Candidate Booklet for Mayor for West of England Combined Authority Election
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West of England Combined Authority Mayoral Election Thursday 4 May 2017 • Voting information • The candidates – who they are, what they say wevote.org.uk #WEvote West of England Combined Authority Mayoral Election The Mayoral Candidates The West of England Combined Authority covers the There are six candidates standing as Mayor for the West of England area of Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Combined Authority. Their statements appear in this booklet. Gloucestershire. On Thursday 4 May 2017 electors from Candidates are listed in alphabetical order below. This is the order in these areas will have the opportunity to vote for the person which they will appear on the ballot paper. they want to be Mayor for the West of England Combined Authority until 2021. ●● BOWLES, Tim The Conservative Party Candidate The West of England devolution deal brings powers and money from national Government and the ability to make more decisions locally. ●● FOOT, Aaron Warren The West of England Combined Authority Mayor will work alongside UK Independence Party (UKIP) the Bristol Mayor and Council Leaders of Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire to create a strategy for the combined area. ●● HALL, Darren Edward About this booklet Green Party ●● This booklet must be sent to you by law*. It includes: MANSELL, Lesley Ann Labour and Co-operative Party ●●●information about the election ●●●an election address (i.e. a statement) from each of the ●● SAVAGE, John Christopher Mayoral candidates Independent ●●●information on how to fill in your ballot paper and how the ●● result will be calculated WILLIAMS, Stephen Liberal Democrats ●●●frequently asked questions Your vote is important in deciding who the future West of England Combined Authority Mayor will be. Stephen Hughes Combined Authority Returning Officer The order in which the statements of candidates appear in this booklet has been determined by the * One booklet must be distributed to each person entitled to vote at the election. This booklet has been drawing of lots by the Deputy Combined Authority Returning Officer, in accordance with The Combined produced in accordance with The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) order 2017. Authorities (Mayoral Elections) order 2017. wevote.org.uk 8 in 1. Vote by putting an Voting information column A, next to the name of the candidate who Election of the Mayor for W Poll card is your first choice. England Combined Authority Election of the Mayor for West of England est of Every registered Your details: Combined Authority Vote once You must vote in this ✘ in Column A for your first choice, and Vote once ✘ eligible elector will Date of election Thursday 4th May 2017 column for your first in Column B for your second choice be sent an official Voting information choice to be counted. Polling day Thursday 4th May 2017 Column 7am to 10pm A Voting hours 8 in first choice Column B CAND second choice poll card which will egister: ABCD 1234 IDATE SURNAME, F Your polling Number on r irst name Address station will be: d with 2. Vote by putting an You do not need to take this car Party name/Independen explain when, where you in order to vote. t column B, next to the Party logo CAND IDATE SURNAME, F irst name and how to vote. name of the candidate Address Please turn over> Party name/Independen t Party logo who is your second CAND For details of your polling IDATE SURNAME, F irst name choice. Address Party name/Independen station you can also call t Party logo CAND If you do not vote in this IDATE SURNAME, F your local council: 01225 477 333 irst name Address column, your first choice Party name/Independen t 0117 922 3400 Party logo CAND Bath & North East Somerset ..... vote will still be counted. IDATE SURNAME, F irst name Address ....................... 01454 863 030 Party name/Independen t Bristol Party logo CAND 3. If you vote twice for the IDATE SURNAME, F irst name Address South Gloucestershire .......... same candidate, your Party name/Independen t second vote will not be counted. 8 in the first Party logo 4. You should not mark more than one How to cast your vote choice column A, and you should not mark more 8 in the second choice column B. When you get to your polling station, you will receive a ballot than one paper for the Mayoral election. Postal voters will have this ballot If you have marked a first choice, you can choose paper in their pack. whether or not to mark a second choice. This election uses the supplementary voting system. If you only mark a cross in the second choice You will have two votes – one for your first choice candidate and one, column, your vote will not be counted. if you wish, for your second choice candidate. The ballot paper will list all the candidates standing. Next to the list of candidates there will be two columns. wevote.org.uk Who is elected? Frequently asked questions All the first choices ●● What is devolution? are counted: West of England devolution is a deal with national Government If one candidate has received Mayor for to transfer some of its funding and decision making powers to more than 50% of the votes West of England the West of England region (Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, they will be elected Mayor. Combined Authority South Gloucestershire). As part of the deal we need to have a regional authority and an elected regional Mayor. ●● What powers does the West of England Combined Authority have? It will have the ability to make local decisions about spatial planning for the region (including where new homes are planned and where investment in new services is needed to support The ballot papers for the eliminated their development), adult education and skills, employment and candidates are then checked. Any regional transport. second choice votes for the two If no candidate has more remaining candidates are added ●● than 50% of the vote: to their first round totals. The What is the difference between the West of The two candidates with the most candidate with the most votes wins. England Combined Authority Mayor, Council first choice votes will remain in the Leaders and the Bristol Mayor? election and all other candidates are eliminated. The West of England Combined Authority Mayor will be responsible for the additional powers and money devolved to the West of England Combined Authority. The Bristol Mayor and Council Leaders of Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire will continue to be responsible for all of their current council services, except where they choose (or have chosen) to transfer some of their powers to the Combined Authority. wevote.org.uk ●● What happens to the existing local councils? The candidates Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils will still exist. The West of England Combined Authority powers are in addition to and complement the existing powers The following pages within the local councils. contain statements from the candidates. ●● Why two votes for one Mayor? The law states the voting process for the Mayoral elections must The content of these statements be done this way. It also allows you to say who would be your is the responsibility of the second choice for Mayor if your first choice is not in the top two candidates themselves. The views after the first round of counting, and if there is not an outright expressed are theirs, and cannot majority winner at that stage. be attributed to the Combined Authority Returning Officer, Bath ●● I have lost my poll card, can I get another one? & North East Somerset Council, If you are on the electoral register, you don’t need a poll card to Bristol City Council, South vote. You can attend the polling station and staff there will help Gloucestershire Council you. The poll card is just to inform you that there is an election and or the West of England explain where your polling station is. Combined Authority. ●● Why has every voter in my household been sent The order in which the statements a booklet? appear in this booklet has been determined by the drawing of The law says that every registered voter must be sent their own lots by the Deputy Combined copy, so they get a chance to see who the candidates are. Authority Returning Officer. Election helplines: Bath & North East Somerset 01225 477 333 Bristol 0117 922 3400 South Gloucestershire 01454 863 030 For more information visit wevote.org.uk wevote.org.uk Election helpline 0117 922 3400 Vote Darren hall, the positive choice jobs for life Leadership for the long term I will work with businesses to set up a Regional Business Investment Fund to focus and strengthen our local economy so more money stays here. I’ll This is the best opportunity in a set up training for skills we’ll need in the future and promote the value of generation to tackle some of our biggest diversity. I want the West of England to lead the way in creating well paid challenges: jobs that can support you and jobs for local people. your family, decent homes that will reduce your bills, and efficient, clean transport to get us all moving again. transport for life With my background in the forces, Imagine being able to get where you need to go, easily, cheaply and government and the private sector, I have reliably. I will put in place a joined up public transport strategy, with not the leadership skills, management for profit community bus companies, promote rail electrification, and experience and creative thinking needed support Clean Air Zones for Bristol & Bath.