Bristol mayor referendum to be held on role's future

The public will be able to vote on the future of the role next year

City leaders have agreed to hold a referendum next year to decide whether to keep a mayoral role.

Bristol councillors voted 41 in favour and 21 against holding a referendum in May.

The question posed will ask whether residents want to keep the role, or replace it with a committee system.

Proposer, Alex Hartley, (Liberal Democrat), said: "This leadership model is not working as hoped," because the expected benefits had not materialised.

'Very low turnout'

He said: "For the last ten years, Bristol has undergone an experiment in city governance following a local referendum.

"This referendum passed from a very low turnout.

"Since we have seen, among other disasters, the loss of nearly £50m on an energy company, embarrassing court defeats costing many millions over illegal cuts to SEND provision, the arena fiasco and Bristol residents being ignored over Cumberland Basin and RPZ's."

Labour's Marvin Rees was re-elected as Bristol mayor in May

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said critics of the mayoral system feared it had concentrated too much power in the hands of one person and therefore undermined the role of local councillors.

Supporters said a committee system meant decision-making was too slow and nothing was achieved.

'System is flawed'

Labour's Steve Pearce said both the party and the current mayor, Marvin Rees, were trying their best to deliver against "our many serious challenges in the city".

"This is the most important decade of modern human civilisation which ends at 2030.

"We need clear and decisive action, not the bargaining of parochial interests."

In response, Mark Weston, a Conservative councillor, said it was not correct to "dismiss so lightly, democracy".

"There is no check or balance on the system.

"Regardless of who is in the chair, the system is flawed," he said.

"It is the one with the least amount of accountability and oversight."