Politics of Bristol
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The city of Bristol, England, is a unitary authority, represented by four MPs representing seats wholly within the city boundaries. As well as these, Filton and Bradley Stoke covers the northern urban fringe in South Gloucestershire and the north eastern urban fringe is in the Kingswood constituency. The overall trend of both local and national representation became left of centre, favouring the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats during the latter 20th century, but there was a shift to the right in the 2010 general election (although this was not reflected in the local elections). The city has a tradition of local activism, with environmental issues and sustainable transport[1] being prominent issues in the city. The most recent City council elections were in May 2013. On 3 May 2012, Bristol held a referendum to decide whether the city should have a directly elected mayor to replace the leader elected by councillors. The result was announced on 4 May. 41,032 voted for an elected mayor and 35,880 voted against, with a turnout of 24%.[2] An election for the new post was held on 15 November 2012,[3] with Independent candidate George Ferguson becoming Mayor of Bristol.
Contents
City Council
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The City of Bristol is a ceremonial county governed by a unitary authority; Bristol City Council. The city is divided into 35 wards, which each elect two councillors for a four-year term. One third of the councillors are elected three years in four, but as only one councillor from any ward stands at a time, two-thirds of wards are competed each election.
The full council of 70 councillors has ultimate responsibility for establishing the decision making process and approving the Council's budget and policy framework.[4] The council meets at the City Hall (known as the Council House up until 2012). Full meetings are chaired by the Lord Mayor, a largely ceremonial role that does not hold direct power. The Lord Mayor is a councillor, elected annually in May by the council members.[5]
The elected mayor (not the Lord Mayor) acts as leader of the cabinet and appoints up to seven councillors as members (six were appointed as of May 2013). The cabinet is responsible for most day-to-day decisions though the elected Mayor retains the right to override cabinet votes.[4]
Composition and control
The Council has long been dominated by the Labour Party, but recently the Liberal Democrat party has grown strong in the city and took minority control of the Council between the 2005 and 2007 elections. After the 2007 elections, the Labour, Conservative and Green parties then joined forces to oust them and install a minority Labour administration.[6] The Lord Mayor for 2012–2013 was Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Main. In October 2008 the Liberal Democrats won a seat from Labour in a by-election caused by the death of the sitting councillor. On 24 February 2009 the minority Labour administration resigned following a defeat over plans to build an incinerator in Avonmouth,[7] and the Liberal Democrats resumed control.
In 2009, the election resulted in the Liberal Democrats taking overall majority control of Bristol City Council for the first time. In 2010 they increased their representation to 38 seats giving them a majority of 6.[8] In 2011, they lost their majority leading to a hung council. The 2013 local elections, in which a third of the city's wards were up for election, saw Labour gain 7 seats and the Green party double their seats from 2 to 4 while the Liberal Democrats suffered a loss of 10 seats.[9] These trends were continued into the next election in May 2014, in which Labour gained 3 seats to take their total to 31, the Green party built on their success by winning 2 more seats, the Conservative party gained 1 seat and UKIP won their first ever seat on the council. In another damaging result, the Liberal Democrats lost a further 7 seats.[10]
For details on the history of Bristol local politics, see History of Bristol City Council.
| Conservative Party | Green Party | Labour Party | Liberal Democrats | UKIP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 13 | 30 | 10 | 1 | 70 |
| Conservative Party | Green Party | Labour Party | Liberal Democrats | UKIP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 14 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 70 |
| Position | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor, Transport Portfolio | George Ferguson | Independent |
| Deputy Mayor, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning, Strategic Housing and Regeneration | Mark Bradshaw | Labour Party |
| Cabinet Member for Leisure, Tourism, Licensing and Community Safety | Simon Cook | Liberal Democrats |
| Deputy Mayor, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services | Geoff Gollop | Conservative |
| Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Council Housing | Gus Hoyt | Green Party |
| Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care | Barbara Janke | Liberal Democrats |
| Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education | Brenda Massey | Labour Party |
| chief executive | Jan Ormondroyd | non-partisan |
| Ward | Name | Party | Seat up for re-election | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley | Rob Telford | Green Party | 2017 | |
| Ashley | Gus Hoyt | Green Party | 2019 | Cabinet Member |
| Avonmouth | Wayne Harvey | Conservative | 2017 | |
| Avonmouth | Matthew Melias | Conservative | 2018 | |
| Bedminster | Celia Phipps | Labour | 2019 | |
| Bedminster | Mark Bradshaw | Labour | 2018 | Cabinet Member |
| Bishopston | Daniella Radice | Green Party | 2017 | |
| Bishopston | Tim Malnick | Green Party | 2018 | |
| Bishopsworth | Richard Eddy | Conservative | 2019 | |
| Bishopsworth | Kevin Quartley | Conservative | 2018 | |
| Brislington East | Mike Langley | Labour | 2019 | |
| Brislington East | Mike Wollacott | Labour | 2018 | |
| Brislington West | Rhian Greaves | Labour | 2018 | Lord Mayor |
| Brislington West | Eileen Means | Labour | 2019 | |
| Cabot | Dr Mark Wright | Liberal Democrats | 2017 | |
| Cabot | Ani Stafford-Townsend | Green Party | 2019 | |
| Clifton | Charles James Hastings Lucas | Conservative | 2017 | |
| Clifton | Jerome Thomas | Green Party | 2019 | |
| Clifton East | Carla Denyer | Green Party | 2019 | |
| Clifton East | Simon Cook | Liberal Democrats | 2017 | Cabinet Member |
| Cotham | Anthony Negus | Liberal Democrats | 2017 | |
| Cotham | Dani Glazzard | Green Party | 2019 | |
| Easton | Anna McMullen | Green Party | 2019 | |
| Easton | Afzal Shah | Labour | 2017 | |
| Eastville | Mahmadur Khan | Labour | 2019 | |
| Eastville | Mhairi Threlfall | Labour | 2017 | |
| Filwood | Jeff Lovell | Labour | 2019 | |
| Filwood | Christopher Jackson | Labour | 2018 | Party whip |
| Frome Vale | Lesley Alexander | Conservative | 2019 | Deputy leader of Conservative Party group |
| Frome Vale | Bill Payne | Labour | 2017 | |
| Hartcliffe | Naomi Rylatt | Labour | 2018 | |
| Hartcliffe | Mark Brain | Labour | 2019 | |
| Henbury | Mark Weston | Conservative | 2018 | Leader of Conservative Party group |
| Henbury | Chris Windows | Conservative | 2017 | |
| Hengrove | Barry Clark | Labour | 2019 | |
| Hengrove | Michael Frost | UK Independence Party | 2018 | |
| Henleaze | Clare Campion-Smith | Liberal Democrats | 2018 | |
| Henleaze | Glenise Morgan | Liberal Democrats | 2017 | |
| Hillfields | Noreen Daniels | Labour | 2017 | |
| Hillfields | Craig Cheney | Labour | 2019 | |
| Horfield | Claire Michelle Hiscott | Conservative | 2017 | |
| Horfield | Olly Mead | Labour | 2018 | |
| Kingsweston | Jason Budd | Conservative | 2017 | |
| Kingsweston | Tim Leaman | Liberal Democrats | 2018 | |
| Knowle | Christopher Davies | Liberal Democrats | 2019 | |
| Knowle | Gary Hopkins | Liberal Democrats | 2018 | Leader of Liberal Democrats group |
| Lawrence Hill | Margaret Hickman | Labour | 2019 | |
| Lawrence Hill | Habiq Jama | Labour | 2017 | |
| Lockleaze | Gill Kirk | Labour | 2018 | |
| Lockleaze | Estella Tincknell | Labour | 2017 | |
| Redland | Fi Hance | Green Party | 2017 | |
| Redland | Martin Fodor | Green Party | 2018 | |
| Southmead | Brenda Massey | Labour | 2017 | Cabinet Member |
| Southmead | Jenny Smith | Labour | 2018 | |
| Southville | Charlie Bolton | Green Party | 2018 | Leader of Green Party group |
| Southville | Stephen Clarke | Green Party | 2019 | |
| St George East | Fabian Breckels | Labour | 2019 | |
| St George East | Steve Pearce | Labour | 2017 | |
| St George West | Ron Stone | Labour | 2017 | Deputy leader of Labour Party group |
| St George West | Susan Milestone | Labour | 2019 | |
| Stockwood | David Morris | Conservative | 2019 | |
| Stockwood | Jay Jethwa | Conservative | 2018 | |
| Stoke Bishop | Peter Abraham | Conservative | 2017 | |
| Stoke Bishop | John Goulandris | Conservative | 2018 | Party whip |
| Westbury-on-Trym | Geoff Gollop OBE | Conservative | 2017 | Deputy Mayor, Cabinet Member |
| Westbury-on-Trym | Alastair Watson | Conservative | 2018 | |
| Whitchurch Park | Timothy Kent | Liberal Democrats | 2018 | |
| Whitchurch Park | Helen Holland | Labour | 2019 | Leader of the Labour Party group |
| Windmill Hill | Sam Mongon | Labour | 2018 | |
| Windmill Hill | Deborah Joffe | Green Party | 2019 |
Westminster representation
Bristol has 4 Westminster constituencies (West, East, South and North West). Parts of the Bristol built-up area outside the administrative city are also covered by the Filton and Bradley Stoke and Kingswood constituencies, which are in South Gloucestershire.
| Constituency | Member | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol East | Kerry McCarthy | Labour Party |
| Bristol North West | Charlotte Leslie | Conservative Party |
| Bristol South | Karin Smyth | Labour Party |
| Bristol West | Thangam Debbonaire | Labour Party |
| Filton and Bradley Stoke | Jack Lopresti | Conservative Party |
| Kingswood | Chris Skidmore | Conservative Party |
European representation
Being in the South West England region for the European Parliament, Bristol currently elects six Members of the European Parliament. Currently, two MEPs come from the Conservative Party, two from the UK Independence Party, one from the Labour Party and one from the Green Party
The last election to the European Parliament from the South West was held on 22 May 2014.
| Member | Party | European Party Group |
|---|---|---|
| Molly Scott Cato | Green | Green/EFA |
| Julia Reid | UKIP | Europe of Freedom and Democracy |
| Clare Moody | Labour Party | Socialist and Democrats |
| Julie Girling | Conservative | European Conservatives and Reformists |
| William, Earl of Dartmouth | UKIP | Europe of Freedom and Democracy |
| Ashley Fox | Conservative | European Conservatives and Reformists |
See also
- 2010 United Kingdom general election results in Bristol
- List of Parliamentary constituencies in Avon
- Politics of the United Kingdom
- History of local government in Bristol
References
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- ↑ http://www.bristol247.com/2013/05/17/bristol-mayor-george-ferguson-announces-cabinet-roles-85359/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/George-welcomes-cabinet-colours/story-19033802-detail/story.html
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bristol City Council. |
- Bristol City Council
- Parties: Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat
- OpenlyLocal page on Bristol City Council
