Combined Authority factsheet

West of England

This combined authority includes

Current political landscape

In May 2021, Labour’s Dan Norris was elected the metro mayor of the West of England, winning 59.5% of the vote. Second was Conservative candidate Samuel Williams with 40.5%. Turnout was 36.6%. This page brings together the key facts and figures about the West of England economy.

Economic outlook

West of England consists of the following local authorities: Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Understanding how the city-region performs on key areas such as productivity and employment helps the  metro mayor to assess what he should prioritise. The table below shows how West of England compares to the national average on these indicators.

What powers does the West of England metro mayor have?

Below is a summary of the powers the new West of England metro mayor has, based on the devolution deal agreed with the government.

west-of-england-powers

 

What are the policy priorities for the West of England metro mayor?

We outlined a set of priorities that the West of England metro mayor should focus on.

Policy priority 1: Build more homes to improve local affordability

  • Double the target housing growth rate
  • Call for a strategic review of green belt land
  • Recognise the importance of commercial space in Bristol’s city centre

Policy priority 2: Cut congestion, clean up the air, and improve public transport

  • Build institutional capacity to promote a strong transport network
  • Tackle congestion, in coordination with the local authorities, by implementing congestion charges, and workplace parking levies
  • Use transport-related revenues to fund WECA’s local transport operation

Policy priority 3: Ensure that young people have the necessary skills to benefit from the existing economy, in which Bristol city centre plays a pivotal role

  • Promote extracurricular activities for young people
  • Target and support young people at risk of not participating in education and training post-16
  • Help maximise the take-up of existing active labour market policies with a ‘skills compact’

Downloads

Download

West of England PDF (118 KB)

Related content

Metro mayor election results 2021

Explore the results of the mayoral elections in Greater London, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, West of England and West Yorkshire.

Data 12 May 2021

More about West of England