Your say / Opinion
‘Stop playing party politics with North Somerset’
Our region recently saw an alliance of unlikely bedfellows come together to admonish mayor Marvin Rees’ choice to play politics after his refusal to allow North Somerset to join the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).
In the face of logical reasoning, the mayor scuppered plans for the council, run by a coalition of independent, Liberal Democrat, Green and Labour councillors, to join our region.
Everyone lamented the decision in 2017 of the then Conservative-led North Somerset Council to stay outside of WECA. The people of North Somerset want to join WECA.
is needed now More than ever
The Conservative regional mayor wants them to join. South Gloucestershire Council want them to join. Bath and North East Somerset Council want them to join. Business leaders across the region want them to join. Transport and climate change campaigners want them to join. The Government wants North Somerset to join, stating that more investment, up to £1 billion extra in funding, will flow to a bigger and more joined-up region.
The obstacle is mayor Marvin Rees. The fact that one individual can get in the way is yet another reason for the post of Bristol mayor to be abolished. One individual should not be able to inflict so much damage on the city region’s economy.
Rees sees himself as a big player in politics. He craves national and international attention. Has his desire to feed his ego overcome his responsibility to the people of Bristol and the wider community? Does he resent the fact the regional mayor has more clout than him? Is the real story here that allowing North Somerset into WECA would dilute his influence and he doesn’t want to be seen as a small fish in a bigger pond?
A Labour Party regional mayor would make Rees’ life easier, but the fact is Labour are weak in North Somerset and he knows letting them in means he would be saddled with either a Conservative or Liberal Democrat regional mayor.
Marvin Rees is risking almost a billion pounds worth of potential investment in our trains, buses and major projects. Investment which now, more than ever is sorely needed to boost our economy and tackle the climate emergency.
Before the formation of WECA, our region had some success in working together but largely struggled to wield the clout its wealth deserves. Despite being one of the richest regions in the country, The West of England has been left behind compared to other regions for the last 20 years. We have little credibility with decision-makers and purse string holders in Whitehall resulting in less than our fair share of transport and infrastructure investment and few prestige projects.
The West of England region has a terrible reputation for not speaking with one voice and failing to collaborate effectively for the betterment of all of our constituents. The formation of the West of England Combined Authority in 2017 has been an opportunity to turn this damaging situation around.
Collaborating with a well-functioning and inclusive WECA is crucial to allow much-needed investment in our region, especially when lives and livelihoods are being lost every.
Additional investment in clean technologies is a step towards reducing air pollution, finally lowering our carbon emissions and improving the health of our communities. This greater platform is our opportunity to truly compete with other large cities, such as Manchester and Birmingham for investment from central Government. Marvin Rees’ actions undermine the aspirations of North Somerset, and will stop our progress in creating successful regional transport networks and dashing all chances for our region to grow.
Stephen Williams says one person should not be able to stop North Somerset joining WECA
Read more: North Somerset faces ‘four-year wait’ to join WECA
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