Business leaders in Bristol are backing calls for an elected mayor for the city. Bristol Chamber of Commerce (BCC) says an elected mayor “could provide the drive and energy to help make Bristol a truly great European city”.
President Mike Bothamley warned that businesses were not interested in local boundaries and wanted a thriving Bristol city region.
However, he is worried that a city mayor would distract from the work done by neighbouring authorities via the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership LEP), and would prefer a ‘metro mayor’.
But despite the fears, he added: “We and our members do believe that the Bristol city region could benefit significantly in economic terms from the strong and effective leadership an elected mayor might bring.
“So while our preference would be for a directly elected ‘metro mayor’, if we can’t have that yet, we will support the offer on the table at the moment, which is for a city mayor for Bristol, as we see that as a significant step in the right direction towards local power and leadership.”
His statement comes before a high-profile public debate at the Council House this evening hosted by Bristol University.
The public gets its chance to vote on the issue in a city-wide referendum on May 3.
