Metro mayor deal signed – but who’s running?

Bristol will get its metro mayor after a deal including up to £1 billion of investment and a raft of new powers was rubber-stamped on Monday night.

The new mayor will be elected in May and will preside over new spending powers for transport, housing and education for the Greater Bristol area.

The deal, which had already been agreed in principal, was given the final sign-off by Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils on Monday, and will now be scrutinised by parliament.

All three councils voted to adopt a new mayor to establish the West of England Combined Authority. North Somerset turned down the deal over concerns that Bristol would have too much influence over a mostly rural local authority. However, the Government may overturn the decision, forcing the authority to join.

Councillors in Bristol voted in favour of the deal in June – despite concerns that a metro mayor would be costly and undemocratic. Even city mayor Marvin Rees, who had the final veto, had concerns, admitting the system wasn’t perfect, but “the only game in town”.

On Monday, the mayor said: “This isn’t a cure-all and there will always be some strings attached. Making it truly work in the long term will take a lot of hard graft.

“This is only a first step and as we think ahead to the even greater opportunities offered by future devolution deals, we must ensure this is properly resourced to get the best deal for Bristol and the city region.”

Under the new system, Rees will remain mayor of Bristol, but will have another elected mayor working at a level above him and with more extensive powers. In an interview with Bristol24/7 he ruled himself out of standing for the metro mayor position.

Who is running for metro mayor?

With the election due to take place in May next year, the party machines are slowly beginning to rumble once again.

But whereas in Manchester Labour former cabinet minister Andy Burnham threw his hat into the ring earlier in the year, Bristol has been slow off the mark.

Labour

A provisional shortlist has been drawn up which includes:

Karl Brown, current solicitor and Junior Chamber of Commerce member

Lesley Mansell, councillor on Bath & North East Somerset Council

Eileen Means, former Bristol City councillor and current chair of the Bristol Labour Party

Robin Moss, leader of the Labour Group on Bath & North East Somerset Council

Ian Scott, councillor on South Gloucestershire Council and former trade union official

This shortlist is due to be whittled down to two before ballots are sent out to all members in the Greater Bristol area in the new year in a “one member one vote” system to chose the final candidate.

The selection process risks highlighting recent divisions which flared up during the leadership election between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith. Lesley Mansell and Ian Scott are both members of Momentum, the grassroots organisation which supports Corbyn.

Conservatives

The Conservsative Party are the favourites to win the election, given their current support in the region. They did not respond to a request for details of their selection process.

Charles Lucas, who stood for mayor of Bristol is rumoured to be interested in running, although no official announcements have been made yet. The current leader of the Tory members at Bristol City Council, Mark Weston, is also thought to be considering the job.

Lib Dems

A joint committee has been appointed to pick a shortlist from applications which have already opened.

The party has signaled it is not happy with the devolution deal as it stands, but the process of selecting a candidate is likely to go ahead nevertheless.

Stephen Williams, the former MP for Bristol West, is rumoured to be interested in the role.

Green Party

The Green Party have opened their application process and are in the process of putting together a shortlist. The number on the shortlist will depend on the number and quality of applications the party receives.

No official announcements have been made, but Darren Hall, the party’s parliamentary candidate for Bristol West in 2015, is believed to be interested in running – so long as North Somerset (where he lives) is included in the deal. South West MEP Molly Scott Cato has also been mentioned as a possible candidate.

Ballots are likely to be sent out to party members across the Greater Bristol area in the new year.

Independents

George Ferguson said following his election defeat in May that he was stepping out of politics to concentrate on writing, public speaking and a new People & Cities project.

John Savage, the former Labour Party member who ended up backing Ferguson at the Bristol mayoral elections earlier this year, is believed to be considering a bid.