Dan Norris has been elected West of England Regional Mayor. Before the election we asked each candidate to write a 300-word pitch to voters and a go on camera explaining why people should vote for them. This is what he said:
Let’s get people back to work, rejuvenate our high streets, value our key workers, build more affordable homes, really improve our public transport and tackle the climate emergency.
I love the West of England and I’m hugely ambitious for our area, so it frustrates me that the current metro mayor isn’t getting the best deal for our region.
The pandemic has increased the need for effective leadership.
It’s not good enough that money to support our high streets is languishing in the bank.
We can’t wait to take action on climate change and it is shameful that the Conservative metro mayor failed to secure £250million of housing money.
It’s time for new leadership.
I have a vision for a green recovery. I’ll be a jobs-first mayor, holding a jobs and skills summit in my first 100 days in office and launching my Green Recovery Plan to create 23,000 new jobs.
I’ll set out plans to double investment in affordable housing, fundamentally shifting resources to support councils and housing associations.
I plan a ‘Culture Covenant’ locking in guaranteed support for the arts from the combined authority Investment Fund.
I want to make the West of England the bee capital of the UK and give all our local communities the public transport they need and deserve.
I’m West of England through and through. I went to school here and have lived and worked locally all my life as an NSPCC-trained child protection officer, an MP and Environment Minister.
When I was MP my constituency had the lowest unemployment in the country.
I’m also a champion for charities that help children and disabled people.
I’ll make sure our area is firmly back on the map: nationally and internationally.
Find out about the other candidates: read profiles for Green Party candidate Jerome Thomas, Conservative Samuel Wiliams, and Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams.
