Bristol 1st’s George Ferguson looks set to be voted in as Bristol’s first elected mayor this afternoon after polling 31,321 first-choice votes with Labour’s Marvin Rees gaining 25,896.
As no candidate got 50% plus one vote, the second choice votes of these two candidates are now being counted. The result is expected in an hour or two, the BBC reported. Commentators believe that Mr Rees is unlikely to make up ground to Mr Ferguson with his second-choice votes.
Figures released by Bristol City Council this morning showed 27.92% of people overall cast their vote – with 57.84% of postal votes returned and 22.93% of voters going to the polls across the city.
Mr Rees faced a nervous wait this morning after the count began at the huge University of the West of England (UWE) conference centre at 9am.
The turnout by different wards across Bristol showed a mixed picture – with the predicted high turnout in traditional Conservative areas. In Westbury-on-Trym, the turnout figure was listed as 48.78% – the highest in any ward. And with signs that many Tory voters had deserted their candidate to back Mr Ferguson, the Independent’s chances of winning grew stronger.
There were five areas in the city with a 40%-plus turnout, including: Ashley, Bishopston, Bishopsworth, Henleaze and Southville.
