Marvin Rees says the stunning Bristol referendum result to scrap the city’s elected mayor is not a reflection on his leadership.
The Labour mayor, who will complete his second term in office before the committee system is adopted in 2024, criticised Thursday’s (May 5) city-wide vote as a “distraction” from the crises facing the city. Speaking moments after it was announced around 3.30am, on Friday, that 59 per cent of voters had opted for a change in the way Bristol City Council is run, Mr Rees said he hoped his fears about the committee system were wrong.
He said: “I’ve been clear from the start that it’s not about me because I’m not running in 2024. This has always been about the system. Having said that, we will work hard over the next two years, deliver for Bristol and try to make sure we get a really good cohort of Labour councillors elected so we really can protect Bristol’s progressive political culture.
