Latest news with #WECA
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
New £15m Bristol regional cycling hub plans submitted
New images have been released of a proposed £15m regional cycling Bristol Regional Cycling Hub will be built on Henacre Open Space, a former landfill site in Lawrence plans include a 1km competition track, an area for new cyclists to learn how to ride, a car park, a main building and new connections to nearby cycling City Council, which has submitted the planning application for the hub, said the new facility will replace the Bristol Family Cycling Centre at the Old Whitchurch Athletics Track, which opened in 2010. In planning documents, the council says the new cycling centre will be funded by the government's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, which is administered by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). A previous bid for money from the Levelling Up fund was rejected, the Local Democracy Reporting Service was for the planning application said the competition-grade track was designed in collaboration with British Cycling for local competitions and regional championships, while the 250m training area for children and adults would be a traffic-free space for developing cycling skills and planning permission is granted, it is expected the new cycling hub will open in 2027.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Man questions rejection of bus pass as voter ID
A man has questioned why he was unable to vote in local elections after his bus pass was not accepted as a valid form of ID. Mike Frost from Bristol tried to use his West of England Combined Authority (WECA) bus pass to vote at St Martins Lane polling station, but was turned away. A total of 12 types of travel passes from around the UK are considered valid forms of ID, but the WECA pass is not among them. The Electoral Commission told the BBC polling station staff cannot allow people to vote if they carry a form of ID that has not been formally approved. Mr Frost had been trying to cast his vote in the WECA mayoral election on Thursday. He said the polling station "refused to let me vote, despite agreeing that, yes, I was who I said I was and that I had proved this". "This is absurd" he added. "This is petty bureaucracy gone mad. It is the rot of our democracy." In total, more than 20 types of document are accepted, including passports, driving licences, older or Disabled Person's bus passes, as well as Oyster 60+ cards. The WECA pass carries a photo of the user and permits them to use Bristol buses for free during the month of their birthday, but does not carry a date of birth. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol The BBC approached the Electoral Commission, the independent body that oversees UK elections, about Mr Frost's concerns. Its response confirmed "the Elections Act 2022 specifies the types of documents that are accepted forms of ID". It added: "Under the legislation, polling station staff can not give voters a ballot paper unless they are able to show one of those forms. "The list has been passed by parliament and cannot be amended by the Commission." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Labour mayor 'thrilled' to win close Reform race Lib Dems win in Gloucestershire as Tories lose seats Liberal Democrats become biggest Wiltshire party The Electoral Commission
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Bristol man furious as bus pass turned down as voting ID
A man has questioned why he was unable to vote in local elections after his bus pass was not accepted as a valid form of Frost from Bristol tried to use his West of England Combined Authority (WECA) bus pass to vote at St Martins Lane polling station, but was turned away.A total of 12 types of travel passes from around the UK are considered valid forms of ID, but the WECA pass is not among Electoral Commission told the BBC polling station staff cannot allow people to vote if they carry a form of ID that has not been formally approved. Mr Frost had been trying to cast his vote in the WECA mayoral election on said the polling station "refused to let me vote, despite agreeing that, yes, I was who I said I was and that I had proved this". "This is absurd" he added."This is petty bureaucracy gone mad. It is the rot of our democracy."In total, more than 20 types of document are accepted, including passports, driving licences, older or Disabled Person's bus passes, as well as Oyster 60+ WECA pass carries a photo of the user and permits them to use Bristol buses for free during the month of their birthday, but does not carry a date of birth. The BBC approached the Electoral Commission, the independent body that oversees UK elections, about Mr Frost's response confirmed "the Elections Act 2022 specifies the types of documents that are accepted forms of ID". It added: "Under the legislation, polling station staff can not give voters a ballot paper unless they are able to show one of those forms."The list has been passed by parliament and cannot be amended by the Commission."
Times
27-04-2025
- Business
- Times
Mayor is a meaningless job, says Reform's man in mayoral race
Arron Banks has been warned by his old friend Nigel Farage to expect anything he says in front of a journalist to be reported. Despite this the multimillionaire insurance tycoon, 59, who donated more than £8 million to the Leave campaign in 2016, is completely unfiltered. He is Reform's candidate to become mayor of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), and has repeatedly told The Times that he thinks it is a 'meaningless job' with little power to help anyone. When I met Banks at Old Down Manor, the country house he runs as a wedding venue and farm park in Thornbury, south Gloucestershire, he joked that polls showing he had a chance of winning were 'a bit worrying'. He said with a smile:
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Who is West of England Combined Authority candidate Arron Banks?
On Thursday 1 May voters across the West of England will decide the next regional can find more information about the election and the candidates West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is a local authority encompassing the council areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) and South Gloucestershire. The authority is led by the West of England Banks is standing for the Reform UK party. A businessman and Leave campaigner Businessman Arron Banks, who founded the campaign with current Reform MP Richard Tice, was previously one of the largest donors to UKIP. He came to political prominence in 2014 when he announced a £1m pound donation to the party, then led by his friend and associate, Nigel becoming involved in politics, Mr Banks founded Bristol-based insurance broker Brightside and later GoSkippy. Born in Cheshire, raised in South Africa, and now lives in South Gloucestershire Mr Banks was born in Cheshire in 1966 and raised in South Africa and ran Norwich Union's regional office in Bristol after in the 1990s and has stayed near the City ever now lives in a manor in Thornbury. A controversial candidate Mr Banks is no stranger to controversy, having ploughed millions of his own money into the campaign, he wrote a book about his experience during the referendum titled "The Bad Boys of Brexit."Investigations into the sources of his wealth and claims of his relationship with the Russian state led to a high court battle with journalist Carole Cadwalladr in lost the case following a five-day hearing at the High Court, but was successful in partially reversing the decision at the Court of Appeal in 2023. Ms Cadwalladr was ordered to pay about £1.2m in legal already claimed that "Bristol is really corrupt," and that as Metro Mayor he intends to, "take the statues out of the river where they were dumped and put them back up and be damned proud of our history".This is presumably in reference to the Edward Colston Statue, which was torn down during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and thrown in the harbour. It was later recovered and is currently in the possession of Bristol Museums. Its just not cricket Mr Banks is a big cricket fan and is the chair of Thornbury Cricket Club. He has also sponsored Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and is a supporter of the clubs plans to move away from their current home in Bristol to a purpose built facility in South Gloucestershire, close to the M4. Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire last year he said: "I'm a massive cricket fan, I see there's an opportunity for Gloucestershire, it's just spectacularly badly run."His plan to take over the running of the club, however, appears to have been unsuccessful so far.
