2021 West of England mayoral election

The districts of the West of England Combined Authority

The West of England term has been used as a synonym for either south-west England or the former county of Avon which was abolished in 1996. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) was created in 2017 as a statutory body which covers the areas of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset.[1][2] It broadly resembles Avon, but excludes North Somerset because the council opposed joining the combined authority; though they collaborate on some projects.[3][4] In October 2020 there were discussions around North Somerset joining the WECA in time for the May 2021 election.[5][6]

The mayor of the West of England is the directly-elected head of the WECA. They have powers over a £30 million annual budget from the government, to fund transport management, strategic planning of land and housing and the adult education budget.[7][4] The first election took place in 2017, with Conservative candidate Tim Bowles winning with 52% in the second round; the turnout was 29.7%, which was considered low.[2]

The think-tank Centre for Cities looked at the results of local elections in the West of England for 2018 and 2019 to make a prediction of the result and found the Conservatives had suffered considerable losses in Bath and North East Somerset, saying it "looks set to be tough for the incumbent".[8]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to other elections due to take place in May 2020 being delayed to occur on the same day as this election, including elections for many other metro mayors across England.[9][10][11] This means that the mayor will be elected the same time as the mayor of Bristol, Bristol City Council and the police and crime commissioner for Avon and Somerset Constabulary.[12]

The election will use a supplementary vote system, in which voters express a first and a second preference for candidates.[13]

• If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first preference vote, that candidate wins.
• If no candidate receives more than 50% of first preference votes, the top two candidates proceed to a second round and all other candidates are eliminated.
• The first preference votes for the remaining two candidates stand in the final count.
• Voters' ballots whose first and second preference candidates are eliminated are discarded.
• Voters whose first preference candidates have been eliminated and whose second preference candidate is one of the top two have their second preference votes added to that candidate's count.

This means that the winning candidate has the support of a majority of voters who expressed a preference among the top two.[14]

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in the West of England aged 18 or over on 7 May 2020 will be entitled to vote in the mayoral election. Those who are temporarily away from home (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) will also be entitled to vote. The deadline to register to vote in the election will be announced nearer the election.[15]