The vote to scrap Bristol’s mayor will make local politics “more straightforward”, metro mayor Dan Norris believes. Mr Norris, who heads the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) and has had a series of public bust-ups with the leaders of the three councils that comprise the regional body, says he is keen to be part of talks to thrash out how the new committee system will work from 2024.
Residents decided by 59 per cent to 41 per cent in this month’s referendum to abolish the role of directly elected Bristol mayor and cabinet and instead let groups of councillors make the city council’s decisions. It will come into force after current Bristol mayor Marvin Rees completes his second term in office in two years’ time.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol’s John Darvall on Monday (May 16), West of England Labour mayor Mr Norris, who is in charge of the region’s strategic planning, local transport, skills and economic growth, said: “It will make things more straightforward. What was very clear when I stood 12 months ago was that a lot of my campaign was about having to tell people what the West of England Combined Authority mayor did because there was confusion with the Bristol mayor and things like the lord mayor and other mayors around the region.
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“So I hope it will make it much clearer for people to know what the different rules are and who they need to go to . But it also depends entirely on what Bristol City Council decides to do, on what kind of system they create.
“I’m hoping I can carry on talking to the councillors, as I do already, to work out how we can really dovetail that so there’s a close relationship with the West of England mayor, whether that’s me or someone in the future, so that we cut out all the inefficiencies and delays because we need to be very swift and move quickly if Bristol is going to keep its great place on the national and global map.”
Asked by the host how Bristol City Council’s new set-up without an elected mayor or leader of an executive would work with Weca, Mr Norris said: “They will have to work that out. I can’t decide what that would mean in practical terms because it’s too early but that is why I want to be part of the discussions if I am invited to be so.”
Mr Darvall told Mr Norris that the devolution deal that created Weca made clear that he was “not a Marvin Rees” – an elected executive mayor – but was a chairman of a committee with just one vote, so could be outvoted by the leaders of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils. The metro mayor said: “You have to look at it in this way – the Government didn’t create a huge election to give a mandate to one individual to lead the combined authority in the West of England for no reason.
“It was to show leadership and direction, particularly strategic leadership because that is something our region has lacked. I have seen us miss out compared to other parts of the country and that frustrates and angers me and that’s why I want to do something about it.”
He said he did not accept the notion he was merely an elected chairman and that limits on power were written into the role of metro mayors.
“All the combined authority mayors up and down the country recognise there is this challenge – it’s a checks and balance, and that’s what has been a very pertinent argument with the Bristol mayor where people felt there were excessive powers,” Mr Norris said.
“This is built into what I do. So I do have to get agreement and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
“I also have a special vote because I’m allowed to veto certain things which is meant to counter that to make it more even and balanced so that hopefully we come to wiser decisions where we take people with us.
“If you’re saying we can’t do stuff, that clearly isn’t true because we got two-thirds of a billion quid in in the last year. Clearly things have to be working reasonably well to do that.
“I accept that the rules make it difficult but that's done on purpose, it’s to be a check and a balance to excessive leadership.
“That’s why I have to persuade people, that’s why I have to work with people, and we’re all the better for it because I’m a better mayor for that.”
Asked whether his role after 2024 needed changing to make it more like an executive mayor with the demise of Bristol’s, he added: “The Government has plans in its white paper to change it, so we have to see what the Government does.”
