2017 West of England mayoral election
The inaugural West of England mayoral election was held on 4 May 2017 to elect the Mayor of the West of England metropolitan area. The area is made up of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Subsequent elections will be held every four years. The election was won by Conservative Tim Bowles. The overall turnout for the election was low, with only 29.7% of the electorate voting.
Image: Tim Bowles, 2017 04 03 (cropped)
Image: Lesley Mansell, 2017 04 03 (cropped)
Image: S Williams Headshot
Image: John Savage, 2017 04 03 (cropped)
Mayor of the West of England
The Mayor of the West of England is the directly elected mayor who leads the West of England Combined Authority. The body, a combined authority, is responsible for the strategic administration of the West of England, including planning, transport and skills. For this purpose the West of England is defined as the local authority areas of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The creation of the role was agreed in 2016 as part of a devolution deal, by the then Chancellor George Osborne and the leaders of the three councils.
Mayor of the West of England
Image: Tim Bowles, 2017 04 03 (cropped)
Image: Dan Norris Mayor (cropped)