April 11, 2025
By Harry Mottram: It has been an election with a difference after the outgoing Metro Mayor Dan Norris arrested on a number of charges including rape – something that has cast a shadow over the electoral battle. That aside he was standing down anyway due to Labour Party rules saying he couldn’t be a mayor and an MP as well after he ousted Jacob Rees-Mogg in the 2024 July General Election for the constituency on North East Somerset and Hanham.
The election is on Thursday, May 1st, 2025, when Bathonians can vote in the Metro Mayor election to replace Dan Norris. The responsibilities include strategic planning in the region and largely has a focus on transport, with the local transport plan featuring bus and rail projects as well as to coordinate strategy overall. Known as the Metro Mayor the roll is in charge of a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset.
The Labour Party’s candidate to replace him and considered by some to be the favourite is Helen Godwin, while the Conservative’s Steve Smith will be hoping to emulate the success of Tim Bowles in the 2017 election for the first Mayor of the West of England Combined Authority.
Joining the fray is Oli Henman – the Liberal Democratic Councillor for Walcot in Bath who will be hoping to make a serious challenge for the top job plus Mary Page for the Green Party who has a background as a local government consultant. Making up the list of candidates are the Independent and former Labour man Ian Scott and the Reform Party’s Aaron Banks.
In alphabetical order here are some notes on the candidates:
Aaron Banks: Reform Party
The business man and a former donor to UKIP and behind the founding of the Reform Party that features the MPs Richard Tice and Nigel Farage Aaron Banks is not shy of publicity. Born in Cheshire and educated in Newbury he left school to work as a salesman although his successful business background comes from his career in the insurance industry. He now lives in South Gloucestershire. Nationally, Reform UK’s policies include a freeze on ‘non-essential’ immigration, tax cuts for small businesses, the scrapping of the net zero target, tax relief for school fees and continuing investment in the NHS. On X he posted his anger at the number of caravans and old vehicles illegally parked on Clifton Down blaming the City Council and the police for failing to move them although admitted as Metro Mayor he has no powers to do so but would put pressure on the authorities for action.
Helen Godwin: Labour Party
The former Labour councillor for Southmead in Bristol gives her skills on LinkedIn as business development, relationship management, community engagement, project management, partnership building, stakeholder management, leadership, staff development and team building. And she adds ‘I also have board level experience from several non-profit organisations. I have a strong sense of purpose and am absolutely committed to working for a better, fairer society and to contributing to my community. I champion diversity and inclusion and am a vocal activist and ally in the struggle for equality.’ As for policies she will scrap the proposed bus lane on the A4 from Saltford to Keynsham, look at franchising bus services which could be bought back under local authority control, improve relationships between the trio of local authorities and welcome North Somerset to the West of England Combined Authority.
Oli Henman: Liberal Democrat
As the Bath and North East Somerset Councillor for Walcot Oli Henman is reasonably well known in Bath where he is the cabinet project lead for climate emergency and sustainable travel. Fluent in French and German Oli Henman is an Oxford University graduate with a background in working for European and Government organisations to engage with citizens or a range of issues and is currently the Global Coordinator of Action for Sustainable Development, where he is responsible for ‘developing a new and rapidly growing decentralised network of over 3,000 civil society organisations and local activists in more than 160 countries, who have come together to promote a more just and sustainable world.’ If elected his policies include working more closely with local councils, welcoming North Somerset to WECA, creating more ‘green jobs’, cutting red tape to free up more cash for local transport and bringing the bus service back under local authority control.
Mary Page: Green Party
The communications specialist and community engagement officer is a former modern language teacher and graduate of Sheffield Hallam University where she studied communications media, journalism and Spanish – and played hockey for the college and founded the University’s snow board club. As the co-founder of the campaign group to end the way Bristol was governed by the elected mayor system ‘It’s Our City’ she can rightfully claim success since Mervyn Rees as the last mayor lost the vote and the city is again governed by the committee system. If elected she said she will deliver the things people want done, end ‘tribal politics’, support start-up small businesses, extend the ‘Birthday Bus’ scheme begun by Dan Norris to include a one day a week free bus ticket for residents. Previously she worked for BC Radio Sheffield, as well as a political advisor at South Gloucestershire Council.
Ian Scott: Independent
As a former Labour councillor he is currently the Independent councillor representing the South Gloucestershire ward of Woodstock having previously been a councillor in Filton in North Bristol where he lives, having originally hailed from North Somerset where he was born. After falling out with the Labour Party over issues he is reported to have said over ‘ageism and sexism’ he decided to stand as an Independent, citing his long experience in local government. A long term postal worker his policies if elected include getting more cash from central government to invest on local services in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire as well as improving bus routes and fares – and also standing up for motorists. With no backing from a party organisation he has funded the campaign and fee of £5,000 to stand himself .
Steve Smith: Conservative
The former Bristol councillor for Henleaze and Westbury-on-Trym and CEO of the youth club charity Young Bristol Steve Smith is well known in the city. He is self employed with a consultancy company that advises firms on winning public sector contracts and if elected would seek to end the arguments that have dogged WECA between its three constituent members – and would welcome North Somerset as a member. Improved and expanded rail services are on his agenda and putting the available Government cash into more trains and buses rather than arguing about new bus lanes and cycle paths. One area he is keen on is in increasing the amount of house building – especially utilising brown field sites – as he feels Bristol has fallen behind in the number of homes built compared to Bath and South Glos.
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