NEW Metro Mayor Helen Godwin has said things will be “very different” under her than under the previous Labour mayor.
The winner of May’s mayoral election has pledged to “work cross-party for the West Country” – and her first act after being sworn in was to appoint Liberal Democrat Kevin Guy as her deputy mayor.
The position of deputy mayor had not been used since Ms Godwin’s predecessor Dan Norris was elected in 2021.
During his time in charge the combined authority was put on notice by the government over a number of performance issues, including poor relationships between politicians.
The deputy mayor’s position will rotate annually between the leaders of the three councils that make up the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Cllr Guy, who is the leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said he was “honoured” to take up the role.
On the election night the new mayor said her approach “will feel very different but it will be very proactive: just getting stuff done, working with people, working with whoever I need to”.
Expanding on the theme after she was sworn in, Ms Godwin said: “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.”
Ms Godwin also pledged to work “across party lines” with Green Bristol City Council leader Tony Dyer and Lib Dem South Gloucestershire Council leader Maggie Tyrrell, as well as fellow Labour politician Ian Boulton, who is the co-leader of South Gloucestershire.
She said: “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.”
The leaders of Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils, together with the mayor, make up the MCA’s decision-making committee.
Cllr Dyer said Ms Godwin was taking over at a “critical time”, adding: “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.”
The mayor and her will be responsible for delivering the region’s Local Growth Plan.
Labour sees off Reform to retain role
LABOUR won the West of England mayoral election, after a strong challenge from Reform UK.
At the region-wide election on May 1, Labour’s Helen Godwin successfully defended the role won from the Tories by Dan Norris in 2021.
She polled 51,197 votes, a majority of 5,945 over Reform’s Arron Banks, who received 45,252.
Green candidate Mary Page was third, Conservative Steve Smith was fourth and Liberal Democrat Oli Henman was fifth, with independent Ian Scott losing his deposit in last place, after failing to secure 5% of the overall votes cast.
Votes in the three council areas which make up the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority were counted separately.
Ms Godwin’s win was a rare bright spot for Labour on a night when the party lost a by-election, four out of six mayoral elections and 187 of the 285 council seats it was defending across the country.
But it was even worse for the Conservatives, who lost 676 of the 993 council seats they were defending across the country.
The West of England election saw them pushed into fourth place in a poll they had won at the inaugural election in 2017.
The race had proved hard for pollsters to predict, with a YouGov poll a week before the election predicting a Green win, while MoreInCommon predicted a Labour win with the Tories second.
After the result was announced, Ms Godwin told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It was always going to be close – we knew that.
“It genuinely is the honour of my life to be your new West of England Mayor.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for the West of England, where we’ll bring people together and work more transparently to deliver the ambitious change our communities need.
“This region isn’t just my political home—it’s where I was born, where my children are growing up, and where my family’s roots run deep across the West Country.”
The turnout of 30% was more than 6% down on the 2021 election, which had been held at the same time as the Bristol City Council elections.
RESULTS
Helen Godwin (Labour): 51,197
Arron Banks (Reform UK): 45,252
Mary Page (Green): 41,094
Steve Smith (Conservative): 34,092
Oli Henman (Liberal Democrat): 28,711
Ian Scott (Independent): 4,682
Total votes cast: 205,557
Turnout: 30%