NEW Metro Mayor Helen Godwin has said things will be “very different” under her than under the previous Labour mayor.
The winner of May’s mayoral election has pledged to “work cross-party for the West Country” – and her first act after being sworn in was to appoint Liberal Democrat Kevin Guy as her deputy mayor.
The position of deputy mayor had not been used since Ms Godwin’s predecessor Dan Norris was elected in 2021.
During his time in charge the combined authority was put on notice by the government over a number of performance issues, including poor relationships between politicians.
The deputy mayor’s position will rotate annually between the leaders of the three councils that make up the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Cllr Guy, who is the leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said he was “honoured” to take up the role.
On the election night the new mayor said her approach “will feel very different but it will be very proactive: just getting stuff done, working with people, working with whoever I need to”.
Expanding on the theme after she was sworn in, Ms Godwin said: “To get the best for all of us in the West Country, politicians must put politics to one side. That’s how we’ll lay the Bristol to Portishead Line, build new affordable homes, and help create the jobs of the future.”
Ms Godwin also pledged to work “across party lines” with Green Bristol City Council leader Tony Dyer and Lib Dem South Gloucestershire Council leader Maggie Tyrrell, as well as fellow Labour politician Ian Boulton, who is the co-leader of South Gloucestershire.
She said: “We all need to roll up our sleeves and pitch in. Our residents deserve nothing less, and that’s the only way that we will make things happen.”
The leaders of Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils, together with the mayor, make up the MCA’s decision-making committee.
Cllr Dyer said Ms Godwin was taking over at a “critical time”, adding: “Working alongside Helen and my counterparts in the region’s other local authorities I hope to continue our efforts to bring these valuable working relationships closer for the benefit of all of us.”
The mayor and her will be responsible for delivering the region’s Local Growth Plan.