News / Politics
Former lord mayor hopes to become metro mayor
The former Liberal Democrat leader of Bristol City Council is hoping to become his party’s nomination for the West of England metro mayor.
Simon Cook was councillor for Clifton East for 17 years and Bristol lord mayor between 2004 and 2005.
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Cook said: “I spent years working across the region to improve transport, infrastructure, house building and cultural services.
“I was proud to guide the development and completion of the M Shed, led negotiations for money for our rail infrastructure and have led calls for more public transport funding.”
Cook will campaign to hold a second EU referendum, with his priorities as metro mayor to review the Joint Spatial Plan, ensure that the MetroBus and MetroWest schemes are completed on-time and on-budget, and review what the combined authority means.
Married with two grownup children, Cook is an actor by trade who supported independent George Ferguson to become Bristol mayor in 2015.
Former Bristol West MP Stephen Williams is also hoping to become the Lib Dem candidate for metro mayor.
Confirmed candidates so far for the election in May are for the Conservatives, South Gloucestershire councillor Tim Bowles; for Labour, NHS manager and parish councillor Lesley Mansell; and for the Greens, former Bristol West parliamentary candidate Darren Hall, who also backed Ferguson for mayor against his own party candidate.
The West of England metro mayor will have control over the whole West of England combined authority of Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
The government’s vision is to create a ‘Western Powerhouse’, with a potential investment of nearly £1 billion of investment to the region.
Read more: Who will become the 2017 metro mayor?
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