News / Politics
Greens narrow bookies’ favourite to win West of England mayor election
Bookmakers have said the Green Party is the favourite to win the upcoming West of England mayoral election.
Two bookies placed the Greens narrowly ahead of Labour, while one gambling firm said the race to become the next regional mayor was neck-a-neck between the two parties.
The odds of Green candidate Mary Page winning are 5/4 according to Ladbrokes and Coral, and 2/1 according to William Hill. All three bookmakers have put the odds as 2/1 on Labour’s Helen Godwin winning.
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Voters head to the polls on May 1 to elect a mayor who will lead the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. The regional mayor has powers over areas including transport, housing and adult education.
Two to one odds of winning means each candidate has a 33 per cent chance of victory. Five to four odds is the same as a 44 per cent chance.
Odds on Lib Dem Oli Henman winning are at 4/1 according to Oddschecker, which collates different bookmakers. Reform candidate Arron Banks is on 5/1, the Conservatives’ Steve Smith is on 16/1 and independent candidate Ian Scott is on 66/1.
No public opinion polling has yet been released ahead of the election focusing on the West of England.
A local statistics expert recently predicted that the Greens were most likely to win, narrowly ahead of Labour, although each of the five parties stood a realistic chance of winning.
In 2024, the Greens won the local elections in Bristol, largely taking control of the city council but falling short of an outright majority, after eight years of Labour being in charge.
The Greens also beat Labour in the general election in Bristol Central.
However, Labour won the majority of votes in the region in the 2024 general election, and has six MPs, while the Liberal Democrats have three and the Greens just one.
But almost a year since the general election, the national popularity of Labour has fallen due to controversial policies like the rise in National Insurance contributions, which could affect the vote on May 1.
Main photo: Martin Booth
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