2021 West of England mayoral election

The 2021 West of England mayoral election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the mayor of the West of England, on the same day as other local elections across the country. It was the second election for the role. The mayor was elected by the supplementary vote system.

2021 West of England election

← 2017 6 May 2021 2025 →
Turnout	36.6%
Candidate Dan Norris Samuel Williams Party Labour Conservative First round vote 84,434 72,415 Percentage 33.4% 28.6% Second round vote 125,482 85,389 Percentage 59.5% 40.5%   Candidate Jerome Thomas Stephen Williams Party Green Liberal Democrats First round vote 54,919 41,193 Percentage 21.7% 16.3% Second round vote Eliminated Eliminated Percentage Eliminated Eliminated
Map of the first and second round results by council
Mayor before election Tim Bowles Conservative Elected mayor Dan Norris Labour

The election was won by Dan Norris of the Labour Party.

Background

 

The districts of the West of England Combined Authority

The West of England term has been used as a synonym for either south-west England or the former county of Avon which was abolished in 1996. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) was created in 2017 as a statutory body which covers the local authority areas of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset.^[1][2] It broadly resembles Avon, but excludes North Somerset because that council opposed joining the combined authority, although they collaborate on some projects.^[3][4] In October 2020 there were discussions around North Somerset joining the WECA in time for the May 2021 election,^[5][6] but councillors in Bristol voted down this proposal in early 2021.^[7]

The mayor of the West of England is the directly elected head of the WECA. Under a devolution deal agreed in 2017,^[8] they have powers over a £30 million annual allocation from the government, to fund transport management, strategic planning of land and housing and adult education.^[9][4] The first election took place in 2017, with Conservative candidate Tim Bowles winning with 52% in the second round, and Labour placed second; the turnout was 29.7%, which was considered low.^[2]

The think-tank Centre for Cities looked at the results of local elections in the West of England for 2018 and 2019 to make a prediction of the result and found the Conservatives had suffered considerable losses in Bath and North East Somerset, saying it "looks set to be tough for the incumbent".^[10]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to other elections due to take place in May 2020 being delayed to occur on the same day as this election, including elections for many other metro mayors across England.^[11][12][13] This meant that the mayor was elected at the same time as the mayor of Bristol, Bristol City Council and the police and crime commissioner for Avon and Somerset.^[14]

Voting system

The election used a supplementary vote system, in which voters express a first and a second preference for candidates.^[15]

• If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first preference vote, that candidate wins.
• If no candidate receives more than 50% of first preference votes, the top two candidates proceed to a second round and all other candidates are eliminated.
• The first preference votes for the remaining two candidates stand in the final count.
• Voters' ballots whose first and second preference candidates are eliminated are discarded.
• Voters whose first preference candidates have been eliminated and whose second preference candidate is one of the top two have their second preference votes added to that candidate's count.

This means that the winning candidate has the support of a majority of voters who expressed a preference among the top two.^[16]

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in the West of England aged 18 or over on 6 May 2020 will be entitled to vote in the mayoral election. Those who are temporarily away from home (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) will also be entitled to vote. The deadline to register to vote in the election was 11:59pm, 19 April 2021.^[17]

Campaign

The Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson was unable to name Tim Bowles, the incumbent Conservative mayor of the West of England, whilst campaigning in Gloucestershire.^[18] Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, visited Bath to campaign for Dan Norris, the Labour candidate. He was kicked out of a pub by its landlord, who opposed lockdowns.^[19] An opinion poll showed that 10% of residents of the West of England thought that Marvin Rees, the Labour mayor of Bristol, was the mayor of the West of England, while only 7% could correctly identify Bowles as the region's mayor.^[20] The BBC broadcast a debate between the four candidates on 25 April.^[20]

Samuel Williams, the Conservative candidate, said that he would start a "collaborative growth forum" as a place for representatives of different industrial sectors to meet and discuss how the combined authority can support them.^[21] He said he would "prioritise the regeneration of brownfield sites".^[22]

Dan Norris, the Labour candidate, said that Bowles was the "only metro mayor who doesn't have more powers than when he started". If elected, Norris said he would seek more powers and finance from central government.^[21] He said he would establish a "Green Recovery Fund" to create 23,000 jobs by investing in "home retrofitting, tree-planting, flood and drought defences, and renewable energy".^[22] In the BBC debate, he said he supported more building on brownfield sites.^[20]

Stephen Williams, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said he would prioritise bus franchising and opening new railway stations.^[21] He said he would cancel plans for a ring road around South Bristol.^[23] He proposed the establishment of a "West of England Centre for Green Technology Excellence" to promote workforce skills for the "green jobs of the future".^[22]

Jerome Thomas, the Green Party candidate, said his first priority would be opposing a proposed expansion of Bristol Airport.^[21] He said he would lobby the national government to institute a wealth tax and provide VAT reductions for energy-efficient products.^[22] In the BBC debate, he said he'd start community land associations to help people build homes for themselves, and reduce the number of cars on roads.^[20]

Candidates

Conservative Party

Samuel Williams was announced as the Conservative Party candidate on 20 December 2020. He had previously run as the party's candidate to be Mayor of Bristol.^[24] The incumbent mayor, Tim Bowles, was elected as a Conservative but decided not to run for re-election.^[25]

Labour Party

Dan Norris was selected as the Labour Party candidate on 16 November 2020. He served as MP for Wansdyke from 1997 to 2010, when it was replaced with North East Somerset. He was environment minister from 2009 to 2010.^[26] Seven candidates were longlisted, including the party's candidate in the 2017 mayoral election Lesley Mansell. Of those seven candidates, Norris and Bristol councillor Helen Godwin were shortlisted at interview to proceed to a selection by members' vote.^[27][28] Norris won selection with 1,611 votes to Godwin's 1,558 with a turnout of 41.9%.^[29]

Liberal Democrats

Stephen Williams, a former MP and minister, was announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate on 24 July 2020.^[3][30] He served as MP for Bristol West from 2005 to 2015 and communities minister from 2013 to 2015.^[26] He was the party's candidate in the 2017 mayoral election, when he came third with 20.2% of the vote.^[31]

Green Party

Jerome Thomas was announced as the Green Party candidate in January 2021. He was an entrepreneur who established and ran a business before he became a councillor.^[26][32] He served as a Bristol councillor from 2015 to 2021 and was deputy leader of the Green Party group on the council.^[33]

Results

The election was won by Dan Norris, the Labour Party candidate, with 59.5% of the vote in the second round.^[34]

Overall

 

First round results of the mayoral election

 

Second round results of the mayoral election

West of England Mayoral Election 6 May 2021 ^[35]^[36]
Party		Candidate	1st round		2nd round			First round votes  Transfer votes
			Total	Of round	Transfers	Total	Of round
	Labour	Dan Norris	84,434	33.4%	41,048	125,482	59.5%	​​
	Conservative	Samuel Williams	72,415	28.6%	12,974	85,389	40.5%	​​
	Green	Jerome Thomas	54,919	21.7%				​​
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Williams	41,193	16.3%				​​
Turnout			252,961	36.6%

By local authority

Bath and North East Somerset

West of England Mayoral Election 6 May 2021 (Bath and North East Somerset) ^[36]^[37]
Party		Candidate	1st round		2nd round			First round votes  Transfer votes
			Total	Of round	Transfers	Total	Of round
	Labour	Dan Norris	15,135	31.9%	6,598	21,733	55.6%	​​
	Conservative	Samuel Williams	15,278	32.2%	2,052	17,330	44.4%	​​
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Williams	9,451	19.9%				​​
	Green	Jerome Thomas	7,603	16.0%				​​
Turnout			47,467	34.4%

Bristol

West of England Mayoral Election 6 May 2021 (Bristol) ^[36]^[37]
Party		Candidate	1st round		2nd round			First round votes  Transfer votes
			Total	Of round	Transfers	Total	Of round
	Labour	Dan Norris	50,131	36.6%	27,933	78,064	68.6%	​​
	Green	Jerome Thomas	38,510	28.1%				​​
	Conservative	Samuel Williams	28,444	20.7%	7,206	35,650	31.4%	​​
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Williams	20,053	14.6%				​​
Turnout			137,138	40.8%

South Gloucestershire

West of England Mayoral Election 6 May 2021 (South Gloucestershire) ^[36]^[37]
Party		Candidate	1st round		2nd round			First round votes  Transfer votes
			Total	Of round	Transfers	Total	Of round
	Conservative	Samuel Williams	28,693	42.0%	3,716	32,409	55.8%	​​
	Labour	Dan Norris	19,168	28.0%	6,517	25,685	44.2%	​​
	Liberal Democrats	Stephen Williams	11,689	17.1%				​​
	Green	Jerome Thomas	8,806	12.9%				​​
Turnout			68,356	31.5%

References

1. Pipe, Ellie (23 July 2020). "Metro mayor on the future of transport in the Bristol region". Bristol 24/7. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
2. "Meet the mayors: Who are the new leaders?". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
3. Grubb, Sophie (24 July 2020). "West of England Mayor election 2021: Lib Dems announce candidate". BristolLive. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
4. Ashcroft, Esme (4 May 2018). "Weca Metro Mayor marks first anniversary - but what has he done?". Bristol Post. Reach plc. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
5. "North Somerset Council joining Weca 'could secure vital funds'". BBC News. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
6. Sumner, Stephen (27 October 2020). "Not joining regional partnership would be "stupid"". BristolLive. Reach plc. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
7. Postans, Adam (3 February 2021). "Minister offers path for North Somerset to join Weca". Bristol Post. Reach plc. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
8. "First meeting set for newly established West of England Combined Authority". Bath Echo. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
9. "Combine Authority Factsheet West of England". Centre for Cities. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
10. Jeffrey, Simon; Bell, Owen (11 August 2020). "What do the local elections tell us about the upcoming metro mayor elections?". Centre for Cities. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
11. "Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
12. Elledge, Jonn. . City Metric. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
13. Roberts, Jane (11 August 2020). "Assessing England's metro-mayors: a mixed picture". Democratic Audit. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
14. Wilson, Kate (7 May 2020). "Bristol's next mayor will serve three-year term after 2020 elections postponed". Bristol Post. Reach plc. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
15. "Tory elected West of England mayor". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
16. Elledge, Jonnk (2 May 2012). "London Elections: How The Voting System Works". The Londonist. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
17. "What is the Supplementary Vote?". Nudge Factory. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
18. PA, Emma Bowden (19 April 2021). "Boris Johnson can't name WECA mayor despite both being Conservative". BristolLive. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
19. "Sir Keir Starmer kicked out of pub and Boris Johnson appears to forget name of Tory incumbent on difficult day of campaigning". Sky News. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
20. "West of England mayor candidates aim to raise role's profile". BBC News. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
21. "West of England metro mayor election: Meet the candidates". ITV News. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
22. "A green jobs revolution must go beyond construction and manufacturing". The Bristol Cable. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
23. Cork, Tristan (19 April 2021). "South Bristol 'Wrong Road' plan becomes issue for two mayoral elections". BristolLive. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
24. Mabe, Huw (20 December 2020). "Conservative candidate for West of England mayor announced". South Cotswolds Gazette. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
25. "West of England Mayor Tim Bowles announces retirement". BBC News. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
26. Postans, Adam (13 April 2021). "West of England metro mayor election: everything you need to know". BristolLive. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
27. Chappell, Elliot (20 July 2020). "Letter sent to NEC as just two make Labour's West of England mayor shortlist". LabourList. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
28. Chappell, Elliot (4 August 2020). "Party refuses to restart selection process for West of England mayoral candidate". LabourList. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
29. Rodgers, Sienna (16 November 2020). "Dan Norris selected as Labour's West of England mayoral candidate". LabourList. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
30. "Lib Dems announce candidate for 2021 West of England mayoral election". Bath Echo. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
31. Ashcroft, Esme (7 April 2017). "What have the Metro Mayor candidates promised so far?". BristolLive. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
32. "West of England mayoral candidates". BBC News. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
33. Postans, Adam (12 January 2021). "Greens choose Bristol city councillor as metro mayor candidate". Bristol Post. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
34. Cork, Tristan (8 May 2021). "Labour win West of England Metro Mayor from Conservatives". BristolLive. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
35. "Elections 2021: Results from the West of England". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
36. Pearce, Oliver. "Election results (stage one)". West of England Combined Authority. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
37. Pearce, Oliver. "Mayoral election result 2021". West of England Combined Authority. Retrieved 21 May 2021.