Response to the Budget announcement of a West of England Mayoral Authority from Tim Davies, head of the Bristol office of commercial property experts Colliers International:
A West of England Mayoral Authority encompassing the city of Bristol and its surrounding authorities of South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) will undoubtedly be good for business in the region.
This ‘super council’ with a single elected mayor will ensure pro-active liaison on matters such as transport infrastructure, and will do much to underpin our already successful regional economy. The commercial property market in Bristol and the surrounding area is going from strength to strength, and in the Bristol office of Colliers International we are witnessing a lack of stock in both office and warehouse markets.
The devolution deal will bring undoubted financial benefits, with the Government providing £1 billion of investment for the new West of England Mayoral Authority. In September 2015, an initial submission to the Treasury suggested a £1 billion investment could triple spending over the next decade on key projects such as transport, flood defence and housing.
The former Avon County Council was mourned by few when it was abolished in March 1996, and concerns have been expressed that it could be reincarnated in the new ‘super council’. However, this seems unlikely given there will also be an elected ‘metro mayor’ for the new West of England region.
Bristol has already experienced the benefits of having an elected mayor following the election of George Ferguson in 2012, when it became the first English city outside London to elect a mayor.
Although George has not been able to wield the level of power afforded to Boris Johnson in the capital, he has become increasingly influential in supporting economic growth within the city and in the wider region.
