Fact-checking the West of England mayoral election

Yahoo

15-04-2025

All 700,000 voters in the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) mayoral election have been sent a booklet.
It contains information about voting, and each of the six candidates gets a double-page spread to make their case.
However, some of what they say is inaccurate or misleading.
We've looked at some of the statements that have made their way into the booklets.
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The candidates drew lots to determine their order of appearance.
First up is independent Ian Scott, who talks of a "new Frenchay Community Hospital and Urgent Treatment Centre". However, the Weca mayor has no powers over health provision.
Steve Smith, the Conservative candidate, advocates "stopping congestion-creating schemes like the A4 bus lane between Bath and Bristol".
He is referring to a 2023 proposal for a bus lane on the Keynsham bypass, but that has already been halted by Weca, and nearly all of the candidates would keep it that way.
Mary Page of the Greens ventures into economic matters, writing: "After 15 years of cuts… instead of us being better off, it's just the multi-millionaires."
But independent experts do not agree.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies says we are all in fact slightly better off than 15 years ago.
Next is Arron Banks of Reform, who criticises controversial road changes made by South Gloucestershire Council.
He says he would "demand the re-opening of Thornbury High Street to cars".
But in reality the road is not closed to cars; they can drive along the high street to pick up or drop off.
Like many candidates, Helen Godwin of Labour wants more trains.
She says she will "secure new railway stations including Ashton Gate, St Anne's, Brabazon, Portishead, Saltford and Charfield".
But no securing is needed for two of those; work is already under way for Brabazon and Charfield.
By contrast, two others, St Anne's and Saltford, are long-term ideas with no agreed plan or funding, which will not come in the next four years.
The last to make his pledges is Liberal Democrat Oli Henman; he talks of "developing a mass rapid transit system".
He means trams or a metro, as previously proposed in Bristol, and in his campaign he says he would deliver it.
But costs would be huge, so that would also not happen in the next four-year mayoral term.
Other information in the booklet is more certain.
Postal voting to choose the next West of England mayor is under way.
Polling day is 1 May, and voters are reminded that they need to bring a valid photo ID.
The count, and the result, will come overnight.
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