Referendum: Parties react to Bristol’s choice to ditch the mayoral model

Victorious and defeated camps have reacted to the news that Bristol voted to switch its governance model to a committee system – just a decade after the role of mayor was brought in.

Marvin Rees responded to the result of Bristol’s referendum, which will see his position scrapped in 2024, saying the decision is not “about him”.

The current mayor expressed fears for City Hall’s future organised by a committee system, calling the model “very poor”.

Meanwhile, jubilant members from the cross-party campaign to scrap the mayor rejoiced as the result was announced in the early hours of Friday.

Reacting directly after it was revealed at 3:30am that 59 per cent of voters opted for a change in how Bristol City Council is run, Mary Page was visibly emotional as she thanked Bristolians. Page called the result “a brilliant victory of democracy”.

“People believed in the message that I had to give: it is our city, the city of Bristol belongs to all of us, not just one person, not just the mayor. The future is bright,” she said.

“We promise that we are going to make the best of this and we are going to try to make the committee system work for all – because you all deserve a seat at the table.”

The leader of the ‘It’s Our City Bristol’ campaign added: “People voted for change. They voted for the positive option. What I would ask of Marvin now is ‘please allow all of the councillors more access to help set up the structures that we need in two years’ time.”

Metres away at Oasis Academy Brislington and moments after the result was revealed, Labour’s Rees rejected the idea the vote was a reflection on his own leadership.

“It’s always been about the system. The mayoral system offers a broader talent base from which to draw people who could become the leader and it gives Bristolians an opportunity to directly rather than the councillors deciding who that leader will be,” stated Rees.

He continued: “I really hope my fears of the committee system are not warranted and that it proves to be successful.

“Because the scale of the challenges we face right now coming off the back of the pandemic, dealing with Brexit, the climate emergency, ecological emergency, housing crisis – that requires a city that is focused on making decisions and focused on delivering, not focused on internal wrangling and posturing and politics that gets sucked into City Hall.”

From left to right: Heather Mack, Mary Page, Mark Weston and Jos Clark – photo: Betty Woolerton

Calling the vote “a new chapter”, councillor for Lockleaze Heather Mack, leader of the Green group, said: “For many years now, important decisions affecting the whole of our city have been made behind closed doors by just one person whom the public and elected councillors cannot easily challenge.

“In the future, we look forward to a fairer, more open way of doing business where decisions are made collaboratively, at open meetings the public can attend and scrutinise.”

Conservative group leader and councillor for Henbury & Brentry Mark Weston said: “The mayoral model has proven a disaster for Bristol – too much power at the whim of one individual.

“The public have rejected this unaccountable model of government. We now need all parties to work together to bring in a more conciliatory form of politics to Bristol.”

Rees will continue as Bristol’s mayor until May 2024, when the new system will come into play – photo: Betty Woolerton

In response to the result, councillor Steve Pearce, leader of the Labour group of councillors, said: “We’re of course disappointed by it, but we have a duty to make the committee system work.”

“We’re setting up a cross-party working group to draft a new, committee-based constitution, where we hope to have constructive conversations with other parties.”

Pearce said that despite reverting to the old form of governance, progress “won’t be undone”.

Lib Dem group leader and councillor for Brislington West Jos Clark said: “The Bristol Liberal Democrat group brought the motion for this referendum to full council in December last year and in the spirit of cross-party working were happy to let the Green Party second the motion.”

“This is a good example of working together for the good of our city and we look forward to more collaboration in future and under a fairer system.”

Gary Hopkins from the Knowle Community Party for the Knowle ward said the result means that decision making can be open to more public scrutiny, saying: “all councillors now need to be involved in the process of refining the structure that will operate after 2024 and in the meantime working cooperatively to reduce harmful outcomes under the present centralised Mayoral structure.”

City Hall is to see a change in governance model when Rees steps down in two years. Some 94,552 people voted in the referendum, a turnout 29 per cent.

The result is likely to be ratified at an extraordinary meeting of the full council on May 24.

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read more: Bristol votes to scrap mayoral mode of governance

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