Former Labour MP Dan Norris Wins West of England Mayor
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THE WEEK IN East Bristol & North East Somerset FREE Issue 678 12th May 2021 Read by more than 40,000 people each week Former Labour MP Dan Norris wins West of England Mayor Labour’s Dan Norris has become the new Regional the region’s first Metro Mayor, announced last November Mayor for the West of England, taking the role from the that he would be stepping down. Conservatives. Mr Norris will now lead the West of England Combined Mr Norris, who was MP for Wansdyke (now known as North Authority (WECA) and makes decisions on issues that East Somerset) from 1997 to 2010, was declared the winner impact everyone living and working across the region, at a ceremony at the SS Great Britain in Bristol on Saturday including transport, homes, business, jobs and the economy. after the votes were counted in each of the local authorities. Under the preference voting system he won most votes in Voters in Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Thursday’s poll in both the first and second round, ending Gloucestershire went to the polls last Thursday to vote for with a total of 125,482. The Conservative candidate Samuel who they wanted to become the second West of England Williams got 85,389 votes. Mayor. Mr Norris had won the first round with 84,434 votes, a lead Conservative Tim Bowles, who had been elected in 2017 as of 12,019 over Mr Williams who got 72,415. In the first round the Green Party’s Jerome Thomas was third with Dan Norris celebrates his win 54,919 votes and the Lib Dem candidate Stephen Williams, a former Bristol West MP who served as a minister in the my first 100 days and launch my Green Recovery Plan.” Coalition, trailed in fourth place with 41,193. He will chair a decision-making cabinet that includes newly The turnout was 36.61%, much higher than the 2017 mayoral re-elected Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees and the leaders of election when it was 29.72%. South Gloucestershire Council (Conservative Toby Savage) After his victory Mr Norris said: “It’s a huge honour to be and Bath & North East Somerset Council (Liberal Democrat elected a Metro Mayor for this amazing part of the world that Kevin Guy). I am proud to call home. This role is about collaboration and See pages 2 & 3 for how each area voted and the results of I’ll listen carefully to work cooperatively. Bristol’s mayoral and council elections, plus the Police and Samuel Williams & Dan Norris at the count “I’ll hit the ground running with a jobs and skills summit in Crime Commissioner election Also in this Opposition groups refuse Keynsham nursery Fire rips through old Controversial plans approved to endorse new leader of closing after financial Grange School at to rip out hedgerow in week’s issue B&NES . page 4 loss . page 7 Warmley . page 11 Longwell Green . page 14 Conservative candidate wins Police and Crime Commissioner role The Avon & Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election has been won by the Conservative candidate Mark Shelford. He got 161,319 votes (34.4% of the total) after second How the region voted In a breakdown of how each local authority area voted in the West of England Mayoral election, the first choice of people in B&NES was Conservative candidate Samuel Williams but by a very narrow margin. He Mark Shelford secured 32.2% of the vote while Dan Norris got 31.9%. The Lib Dem candidate Stephen Williams was third on preferences were counted. In his acceptance speech, Mr Shelford thanked Ms 19.9% and the Green Party’s Jerome Thomas fourth on A former deputy leader of B&NES Council, Mr Shelford Mountstevens, who was independent. He said: “She has 16%. The turnout in B&NES was 34.4%. replaces Sue Mountstevens, who had served as Avon & worked tirelessly over the past nine years to keep the people In South Glos Samuel Williams secured 42% of the Somerset’s first PCC from 2012 but had announced that she of Avon and Somerset safer.” vote, Dan Norris got 28%, Stephen Williams 17.1% and would be standing down. He also paid tribute to “the whole police family” who have Jerome Thomas 12.9%. The turnout in South Glos was Labour’s Kerry Barker was second, securing 146,293 votes. worked so tirelessly through COVID. 31.5%. The Green Party’s Cleo Lake got 16.4% of first preference The PCC is responsible for managing a multi-million-pound And in Bristol Mr Norris led the way with 36.6% of the votes and came third. Lib Dem Heather Shearer polled police budget, setting local policing priorities and holding vote while the Green candidate was second on 28.1%. 13.3% while the independent candidate John Smith, who was the police to account. The Conservative share of the vote was 20.7% while the Ms Mountstevens' deputy, got 11.7% of first preference One of Mr Shelford’s first jobs will be to appoint a new Chief Lib Dem candidate was last with 14.6%. The turnout in votes. Constable. Andy Marsh announced last month that he will Bristol was 40.8%. The turnout was 30.7%, up from 26% in 2016. leave in July. 2 The Week in • Wednesday 12th May 2021 Green surge in Bristol but Labour’s Mayor is returned Despite the return of Labour’s Marvin Rees as Bristol electorate of 341,682. Turnout was 41.04%. Tom Baldwin (Trade Mayor, the party has lost overall control of the city The Green surge means Bristol now has more Green Unionist and Socialist council, seeing its number of councillors falling from councillors than Brighton which has the UK’s only Green Coalition): 3,194 votes. 33 to 24. MP. Robert Clarke (Reform All 70 seats were up for grabs in 34 wards at last Meanwhile votes in the race for Bristol Mayor were UK): 806 votes. Thursday’s election and the results were declared on counted on Saturday with the results announced in the Sean Donnelly (Indepen- Sunday. early hours of Sunday. dent): 4,956 votes. The Greens gained 13 seats – 12 of them from Labour - No candidate received over 50% of the first preference Dr Caroline Gooch (Liberal to end up with 24. The Conservatives remained on 14 votes so the two with the highest number of votes went Democrat): 15,517 votes. seats and the Lib Dems lost one, leaving them with eight forward to stage two. The other seven were eliminated. Sandy Hore-Ruthven councillors. A total of 140,246 votes were cast out of an Marvin Rees received 59,276 votes overall. Green Party (Green Party): 36,331 Marvin Rees candidate Sandy Hore-Ruthven came in votes. second with 45,663 votes. John Langley (Independent): 1,528 votes. Mr Rees said: “It's humbling to have Marvin Rees (Labour Party): 50,510 votes. been re-elected to serve my home city. Oska Shaw: 389 votes. We'll keep working together as one city Alastair Watson (Conservative Party): 25,816 votes. for continued change – focused on The result of the second stage count were: delivering more new jobs and more new Sandy Hore-Ruthven (Green Party): 9,322. affordable homes for Bristol with Marvin Rees (Labour Party): 8,766. inclusion and sustainability at the heart Over 140,000 votes were cast in total. The Green Party’s national co-leader Jonathan Bartley celebrating with of all we do.” • A full list of the city council election results can be found some of the new councillors at City Hall on Monday Results of the stage one count were: at https://tinyurl.com/nfcxr38v The Week in • Wednesday 12th May 2021 3 Opposition groups refuse to endorse new B&NES Council leader B&NES Council confirmed Kevin Guy as nomination is a procedural vote which passes nomination as a candidate in the 2019 it new leader last week, although the unopposed. But last week, councillors were election. However, he said this advice process of his ratification did not follow required to cast individual votes - and not included an assertion that “despite the normal protocol. even all the Lib Dem councillors supported nomination paper being incorrectly Last month we reported that Dine Romero, the nomination. completed there was an underlying leader since the 2019 election, had Speaking on behalf of the Labour Party entitlement to stand”. relinquished her role, along and that of leader councillors, Robin Moss accepted that it was In the Labour Group leader’s opinion, it was of the 37 Liberal Democrat councillors. a breach of normal practice to vote against the first time he had heard of an “incorrect” Kevin Guy, who had been the Cabinet the nomination of a council leader but felt nomination paper and he said he had sought member responsible for children’s services, there were still “too many questions” about his own independent legal advice on the took over leadership of the group but the Kevin Guy’s qualification to stand. The matter. Kevin Guy position of council leader required Week In reported on this in Issues 674 and Colin Blackburn, one of six independent ratification by full council at its annual 675. councillors on B&NES Council, said that he community, and he urged Cllr Guy to get out meeting. Cllr Moss acknowledged that B&NES had also written to Cllr Guy for clarification and visit the different wards to gain That took place virtually last Tuesday and in Council’s chief executive had provided over the legitimacy of his candidacy and knowledge about Bath and North East situations where one political party has councillors with independent legal advice on other than being referred to a newspaper Somerset.