Campaigns underway for West of England Metro Mayor
The West of England will elect its first metro mayor in May 2017. The combined authority area consists of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset.
The elected mayor will have powers over transport, planning and skills. They will work closely with city leaders to set out and follow through their strategic vision for the region.
There are three priorities that the mayor will address:
Get more homes built
Build the profile of the West of England economy
Invest in transport to make the region more accessible
The campaigning for the election continues, with a hustings organised for tonight.
This will allow candidates to outline their plans to drive growth in the region.
The mayoral candidates are:
Tim Bowles, Conservative
Lesley Mansell, Labour
Stephen Williams, Liberal Democrats
Darren Hall, Green Party
John Savage, Independent