By John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter: The new Labour West of England Mayor Helen Godwin has appointed the Liberal Democrat leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council as her first deputy mayor.
The position of West of England Deputy Mayor had not been used since 2021 but now will rotate annually between the leaders of the three councils which make up the West of England. Mr Guy said he was “honoured” to be asked to take up the role.
Ms Godwin was sworn in as the new West of England Mayor today (May 7), after narrowly beating Reform UK’s Arron Banks in the election last week. Ms Godwin said: “I meant what I said during the election campaign. To get the best for all of us in the West Country, politicians must put politics to one side. That’s how we’ll lay the Bristol to Portishead Line, build new affordable homes, and help create the jobs of the future.
“Together, working with the Labour government, we will get things moving in the West of England. In that spirit of renewed collaboration, I’m delighted to appoint councillor Kevin Guy to serve as my first deputy mayor.
“I’m proud to be from and for our region so am working right away across party lines with Kevin, Tony, Maggie, and Ian. We all need to roll up our sleeves and pitch in. Our residents deserve nothing less, and that’s the only way that we will make things happen.”
Mr Guy congratulated Ms Godwin on her election victory. He said: “We now have an opportunity to create a collaborative working relationship across the region, ensuring we get at least our fair share of central government funding, and moving ahead with key projects. I am personally honoured to be asked to take on the role of deputy mayor of the authority and feel this is also a great thing for B&NES. I look forward to working together closely to deliver what our communities need.”
The West of England Combined Authority is made up of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, and South Gloucestershire Council and the leader of each council, together with the mayor, make up its decision making committee. The combined authority is responsible for improving transport across the region and attracting and delivering major investment.
The combined authority had previously been put on notice by the government over a number of issues including poor relationships between politicians while previous mayor Dan Norris — who was also Labour until his suspension from the party after his arrest in April — was in charge. The “best value notice” was lifted shortly before the election. Ms Godwin said that, under her, things at the combined authority would be “very different.”
Green leader of Bristol City Council Tony Dyer said Ms Godwin was taking over at a “critical time” for the West of England Combined Authority. He said: “Working alongside Helen and my counterparts in the region’s other local authorities I hope to continue our efforts to bring these valuable working relationships closer for the benefit of all of us.”
South Gloucestershire co-leaders Maggie Tyrrell (Liberal Democrat) and Ian Boulton (Labour) added in a joint statement: “Since forming the administration at South Gloucestershire Council nearly two years ago, we have actively worked with our fellow leaders and officers to positively reset the relationships between the unitary authorities and the combined authority following years of well-reported challenges.
“We believe Helen now has the best possible opportunity to take advantage of the greater spirit of collaboration we now enjoy with our partners and we look forward to working together to unlock the amazing potential for prosperity our region has for the benefit of our residents, businesses and the national economy.”
North Somerset Council is not a member of the combined authority but has also been in discussions about joining. North Somerset Council leader Mike Bell (Liberal Democrat) has also offered Ms Godwin his congratulations.
Discussions around North Somerset joining the West of England were put on hold during the mayoral election but North Somerset deputy leader Catherine Gibbon (Labour) said the council was keen to progress these again. She said: “Becoming part of the Combined Authority with the right deal and following consultation with our residents and businesses will, we believe, bring real benefits to us all.”
One North Somerset Green councillor, Green Thomas Daw, had suggested at a council meeting that the council may not want to join the combined authority if an “awful person” won the election. He did not mention any candidate by name but his comment came just a few days after Arron Banks was selected as the Reform UK candidate.
Ms Godwin won the election with 51,197 votes (25%). Aaron Banks was in a close second place with 45,252 votes (22.1%). Ms Godwin said: “It was always going to be close; we knew that.”
Bath Voice and Local Democracy Reporters
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment, but are employed by regional news organisations. A total of 165 reporters are allocated to news organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland including Bath Voice. These organisations range from television and radio stations to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities, second-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor
Email him at news@bathvoice.co.uk Bath website: https://bathvoice.co.uk/news/
Bath Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdtf2kep Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bath_voice And Bluesky @bathvoicenews.bsky.social And also on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/harrymottram6/
Read the newspaper online at :https://issuu.com/bathvoice
To advertise to thousands of Bathonians call Shaun on 07540 383870 or email him on sales@bathvoice.co.uk