Deputy prime minister in Bristol to back Labour mayoral candidate

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner exchanged ruby red high heels for construction boots on Tuesday as she visited the Brabazon to show her support for Helen Godwin’s campaign to be the next West of England mayor.

Brabazon is a mixed-use development being built on the former Filton Airfield.

YTL Developments began construction on the Brabazon project in 2020 and the site currently hosts several residential homes.

YTL plans to finish construction on 1,514 student flats on the site by the beginning of the 2026/27 academic year.

Brabazon is also expected to have offices, schools and a new train station in the near future, as well as being the location for Bristol’s long-awaited arena.

Rayner, who is also the secretary of state for housing, communities & local government, toured part of the Brabazon site on Tuesday afternoon alongside Godwin; YTL UK chief executive Colin Skellett; YTL Developments planning & development director, Seb Loyn; and Labour MP for Filton & Bradley Stoke, Claire Hazelgrove.

Deputy PM Angels Rayner toured Brabazon on Tuesday alongside mayoral candidate Helen Godwin, Colin Skellett and Seb Loyn from YTL, and Filton & Bradley Stoke MP Claire Hazelgrove

On YTL’s plans for future construction at Brabazon, Rayner said: “Helen Godwin has been pushing really hard to make sure that if we’re building housing, we’ve got to build the infrastructure alongside it.

“This development will have a new train station. We’ll have that infrastructure that people desperately want, as well as an arena. The plans are absolutely fantastic and it’s great to see.”

In December 2024, the government published a white paper that set out their plans for devolution across England.

The foreword of the paper, written by Rayner, argued that ‘to truly get growth in every corner of the country and put more money into people’s pockets, we must rewire England and end the hoarding in Whitehall by devolving power and money from central government to those with skin in the game’.

YTL plan to build 2,675 houses on the Brabazon site

Part of the plan to devolve ‘power and money from central government’ includes giving mayors and regional authorities more powers and funding to take control over issues like housing and employment.

Rayner pointed to work being done in Greater Manchester as an example as to why Labour is pursuing this type of devolution.

She said: “In Greater Manchester they’ve had powers over health. They’ve had powers over skills. They’ve got multi-year settlements and they’ve got a singular pot that means that they can really target resources.

“They brought busses back into public ownership and they’re connecting that alongside rail. So, rather than a local authority level, they can look much bigger at the landscape and look at how they can deliver.”

Rayner added: “One of the big challenges Helen Godwin has really stressed to me is around making sure that that connectivity is there.

“That recognising that across the West of England there are different places – you have Bristol and you have other areas that are much more rural – and making sure they feel the benefits of the mayor, that we can bring jobs to those areas as well and that transport is important across the whole of the conurbation.”

YTL are currently in the process of converting a former aircraft hangar on the Brabazon site into a community hub

The government white paper on English devolution also reiterated the government’s plans to set up place-based Youth Guarantee ‘trailblazers’ across many combined authorities, including the West of England.

Labour’s Youth Guarantee, announced in November 2024, promises all 18- to 21-year-olds in England access to training or an apprenticeship or support to find work.

The West of England will be one of nine future regional ‘trailblazers’ where the government will test different ways to make this Youth Guarantee work.

On the Youth Guarantee, Rayner said: “One of the key statistics is one in eight children are not in education, employment or training. That is a real scandal.

“So, creating opportunities through apprenticeships… this site (Brabazon), in particular, are looking at doubling the amount of apprenticeships.

“We changed some of the criteria for apprenticeships on maths and English, so more young people can get an apprenticeship and get into work, and are making sure the transport and connectivity is there so that we can link young people to jobs and opportunities.

“We don’t want to see a generation written off. We want to see them have good skills and then to be able to get into their own home and to enjoy living, which at the moment feels out of reach for far too many.”

All photos: Seun Matiluko

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