Politics of Bristol

The city of Bristol, England, is a unitary authority, represented by four MPs representing seats wholly within the city boundaries. The overall trend of both local and national representation became left of centre during the latter 20th century. The city has a tradition of local activism, with environmental issues and sustainable transport^[1] being prominent issues in the city.

In 2017 the West of England Combined Authority and Mayor of the West of England were created covering the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. Powers include transport and strategic planning for the combined areas.

City Council

The City of Bristol is a ceremonial county governed by a unitary authority; Bristol City Council. The city is divided into 34 wards, which each elect one, two or three councillors (depending on the population of the ward) for a four-year term. The whole council is elected every four years.^[2]

The full council of 70 councillors has ultimate responsibility for establishing the decision-making process and approving the council's budget and policy framework.^[3] The council meets at the City Hall (known as the Council House up until 2012). Full meetings are chaired by the Lord Mayor, a largely ceremonial role that does not hold direct power. The Lord Mayor is a councillor, elected annually in May by the council members.^[4]

Composition and control

Current councillors

Party		Councillors
	Green	25
	Labour	23
	Conservative	14
	Liberal Democrats	5
	Knowle Community Party	2
	Independent	1

Ward		Councillor
Ashley	Labour	Amirah Cole
	Green	Jude English
	Green	Tim Wye
Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston	Labour	Donald Alexander
	Conservative	John Geater
	Conservative	James Scott
Bedminster	Labour	Mark Bradshaw
Bedminster	Green	Tessa Fitzjohn
Bishopston & Ashley Down	Green	Emma Edwards
Bishopston & Ashley Down	Green	Lily Fitzgibbon
Bishopsworth	Conservative	Richard Eddy
Bishopsworth	Conservative	Kevin Quarterly
Brislington East	Labour	Katja Hornchen
Brislington East	Labour	Tim Rippington
Brislington West	Liberal Democrats	Jos Clark
Brislington West	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Varney
Central	Labour	Farah Hussain
Central	Green	Ani Stafford-Townsend
Clifton	Green	Katy Grant
Clifton	Green	Paula O'Rourke
Clifton Down	Green	Carla Denyer
Clifton Down	Green	Tom Hathway
Cotham	Green	Mohamed Makawi
Cotham	Green	Guy Poultney
Easton	Green	Jenny Bartle
Easton	Green	Barry Parsons
Eastville	Labour	Marley Bennett
Eastville	Green	Lorraine Francis
Filwood	Independent	Zoe Goodman
Filwood	Labour	Chris Jackson
Frome Vale	Conservative	Lesley Alexander
Frome Vale	Labour	Amal Ali
Hartcliffe & Withywood	Labour	Kerry Bailes
	Labour	Helen Holland
	Labour	Paul Goggin
Henbury & Brentry	Conservative	Mark Weston
Henbury & Brentry	Conservative	Chris Windows
Hengrove & Whitchurch Park	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Brown
	Liberal Democrats	Sarah Classick
	Liberal Democrats	Tim Kent
Hillfields	Labour	Craig Cheney
Hillfields	Labour	Ellie King
Horfield	Labour	Philippa Hulme
Horfield	Labour	Tom Renhard
Hotwells & Harbourside	Green	Patrick McAllister
Knowle	Knowle Community Party	Chris Davies
Knowle	Knowle Community Party	Gary Hopkins
Lawrence Hill	Labour	Hibaq Jama
Lawrence Hill	Green	Yassin Mohamud
Lockleaze	Green	Heather Mack
Lockleaze	Green	David Wilcox
Redland	Green	Martin Fodor
Redland	Green	Fi Hance
Southmead	Labour	Kye Dudd
Southmead	Labour	Brenda Massey
Southville	Green	Tony Dyer
Southville	Green	Christine Townsend
St George Central	Green	Abi Finch
St George Central	Green	Cara Lavan
St George Troopers Hill	Labour	Fabian Breckels
St George West	Labour	Asher Craig
Stockwood	Conservative	Jonathan Hucker
Stockwood	Conservative	Graham Morris
Stoke Bishop	Conservative	John Goulandris
Stoke Bishop	Conservative	Henry Michallat
Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze	Conservative	Geoff Gollop
	Conservative	Sharon Scott
	Conservative	Steve Smith
Windmill Hill	Green	Ed Plowden
Windmill Hill	Green	Lisa Stone

Combined Authority

Since February 2017, Bristol has been part of the West of England Combined Authority. The Combined Authority was originally meant to cover the same area as the former county of Avon which existed between 1974 and 1996, but North Somerset Council rejected the proposal.^[5] The Councils of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset agreed to proceed with the deal without North Somerset.^[6]^[7]

The authority's functions, as specified by the West of England Combined Authority Order, mostly cover planning, skills and local transport.^[8]

The first election for the position of Mayor of the West of England took place on 4 May 2017, and was won by Tim Bowles of the Conservatives with a total of 70,300 votes, including second preferences. The turnout was 29.7%, with 199,519 voting out of the possible 671,280.^[9] The second election took place in 2021 and was won by Labour candidate and former MP for Wansdyke Dan Norris.^[10]

The Cabinet of the Combined Authority consists of the leaders of all three constituent councils, plus the Mayor of the West of England.^[11]

Westminster representation

No seats changed parties in 2019.

The names of parliamentary constituencies in Bristol were changed in 1885 when the original Bristol (UK Parliament constituency) was split into four and they were revised further in the 20th century.

As of the 2019 election there were four Westminster constituencies that were part of Bristol proper—Bristol West, Bristol East, Bristol South and Bristol North West.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies proposes to abolish Bristol West and re-establish the seats of Bristol Central and Bristol North East.^[12]

Green Party of England and Wales co-leader, Carla Denyer is standing for the newly created Westminster constituency of Bristol Central at the next UK general election.^[13]

Current constituencies in Bristol by holding party
Constituency		Member
Bristol North West	Labour	Darren Jones
Bristol East	Labour	Kerry McCarthy
Bristol South	Labour	Karin Smyth
Bristol West	Labour	Thangam Debbonaire

Historic constituencies in Bristol
	1295–1885	1885–1918	1918–1950	1950–1974	1983—
Bristol	1295–1885
Bristol North		1885–1950
Bristol East		1885–1950			1983—
Bristol Central			1918 – 1974
Bristol North East				1950:1983
Bristol North West				1950–
Bristol South		1885–
Bristol South East				1950:1983
Bristol West		1885–

Parts of Greater Bristol outside the Bristol City Council administrative area, are covered by the Filton and Bradley Stoke and Kingswood constituencies in South Gloucestershire, the eponymous constituency of North Somerset in North Somerset, and North East Somerset in the authority of Bath and North East Somerset.

History

Historically, the council has been dominated by the Labour Party. However, in 2005, the Liberal Democrats became the minority administration. This lasted until just after the 2007 elections, when the Labour, Conservative and Green party groups joined forces to oust the Lib Dems and install a minority Labour administration.^[14] On 24 February 2009 the minority Labour administration resigned following a defeat over plans to build an incinerator in Avonmouth, and the Liberal Democrats resumed control.^[15]

In 2009, the election resulted in the Liberal Democrats taking overall majority control of Bristol City Council for the first time. In 2010 they increased their representation to 38 seats giving them a majority of 6.^[16] In 2011, they lost their majority leading to a hung council.

In 2012, the inaugural election for the position of Mayor of Bristol was held, with architect and former Liberal councillor George Ferguson being elected under the banner of Bristol 1st.^[17]

The 2013 local elections, in which a third of the city's wards were up for election, saw Labour gain 7 seats and the Green party double their seats from 2 to 4 while the Liberal Democrats suffered a loss of 10 seats.^[18] These trends were continued into the next election in May 2014, in which Labour gained 3 seats to take their total to 31, the Green Party built on their success by winning 2 more seats, the Conservatives gained 1 seat and UKIP won their first ever seat on the council. In another damaging result, the Lib Dems lost a further 7 seats.^[19] In March 2015, the only Independent Councillor on Bristol City Council joined the Conservatives, bringing their total up to 16.^[20]

In May 2015, the Green Party continued to increase their number of seats, winning 7 new seats (5 from the Lib Dems and 2 from Labour) and becoming the 3rd largest party on the council, with the Lib Dems now in 4th. Labour also gained a new seat at the expense of the Lib Dems.^[21] The Lib Dem's decline was compounded later that month when one of the remaining Lib Dem Councillors defected to the Greens, leaving the Lib Dems with 9 seats and the Greens with 14.^[22]

Prior to 2016 ward boundary changes, all wards had two councillors, one third of the councillors were elected three years in four, but as only one councillor from any ward stood at a time, two-thirds of wards were competed each election.

The 2016 election saw Labour gain 7 seats and in turn regained overall control of the council, with the Conservatives, Greens and Lib Dems all losing 2 seats and UKIP losing their only seat.^[23] Labour candidate Marvin Rees was also elected Mayor, ousting incumbent George Ferguson.^[24]

Because the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 election was postponed until May 2021.^[25] This election saw a surge in support for the Greens, with them gaining 13 seats, becoming the joint largest party on the Council and Labour losing their majority. Marvin Rees was re-elected as Mayor, with the Green's Sandy Hore-Ruthven coming in second place.^[26] In July 2021, the Greens elected a Shadow Cabinet to rival Labour.^[27]^[28] The Liberal Democrats originally gained 8 seats in the election, however on 13 December 2021 former Lord Mayor Chris Davies and former Lib Dem Bristol group leader Gary Hopkins left the party to form the Knowle Community Party.^[29]^[30]

In December 2022, Alex Hartley, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Hotwells and Harbourside, resigned, triggering a by-election that was held on 2 February 2023.^[31] The by-election was won by the Green Party candidate, Patrick McAllister; elevating the Greens to the largest party on the council for the first time.^[32]

On 12 December 2023, Labour councillor for Filwood, Zoe Goodman resigned from the Labour Party over its response to what she called "the genocide in Gaza", becoming an independent councillor.^[33]

Mayor

On 3 May 2012, Bristol held a referendum to decide whether the city should have a directly elected mayor to replace the leader elected by councillors. The result was announced on 4 May. 41,032 voted for an elected mayor and 35,880 voted against, with a turnout of 24%.^[34] The Lib Dems and Greens were publicly opposed to the introduction of a directly elected mayor, whilst Labour took a neutral stance and the Conservatives were the only party to support it.^[35]

An election for the new post was held on 15 November 2012,^[36] with Independent candidate George Ferguson becoming the first Mayor of Bristol.

Ferguson was ousted at the 2016 election by Labour candidate Marvin Rees,^[23] who was subsequently re-elected in the 2021.^[26]

On 7 December 2021, the majority of opposition Councillors backed a legally binding motion to hold a referendum on the future of the role of the Elected Mayor of Bristol. The referendum, which took place in May 2022, offered Bristolians the choice of keeping an elected mayor or going back to the committee system of governance that was in place before Ferguson became the city's first directly elected Mayor.^[37]^[38]

Subsequently, on 5 May 2022, the city voted to abolish the position in the referendum, replacing it with a committee system in May 2024.^[39]

References

^ "Sustainability: CREATE Centre". Bristol City Council. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
^ "Bristol all-out council elections approved by councillors". BBC News. 5 March 2013.
^ "Decision Making at Bristol City Council". Bristol City Council. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
^ "Lord Mayor of Bristol". Bristol City Council. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
^ Crawley, James (8 June 2016). "West of England devolution: North Somerset rejects metro mayor plan". Bath Chronicle.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "The West of England devolution deal". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
^ Crawley, James (29 June 2016). "BANES backs £1billion west of England devolution deal and metro mayor but will residents support it?". Bath Chronicale. Retrieved 15 September 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "The West of England Combined Authority Order 2017". GOV.UK.
^ "Mayor of the West of England". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
^ "West of England metro mayor election 2021: Candidates, what does the metro mayor do and everything you need to know". Bristol Live. 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
^ "'Metro mayor' to run new West of England authority". ITV News. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
^ "Revised proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South West region | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
^ Cork, Tristan (30 June 2023). "New 'Bristol Central' election contest confirmed – and the Greens already say they can win it". Bristol Live. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^ "Bristol: Council leader battle resolved". BBC News. BBC. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
^ "Lib Dems take over as Labour quits Bristol City Council". Bristol Evening Post. 24 February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
^ "Local Election Results 2010". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 7 May 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Bristol mayoral election won by independent George Ferguson". The Guardian. 16 November 2012.
^ "Vote 2013: Results for Bristol". BBC. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
^ "Liberal Democrats lose out in Bristol elections". BBC. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^ "Bristol's only Independent Councillor joins Tories". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
^ "Bristol city council: Big Gains for the Greens". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
^ "Greens Gain a Councillor as Lib Dem Defects". Bristol247. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Labour wins majority on Bristol City Council". BBC News. 8 May 2016.
^ "Marvin Rees elected as new mayor of Bristol". Bristol24/7. 7 May 2016.
^ "Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Elections 2021: Marvin Rees re-elected as Bristol mayor". BBC News. 9 May 2021.
^ Amanda Cameron (9 July 2021). "Bristol Greens announce shadow cabinet to challenge ruling Labour group". Bristol Live.
^ "Bristol Greens launch Shadow Cabinet". Bristol Green Party. 9 July 2021.
^ Booth, Martin (13 December 2021). "Longstanding Lib Dem Councillors' resignations throw party into turmoil". Bristol24-7. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
^ "Bristol Lib Dems: Councillors deny 'fraudulent' actions over cheque". BBC News. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^ "By-election Hotwells and Harbourside". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^ Seabrook, Alex (3 February 2023). "Green Party wins Bristol by-election race, becoming largest party on city council". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
^ Booth, Martin (13 December 2023). "LABOUR COUNCILLOR RESIGNS OVER PARTY'S PALESTINE POLICY". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
^ "The City of Bristol Mayoral Referendum result". Bristol City Council. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
^ "'Palpably apathetic' Bristol voters will suffer elected mayor". Bristol 24/7. 4 January 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^ "Directly Elected Mayor – What does it mean for Bristol?". Bristol City Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
^ Cameron, Amanda (7 December 2021). "Bristol mayoral referendum to be held in 2022". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
^ "Bristol mayoral referendum to be held in 2022". BBC News. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
^ "Bristol Mayor Vote: Voters Decide to Abolish Mayor Post". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.

External links

Bristol City Council
Parties: Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat
OpenlyLocal page on Bristol City Council

Video clips

Bristol City Council YouTube channel

[1] "Sustainability: CREATE Centre". Bristol City Council. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.

[2] "Bristol all-out council elections approved by councillors". BBC News. 5 March 2013.

[decisions-3] "Decision Making at Bristol City Council". Bristol City Council. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2018.

[mayor-4] "Lord Mayor of Bristol". Bristol City Council. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2018.

[5] Crawley, James (8 June 2016). "West of England devolution: North Somerset rejects metro mayor plan". Bath Chronicle.^{[permanent dead link]}

[bristol-devolution-6] "The West of England devolution deal". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 6 November 2016.

[7] Crawley, James (29 June 2016). "BANES backs £1billion west of England devolution deal and metro mayor but will residents support it?". Bath Chronicale. Retrieved 15 September 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}

[8] "The West of England Combined Authority Order 2017". GOV.UK.

[bbc-20170505-9] "Mayor of the West of England". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.

[10] "West of England metro mayor election 2021: Candidates, what does the metro mayor do and everything you need to know". Bristol Live. 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.

[11] "'Metro mayor' to run new West of England authority". ITV News. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.

[12] "Revised proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South West region | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2022.

[13] Cork, Tristan (30 June 2023). "New 'Bristol Central' election contest confirmed – and the Greens already say they can win it". Bristol Live. Retrieved 24 January 2024.

[14] "Bristol: Council leader battle resolved". BBC News. BBC. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2010.

[15] "Lib Dems take over as Labour quits Bristol City Council". Bristol Evening Post. 24 February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.

[16] "Local Election Results 2010". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 7 May 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}

[17] "Bristol mayoral election won by independent George Ferguson". The Guardian. 16 November 2012.

[18] "Vote 2013: Results for Bristol". BBC. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.

[19] "Liberal Democrats lose out in Bristol elections". BBC. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.

[20] "Bristol's only Independent Councillor joins Tories". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.

[21] "Bristol city council: Big Gains for the Greens". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.

[22] "Greens Gain a Councillor as Lib Dem Defects". Bristol247. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.

[sixteen-23] "Labour wins majority on Bristol City Council". BBC News. 8 May 2016.

[24] "Marvin Rees elected as new mayor of Bristol". Bristol24/7. 7 May 2016.

[25] "Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.

[twenty-one-26] "Elections 2021: Marvin Rees re-elected as Bristol mayor". BBC News. 9 May 2021.

[Amanda_Cameron-27] Amanda Cameron (9 July 2021). "Bristol Greens announce shadow cabinet to challenge ruling Labour group". Bristol Live.

[bristolgreenparty.org.uk-28] "Bristol Greens launch Shadow Cabinet". Bristol Green Party. 9 July 2021.

[29] Booth, Martin (13 December 2021). "Longstanding Lib Dem Councillors' resignations throw party into turmoil". Bristol24-7. Retrieved 16 December 2021.

[bbc-20220121-30] "Bristol Lib Dems: Councillors deny 'fraudulent' actions over cheque". BBC News. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.

[31] "By-election Hotwells and Harbourside". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

[32] Seabrook, Alex (3 February 2023). "Green Party wins Bristol by-election race, becoming largest party on city council". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

[33] Booth, Martin (13 December 2023). "LABOUR COUNCILLOR RESIGNS OVER PARTY'S PALESTINE POLICY". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 13 December 2023.

[Bristol_City_Council-34] "The City of Bristol Mayoral Referendum result". Bristol City Council. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.

[35] "'Palpably apathetic' Bristol voters will suffer elected mayor". Bristol 24/7. 4 January 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2012.

[bristol.gov.uk-36] "Directly Elected Mayor – What does it mean for Bristol?". Bristol City Council. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.

[37] Cameron, Amanda (7 December 2021). "Bristol mayoral referendum to be held in 2022". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 December 2021.

[38] "Bristol mayoral referendum to be held in 2022". BBC News. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.

[BristolBBC-20220506-39] "Bristol Mayor Vote: Voters Decide to Abolish Mayor Post". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.

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Politics of Bristol

City Council

Composition and control

Current councillors

Combined Authority

Westminster representation

History

Mayor

See also

References

External links

Video clips

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