. 12 January 2021. Greens choose Bristol city councillor as metro mayor candidate. Bristol Post. 12 January 2021.
  34. Web site: Cork. Tristan. 2021-05-08. Labour win West of England Metro Mayor from Conservatives. 2021-05-08. BristolLive. en.