:00:24. > :00:32.For centuries, they Mayor has been the centre of municipal power. It
:00:33. > :00:38.has been warned by Lord Mayor is for years, what a great privilege for me
:00:39. > :00:43.to have it for one year. Now the people are collecting an additional
:00:44. > :00:47.Mayor, for the West of England. What will that person do? That person
:00:48. > :00:52.will be responsible for developing the economy of the region. Almost a
:00:53. > :00:58.million of us from the great cities of Bristol and Bath to the busy
:00:59. > :01:03.towns of Thornbury will choose at Metro Mayor. The winner will compete
:01:04. > :01:08.with the northern Para has and the new Midlands engine, for jobs and
:01:09. > :01:12.investment, for Bath, Bristol and beyond. First, they have to convince
:01:13. > :01:21.the voters. I don't think we should have won. Waste of money. Would-be
:01:22. > :01:27.employer may? I wouldn't mind having a couple of grand each month. The
:01:28. > :01:32.long-term budget is ?1 million, control over jobs, transport and
:01:33. > :01:39.where we live. There aren't enough decent homes, not nearly enough.
:01:40. > :01:45.Fixing that will be right at the top of the new Metro Mayor's to do list.
:01:46. > :01:50.From our safe harbours... To the dangerous waters of the River
:01:51. > :01:53.Severn, can a Metro Mayor broaden our horizons?
:01:54. > :01:56.Tonight, the six people who want to be Metro Mayor are here,
:01:57. > :01:58.at the Bristol and Bath Science Park in South Gloucestershire.
:01:59. > :02:01.In a special debate, we will be finding out who's got
:02:02. > :02:04.what it takes to represent this vibrant part of the world on the
:02:05. > :02:33.Hello welcome. It is good to be with you.
:02:34. > :02:36.This is their interview with you, the voters.
:02:37. > :02:38.Their chance to impress you as you make your
:02:39. > :02:41.So, let's meet the people who want to be mayor
:02:42. > :02:45.For the Conservatives, Tim Bowles, a councillor
:02:46. > :02:51.For Ukip, Aaron Foot, who is a farmer.
:02:52. > :02:55.The environmental consultant Darren Hall
:02:56. > :03:03.She is a Diversity and Equality Manager for the NHS.
:03:04. > :03:05.The only independent candidate is the businessman
:03:06. > :03:08.and hospital chairman, that's John Savage.
:03:09. > :03:10.And the ex-Bristol West MP and former government minister
:03:11. > :03:17.Stephen Williams is standing for the Liberal Democrats.
:03:18. > :03:34.I should does tell you that our audience tonight is made up of
:03:35. > :03:37.community campaigners, local business people and supporters of
:03:38. > :03:42.the candidates, some of their families are here as well and they
:03:43. > :03:46.are welcome. Of course the political dynamic completely change this week
:03:47. > :03:51.after the Prime Minister surprised us all by collie that General
:03:52. > :03:59.Election. With that in mind, let's take our first question. The Prime
:04:00. > :04:04.Minister is calling a surprise election in June, will this and
:04:05. > :04:10.Brexit overshadow the role of the Metro Mayor and also the election in
:04:11. > :04:16.itself, will it affect your focus on the job? My fears at the moment and
:04:17. > :04:20.I am a Remainer through and through, is that this role is our safety net
:04:21. > :04:25.and we need to make sure that whatever happens, the region and its
:04:26. > :04:29.security is put at the top of the priority list. Whatever happens with
:04:30. > :04:33.Brexit? All right, Tim Bowles, was Theresa May right to go to the
:04:34. > :04:38.country and will it overshadow what we are doing tonight? We have been
:04:39. > :04:42.asked how we think it will affect the election. I welcome the General
:04:43. > :04:45.Election in that sense because I think it will help us raise the
:04:46. > :04:49.profile of what is happening here. It will certainly mean we have more
:04:50. > :04:52.media opportunities and I think it is a really positive thing for us to
:04:53. > :05:03.be able to go and take our message is out. I voted to remain. Your
:05:04. > :05:07.message to Theresa May is what? My message is to get the best deal for
:05:08. > :05:13.the country and that is what will be working for. John Savage, are you
:05:14. > :05:17.concerned about voter turnout? Yes I am. I think there is quite a lot of
:05:18. > :05:21.voter boredom with politics in general and it is interesting how
:05:22. > :05:26.quickly the magnet of central politics can draw the minds of
:05:27. > :05:30.people away. This is a really unique opportunity. I think it strengthens
:05:31. > :05:35.me to understand that we have got to make it work. The idea that we can
:05:36. > :05:42.get more say about our own future is very important and it is a shame
:05:43. > :05:49.that there has been this rather big hiatus. It is a spur to keep going.
:05:50. > :05:52.Stephen Williams. I think it is a cynical and opportunist moved by the
:05:53. > :05:57.Prime Minister to call an election, there is no pressing national reason
:05:58. > :06:02.to do so. The only reason Theresa May is doing this is because she
:06:03. > :06:06.recognises the fact that in Jeremy Corbyn led party, it is the best
:06:07. > :06:11.scenario they could dream of in order to call a snap election. Three
:06:12. > :06:15.years earlier than she needs to. In order to win a political advantage.
:06:16. > :06:18.There is no pressing Brexit reason for doing so, it is simply naked
:06:19. > :06:38.party advantage. However, are now in that situation
:06:39. > :06:40.and the Liberal Democrats and myself and the selection will be putting
:06:41. > :06:43.forward how we can still resist a Brexit, I am not in favour of a soft
:06:44. > :06:46.Brexit, I think Brexit will be damaging to the regional economy. We
:06:47. > :06:48.rely on our European partners for our trading links and if I am
:06:49. > :06:51.elected as regional Mayor, I will be putting forward a case to put
:06:52. > :06:54.forward to the Prime Minister to say this is what you need to protect us
:06:55. > :06:57.against. It has put you on the spot, because you wanted to stand as a
:06:58. > :06:59.candidate in Bristol as a Liberal Democrat and you're standing for
:07:00. > :07:03.this, what would you prefer? I hope to win this election on May the 4th
:07:04. > :07:10.and I think I have a good chance of doing so. And if I win this job, it
:07:11. > :07:14.will actually be more important than a member of Parliament. I was a
:07:15. > :07:17.member of Parliament for ten years. This is a huge opportunity for
:07:18. > :07:22.someone to make a difference on the issues that used to frustrate me
:07:23. > :07:25.when I was a councillor and an MP. I relish the challenge of winning this
:07:26. > :07:33.position. So you would prefer this job? I would actually. Darren Hall.
:07:34. > :07:36.I think you picked up a really important point, because the UK is
:07:37. > :07:40.the most centrally controlled country in Europe and this is the
:07:41. > :07:45.biggest opportunity in a generation that we have to have some control
:07:46. > :07:49.back here. That has never been more important than now, when the
:07:50. > :07:54.government are trying to set a autocracy up in London over the next
:07:55. > :08:01.couple of years. People now have an opportunity on May the 4th to set
:08:02. > :08:03.the scene for this region to be a beacon for equality, as opposed to
:08:04. > :08:08.the kind of right wing mentality that we are getting from London at
:08:09. > :08:15.the moment. And your views on Brexit? I would class myself as
:08:16. > :08:19.European. I feel European and feel part of that family of countries who
:08:20. > :08:25.were working together on a global scale. This idea that we are going
:08:26. > :08:29.to go back to the Great Britain of old is completely ridiculous. We
:08:30. > :08:35.need to work together on global problems. Don't think that we
:08:36. > :08:39.support the people of this area by doing anything other than trying to
:08:40. > :08:43.take positive steps. You would support Brexit? I am very clear that
:08:44. > :08:50.we ought to have the opportunity to vote on what the deal is as part of
:08:51. > :08:54.this process. We must move on. Lesley Mansell. Well, it is
:08:55. > :08:59.affecting the election already because what we have found in the
:09:00. > :09:03.Labour Party is that lots more people have got involved in the door
:09:04. > :09:07.knocking and talking to people. It has really enthused the Labour Party
:09:08. > :09:11.membership and the Co-op party membership. But I think it will also
:09:12. > :09:15.do is hopefully in those more of the community to get involved. We have
:09:16. > :09:20.found some people on the doorstep you are not quite sure about the
:09:21. > :09:24.Metro Mayor but we are starting to get quite pointed questions asked of
:09:25. > :09:28.us and so we should. I think we're in this position now because the
:09:29. > :09:35.Conservative government have made a right hash of negotiations with the
:09:36. > :09:38.Europeans, they have put their demands on the floor, on the table
:09:39. > :09:41.and the European Union has said, we are not having that. 27 countries
:09:42. > :09:46.have said we do not want that. Are you the person who can actually
:09:47. > :09:52.mediate between the difficult political exchanges that there will
:09:53. > :09:57.be? Well, I have been a trade unionist for 30 years now and one of
:09:58. > :10:00.my fortes is trying to solve problems, to bring people together
:10:01. > :10:04.and I can demonstrate how I have done that. You would do that with
:10:05. > :10:10.the Conservatives as well? Absolutely. I have worked with them
:10:11. > :10:13.as a local councillor. Aaron Foot. I think it is overshadowing it. We are
:10:14. > :10:18.trying to get the message out of what the Metro Mayor is an people do
:10:19. > :10:23.not know what it will involve, the powers that it will give us here in
:10:24. > :10:27.the region and I think if we can try and engage with people and get the
:10:28. > :10:31.fact that we will be taking on transport and housing and taking on
:10:32. > :10:35.education and things like that, it would be an important message. It
:10:36. > :10:40.has been overshadowed now by a government that wants a second
:10:41. > :10:45.referendum technically on a General Election and I feel that the Tories
:10:46. > :10:48.want to have a bigger mandate to have a soft Brexit. They don't want
:10:49. > :10:53.to have a higher Brexit and they probably don't even want to have a
:10:54. > :10:55.Brexit, they want to try and get the hard Brexiteers daily to down and
:10:56. > :10:59.that is why they are pushing forward is to try and increase the majority
:11:00. > :11:08.and I think it has been overshadowing the selection. You are
:11:09. > :11:11.in favour of hard Brexit? I am a true Brexiteer. I would like to see
:11:12. > :11:17.powers back to the people. Thank you. Let's take our next question
:11:18. > :11:23.and it is from Richard Jordan. Good evening. What I would like to ask is
:11:24. > :11:30.why do we need another Mayor with all the attendant staff and costs
:11:31. > :11:36.and expenses? Particularly as the proposed Mayor does not include the
:11:37. > :11:43.whole of the Greater Bristol area. Thank you for your question. Let's
:11:44. > :11:48.talk to the Deputy Leader of North Somerset Council. North Somerset
:11:49. > :11:53.have decided not to be part of the new Metro Mayor set up. Why is that?
:11:54. > :11:59.Why aren't you joining not. I have to agree with the previous bigger.
:12:00. > :12:05.We can see no reason for a Metro Mayor. We have worked perfectly well
:12:06. > :12:08.with our colleagues in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. We have been
:12:09. > :12:12.part of the West of England partnership. We worked on joint
:12:13. > :12:17.transport, we have never had a quarrel in the ten years we have
:12:18. > :12:22.been doing it and we have made real progress. There is ?1 billion of
:12:23. > :12:25.government money over 30 years. That money, that part remains the same
:12:26. > :12:30.but North Somerset is not part of it. Fine, we don't have a problem
:12:31. > :12:31.with that because at the end of the day, the other local authorities are
:12:32. > :12:52.going to have to borrow a great deal more than that
:12:53. > :12:55.to be able to do things and we wouldn't want to be part of the
:12:56. > :12:59.debt. Can I make one other point and that is that it is naive to think
:13:00. > :13:01.that a Metro Mayor is going to tell the government what to do, the
:13:02. > :13:04.government, whatever party it is, will tell the Metro Mayor what to do
:13:05. > :13:06.or they will not give the money they think they are getting. Stephen
:13:07. > :13:09.Williams, do you agree? I don't. It is a big mistake to opt out of this
:13:10. > :13:11.arrangement and I think the residents will regret it perhaps
:13:12. > :13:14.before their political leaders. In order to make this region work,
:13:15. > :13:18.whoever is elected to this position will have to have a good
:13:19. > :13:22.constructive relationship with all of our neighbours, certainly with
:13:23. > :13:25.North Somerset but also with the historic county of Somerset,
:13:26. > :13:29.Wiltshire and Gloucestershire as well. With the Welsh Government on
:13:30. > :13:32.some issues as well, in order to rebalance the power of
:13:33. > :13:36.decision-making away from our overcentralised system of government
:13:37. > :13:37.that we have had for so long, to establishing strong leadership in
:13:38. > :13:46.this region. The ?62,000 a year salary, is that
:13:47. > :13:51.the beginning of it or is there more money? The important thing is it
:13:52. > :13:54.actually makes somebody accountable for the investment and
:13:55. > :13:57.opportunities, clearly defined in what those powers are. For us to be
:13:58. > :14:02.able to start delivering for the region. The whole point of having a
:14:03. > :14:07.regional mayors that we actually realise where there are strategic
:14:08. > :14:10.roles, housing, transport, jobs and skill challenges, that allow us to
:14:11. > :14:13.think collectively by working with our leaders to come up with those
:14:14. > :14:19.solutions. That has to be done in a constructive way. It's one of the
:14:20. > :14:23.things that has come out very much... It's another layer of
:14:24. > :14:28.management, isn't it? The Tories are taking out managers from the NHS,
:14:29. > :14:33.and putting them in. This is another layer? It's about making somebody
:14:34. > :14:35.directly responsible for those strategic decisions, and somebody
:14:36. > :14:39.who was then working with our leaders who are here this evening,
:14:40. > :14:44.somebody who will have that skill and experience and expertise. That's
:14:45. > :14:48.worth the extra money? None of us here on the stage today make any
:14:49. > :14:52.decisions about the salary. Darren Hall, we have had a lot of anger
:14:53. > :15:01.from viewers about this. Saying, what on earth do we need this
:15:02. > :15:05.position for? I think, I have to say that North Somerset have made a
:15:06. > :15:10.mistake. I agree, that in not being part of it, and the reason why is
:15:11. > :15:14.that this area works as a system. Economists will talk about it as a
:15:15. > :15:18.functional market area. People commute in and out of Bristol.
:15:19. > :15:24.Because that is the way the system works. If you look at housing and
:15:25. > :15:29.transport, part of the problem is because we have tried to break it
:15:30. > :15:33.up. At the heart of some of the problems that are faced by this
:15:34. > :15:38.functional market area. I'm pretty sure that by the time we get round
:15:39. > :15:42.to, in four years' time, the voters of North Somerset will be saying to
:15:43. > :15:46.their counsel, we had to be part of this agreement. We are being left
:15:47. > :15:51.out. And you have said you will do it for half the money? What I have
:15:52. > :15:56.said is that, why should I be paid more than the average of the region,
:15:57. > :16:00.to highlight the fact that the average wage in this region is
:16:01. > :16:07.around about ?30,000 a year. Its link to housing. If you want to try
:16:08. > :16:11.to get a mortgage, four times ?30,000 a year does not enable you
:16:12. > :16:15.to buy a house in this region. I don't think the average is dirty, I
:16:16. > :16:18.think it's less. We have some other council leaders in our audience
:16:19. > :16:25.tonight. -- I don't think the average is 30. The newly elected
:16:26. > :16:30.Mayor of Bristol, are you worried that you might be big footed by one
:16:31. > :16:34.of these guys? I'm not worried at all. What I need to hear from the
:16:35. > :16:38.candidates are some clarity over how they see this position, relating to
:16:39. > :16:41.the existing leaders of the authority. And the sovereignty
:16:42. > :16:45.within our own authorities now. I have been concerned that some of the
:16:46. > :16:49.language talks about coming in, being in charge, even just now I
:16:50. > :16:52.have had a number of candidates talk about their relationship to
:16:53. > :16:56.government with no reference to the existing authorities. We have an
:16:57. > :17:03.elected ads leaders of our area with a mandate. I have said, one of the
:17:04. > :17:05.most important qualities of the Metro Mayor will be a emotional
:17:06. > :17:08.intelligence. Four of us, in terms of combined authority. We have
:17:09. > :17:13.developed a coherent set of relationships. What we are saying,
:17:14. > :17:18.anyone who comes in, you can't come in like a big but because actually,
:17:19. > :17:21.we are here. If you disturb those relationships, it will cause a
:17:22. > :17:25.problem. You will have to be very smart about this. One thing I
:17:26. > :17:32.learned today is that you three will be the vice Metro Mayor. Of course.
:17:33. > :17:36.I have been elected to Bristol, Tim has been elected to Baines, Matthew
:17:37. > :17:43.is elected in self authorship. We are elected to run our authorities.
:17:44. > :17:46.-- in South Gloucestershire. This is not just about legislative powers.
:17:47. > :17:51.The areas over which you have control are quite limited. I want to
:17:52. > :17:58.come back to the other two as well. But we must go back to the
:17:59. > :18:02.candidates. Lesley Mansell, your thoughts? What I'm seeing on the
:18:03. > :18:04.doorstep, people are sick of authority. They are struggling to
:18:05. > :18:10.find decent housing and having to deal with the inequality in the job
:18:11. > :18:14.market. The daily commute. This is an opportunity to bring somebody in
:18:15. > :18:18.who will work with the three authorities, as Marvin Rees has just
:18:19. > :18:22.outlined, to try and get a better deal not just for one group within
:18:23. > :18:31.the area but with everyone in the area. John Savage? This conversation
:18:32. > :18:36.just proves that this is not a job for a conventional politician. It's
:18:37. > :18:39.wrong. I must say, I absolutely understand the point about
:18:40. > :18:45.respecting the other elected people. It is absolutely right. This is a
:18:46. > :18:50.job to make it work. Let's be fair, you say you work together. You have
:18:51. > :18:53.all over 30 years, and I in my business group have tried to do
:18:54. > :18:58.things, failed to have ambition. If you have failed to do enough. You
:18:59. > :19:02.have! By our standards, if it was not for my group, we would not have
:19:03. > :19:08.developed harbour-side, we would not have gotten the shopping centre. You
:19:09. > :19:13.are too slow. I admit that it is not about bossing you around, but you
:19:14. > :19:22.need is support. I've been elected for one year. Let's talk to Tim
:19:23. > :19:26.Warren and Matthew Riddle. Do you accept that? You have been slow and
:19:27. > :19:37.you need a mature man to come along? That's total rubbish. -- you need to
:19:38. > :19:43.a Metro Mayor. We are a team. We get on well. Three of us sitting at this
:19:44. > :19:48.table. We are conservatives, Marvin is Labour. You would not know. We
:19:49. > :19:52.want to move things on. I don't know if anyone knows how the voting
:19:53. > :20:00.system works, but Mayor cannot come along and dictate. They will have to
:20:01. > :20:05.work with us. Will you be able to get along? I think there is one
:20:06. > :20:09.point, by the sound of it. I'm happy to work with anybody to advance the
:20:10. > :20:12.South Gloucestershire and the West of England. Whoever is elected, we
:20:13. > :20:17.will work closely and meaningfully with anybody to make this work.
:20:18. > :20:20.Aaron Foot? I think you're quite right. It's about facilitating a
:20:21. > :20:25.roll and listening to the people, working with leaders of all three
:20:26. > :20:29.areas. We can't forget North Somerset. They are still in this
:20:30. > :20:34.area, it has Bristol Airport and Avonmouth. We can't forget them. We
:20:35. > :20:39.have to work and facilitate the role. This is where direct democracy
:20:40. > :20:43.comes in. Why would you facilitate North Somerset when they don't want
:20:44. > :20:47.to join in? Because they are still part of the greater area. You still
:20:48. > :20:52.have to listen to them. We had to work as a coherent team. You would
:20:53. > :20:58.like more referendums? Yes, I would like more say. What sort of
:20:59. > :21:05.referendum? It depends what people want. More bus services, cheaper bus
:21:06. > :21:11.services, no park and ride in Bathampton Meadows? Let's have our
:21:12. > :21:15.say. Tim? My whole philosophy and everything I have done in work,
:21:16. > :21:19.socially and politics, has been about working together. That is the
:21:20. > :21:23.only way we do get good results. I am very lucky to have worked with
:21:24. > :21:28.Matthew and him very closely for a long time. I know they work closely
:21:29. > :21:33.with Marvin, and I know they get, from everything I hear, they work
:21:34. > :21:38.really well together. It is critical that somebody joins you as a team,
:21:39. > :21:42.and works together will stop by doing that, we will get the right
:21:43. > :21:45.decisions on this key things, transport and housing. You could
:21:46. > :21:49.work with them. Could you also work with a Labour government? Yes,
:21:50. > :21:54.because ultimately we will be going along on behalf of everybody here.
:21:55. > :21:57.In this room. With these three leaders, to make our case for the
:21:58. > :22:01.right things for the future of the West of England. Stephen Williams.
:22:02. > :22:05.You need to be a diplomat for this job. You have to get along with
:22:06. > :22:08.these people and the government. And put the West country's case. They
:22:09. > :22:15.have been less than flattering about some of your opponents? You do have
:22:16. > :22:19.to be a diplomat in order to make a success of this job. In all the time
:22:20. > :22:22.I have been politics, I have worked with people from other parties.
:22:23. > :22:25.Going right back to when I was a very young councillor in the early
:22:26. > :22:31.90s. I worked with Labour, Conservatives. Can you remind us of
:22:32. > :22:36.your words about some of your fellow candidates? One of the things I
:22:37. > :22:40.think the public are looking for in this election is, can they spot a
:22:41. > :22:44.candidate who has got ideas about what they want to do? Can they
:22:45. > :22:48.communicate what they want to do? It's really an insult to the
:22:49. > :22:54.electorate, putting them up. That's what you said. You've never seen
:22:55. > :22:59.such a... I use the word. I can tell you. Some of the party members of
:23:00. > :23:03.the Labour candidates are even more disparaging to me in person about
:23:04. > :23:08.their choice of candidate. I was simply reflecting that. In this job,
:23:09. > :23:11.you have to work with people across political parties and I have done
:23:12. > :23:14.that including a national government. Let's turn out to some
:23:15. > :23:21.of the key powers that one of these candidates will have. Just a quick
:23:22. > :23:28.show of hands, in the audience. How many of you came here by bus
:23:29. > :23:31.tonight? I thought it might be. We have got one. I did not know there
:23:32. > :23:35.was a boss running here. I don't know how you did it, but well done.
:23:36. > :23:44.That brings us neatly to the subject of transport. Here is false report
:23:45. > :23:55.from Robin Markwell. -- here is our first report. Westman, what West
:23:56. > :24:02.Mayor? Do you know about that, the Metro Mayor? The Metro Mayor. No.
:24:03. > :24:06.Some of the cab drivers at Bristol Temple Meads were still in the dark
:24:07. > :24:09.over this new politician. Yet he or she will play a key role in tackling
:24:10. > :24:15.some of the worst gridlock the country. What the traffic like here?
:24:16. > :24:20.Horrendous. Very poor. Very hard to drive around. 40 years I've been a
:24:21. > :24:24.cabbie. Last five or six years, it's been a nightmare. The winning
:24:25. > :24:28.candidate will have to devise a transport plan for the region. They
:24:29. > :24:32.will have control over key roads as well. That could mean a clean air
:24:33. > :24:38.zone all a congestion charge. There is power over the buses. Handing out
:24:39. > :24:43.franchises, if operators fail. What you think of public transport?
:24:44. > :24:49.Really awful. Nothing is on time. The standard of service? No. There
:24:50. > :24:53.don't seem to be enough buses and you can't actually tell when they
:24:54. > :25:01.are going to arrive. The timing is bad. The price is increasing. It's
:25:02. > :25:05.not great. It used to be 70p for a ticket, then 80p, then a pound, then
:25:06. > :25:11.?1 20. It's going up too much. This government is ripping us off! Along
:25:12. > :25:14.with the power comes money. A promise of 30 million a year for 30
:25:15. > :25:17.years to spend on infrastructure. Then there's the chance to raise
:25:18. > :25:23.more by increasing taxes on business. So who can get our region
:25:24. > :25:32.moving again? Now that is the billion pound question. Thanks to
:25:33. > :25:37.Robin and our next question. On transport, that comes from Becky
:25:38. > :25:43.Farmer. Good evening. I appreciate that there is no easy solution to
:25:44. > :25:48.traffic congestion. If we need to get more traffic of our roads, why
:25:49. > :25:57.can't we invest in an underground metro system? A tube, you mean? That
:25:58. > :26:03.would be ambitious. John Savage? There are two things, in particular,
:26:04. > :26:10.the cost. A tube would be enormously expensive. Our peculiar and
:26:11. > :26:13.wonderful geography would make it quite difficult. It's a nice idea
:26:14. > :26:17.but don't think it is the answer. There are answers, the existing work
:26:18. > :26:22.that is being done is laudable. It goes some way to making change. But
:26:23. > :26:27.there are other answers. I think I saw this tube, a tram, to certain
:26:28. > :26:34.parts would be very useful. There are some other tricks. We do not
:26:35. > :26:37.have public transport in England, in the UK, and we have to find ways of
:26:38. > :26:41.making public transport more accessible. I do not think there is
:26:42. > :26:46.any point in punishing car drivers, but we might use the car drivers
:26:47. > :26:50.requirement to use their vehicle to help us pay for a system that would
:26:51. > :26:57.get more people. A congestion charge. How would you get motorists
:26:58. > :27:00.to pay? The guy we supported that. What we said was, the alternative
:27:01. > :27:06.must be in place first. You talked of having a tram? Yes, there are
:27:07. > :27:12.some obvious routes. How would you pay? From a combination of
:27:13. > :27:20.investment, I think we would have a congestion charge. In the end, yes.
:27:21. > :27:26.You haven't got the power is as much magic do that? A lot of this is
:27:27. > :27:29.about negotiating new ways, change, a vision about how things should be
:27:30. > :27:34.different. If we keep doing the same things we will get the same answers.
:27:35. > :27:38.Lesley Mansell? In actual fact, there is already money coming into
:27:39. > :27:41.this region to try to deal with the congestion. It has gone to the
:27:42. > :27:44.authorities already mentioned. Some of that is about trying to get
:27:45. > :27:50.people out of cars and onto public transport. What public transport?
:27:51. > :27:54.There is lots we need to do about it. For example, make it greener so
:27:55. > :27:57.it is less polluting. For me, we have to start thinking outside the
:27:58. > :28:02.box. If we are going to make big changes, I think we should bring in
:28:03. > :28:05.more flexible working. Not just about public authorities, but
:28:06. > :28:08.businesses doing that as well. That could make a real difference. I
:28:09. > :28:12.worked on a project at Bristol council a few years ago, one of the
:28:13. > :28:19.big things to come out of that was the opening of the library on a
:28:20. > :28:22.Sunday. It benefited an awful lot of people. I think if we have flexible
:28:23. > :28:24.work we can make a lot of difference. On the actual
:28:25. > :28:29.infrastructure, what would you do as a Labour candidate?
:28:30. > :28:39.I would fill in the pot holes for a start. If you are psychos, it is a
:28:40. > :28:47.nightmare. I thought you wanted underground trance. -- if you are a
:28:48. > :28:51.psychologist. In Nottingham and they levied a charge on people parking at
:28:52. > :28:55.work and what they did was they provided their service with that. I
:28:56. > :29:00.think that will be something that will be looked at. You would look at
:29:01. > :29:04.a tram system? There are lots of things we would look up but it would
:29:05. > :29:14.depend what would work in different areas. Maybe that would work. I must
:29:15. > :29:24.rush on. The only applause we have got is when you mentioned potholes.
:29:25. > :29:28.Tim. Unfortunately, potholes will not fall under the remit of the
:29:29. > :29:34.Mayor. The really important thing here. You could put the money into
:29:35. > :29:37.pothole repairs. I know that our councils are investing a lot of
:29:38. > :29:42.money in pothole repairs and I am not going to talk about that. Tell
:29:43. > :29:46.me what you would do with public transport. We have to look at the
:29:47. > :29:52.region, underground I don't think it will solve challenges. To solve
:29:53. > :29:58.those problems, we need to have a whole host of integrated transport.
:29:59. > :30:02.And the key again will be working with our council leaders and with
:30:03. > :30:08.business importantly. Who would pay for it and what would it look like?
:30:09. > :30:13.I am happy to go on to that. In different areas we will need
:30:14. > :30:18.different solutions. We do need to invest in rail taking people off the
:30:19. > :30:22.roads, improves air quality and improves our journey times. We need
:30:23. > :30:27.to invest in what I call pinch points to look at how traffic flows.
:30:28. > :30:31.When there is no one on the roads and I touched on this in an event
:30:32. > :30:35.last week, during school holidays, transport is a lot easier. We need
:30:36. > :30:52.to look up where those pinch points are and
:30:53. > :30:56.invest in in the new strategic roads that we need to take that traffic
:30:57. > :30:59.away and keep things moving. It needs to be a combination of new
:31:00. > :31:01.rail, improved bus services, strategically and key road networks.
:31:02. > :31:03.What about the congestion charge? No. It is not falling under our
:31:04. > :31:05.remit. Stephen Williams. Candidates have to promise something realistic
:31:06. > :31:08.and I do not think an underground system is realistic in our area but
:31:09. > :31:12.there are lots of things we could do and we have missed out from doing in
:31:13. > :31:17.the past. We need to make our buses more efficient by moving away from
:31:18. > :31:21.pain by coins and notes to a cashless system so that you speed
:31:22. > :31:28.them up along the main arterial roads. That will help contribute to
:31:29. > :31:36.better air quality as well. There are railway stations that could be
:31:37. > :31:40.reopened. And I am in favour of the clean air zone, air quality ought to
:31:41. > :31:47.be a public health, it is a public health disaster and it ought to be a
:31:48. > :31:50.major issue in this election. What about a congestion charge would you
:31:51. > :31:54.ban diesels? Diesel is the problem because of the fine matter that is
:31:55. > :31:59.admitted by diesel vehicles that deeply penetrate your lungs and the
:32:00. > :32:02.NHS now says causes more premature deaths in our region than people who
:32:03. > :32:05.are killed in road traffic accidents. I used to campaign
:32:06. > :32:33.against tobacco, everyone gets up reading in tobacco
:32:34. > :32:35.is bad for you and causes respiratory problems. Diesels, you
:32:36. > :32:38.have not got the powers, but you could negotiate and try to ban them?
:32:39. > :32:40.What I said in my manifesto is that this is an example whether regional
:32:41. > :32:43.Mayor working with the council leaders would ask central government
:32:44. > :32:45.for the ability to raise a charge of commercial vehicles especially or to
:32:46. > :32:48.move to cleaner fuels. Darren Hall, this is your specialist subject.
:32:49. > :32:50.What would you do? One point to say, thank you Becky for being so
:32:51. > :32:52.ambitious in raising something that big and that is what we need, we
:32:53. > :32:56.need big ideas for transport, because our thinking is as
:32:57. > :33:00.gridlocked as our roads at the moment. What we have is a road
:33:01. > :33:07.system with other bits of transport bolted on, so beware of politicians
:33:08. > :33:11.bringing bold promises to meetings like this, because the reality is
:33:12. > :33:16.over the next four years, this will be about setting a slight change in
:33:17. > :33:20.direction of travel, so those cashless payment systems, I have
:33:21. > :33:26.been to see about bringing in cleaner buses, but what we really
:33:27. > :33:30.should be talking about is a transport revolution that looks at
:33:31. > :33:33.the system which is based around non-car travel. And renew plea
:33:34. > :33:40.powered automated vehicles, we should be looking 20 or 30 years
:33:41. > :33:46.out. Is there anything you could deliver in your first 100 days? Yes,
:33:47. > :33:51.I think there are a few things. Give me one example. We must aim to have
:33:52. > :33:55.that cashless system across all the buses in the entire region. I
:33:56. > :34:01.understand that that is very nearly available. If we have just got the
:34:02. > :34:06.will to get all of the bus companies talking to each other. Aaron Foot. I
:34:07. > :34:09.think we need to look at transport. It is strangling businesses here in
:34:10. > :34:16.the West and it is also not making us want to go out or Explorer. We
:34:17. > :34:24.have bus networks that don't really work. What is the answer? The answer
:34:25. > :34:33.is a coherent system. We cannot penalised diesel cars. We have had
:34:34. > :34:37.incentives to use diesels. We shouldn't be penalising diesel cars
:34:38. > :34:42.because that is what we were told to use. You want to end the war on the
:34:43. > :34:48.motorist. We want a coherent system, traffic lights that integrate with
:34:49. > :34:52.the next set, roundabouts that actually work and not stalling card.
:34:53. > :34:58.If we can get people moving and reduce congestion, then we will
:34:59. > :35:01.reduce smog and pollution. General question for you all, you will have
:35:02. > :35:06.some authority over the buses, you will have the power to nationalise
:35:07. > :35:15.the bus services if you so wanted to do so. Who would be in favour of a
:35:16. > :35:19.radical change on the buses? John Savage, yes? Would you bring them
:35:20. > :35:25.in-house? I would get them to work better and I would make sure that we
:35:26. > :35:31.looked at the possibility. Leslie, is that nationalisation on your
:35:32. > :35:35.agenda? Absolutely. I would like to see bus companies like in London.
:35:36. > :35:39.They have a mixed system and that is what we need to look at. The other
:35:40. > :35:45.thing we need to look that is free bus passes for young people, 16-19,
:35:46. > :35:51.it is a burden for them, some having to give up college courses. You
:35:52. > :35:56.would subsidise that. Yes. What about the 15-year-olds? The would
:35:57. > :36:00.pay. Young people having to stay at school until they are 18 so they
:36:01. > :36:04.should be subsidised and have free passes. The more people who use
:36:05. > :36:10.buses, the cheaper it gets for everyone. It works as a system and
:36:11. > :36:17.that is the key point. How many of you use the bus? Hands up. A couple
:36:18. > :36:22.of honest people. Thank you. If just joining us, you might have guessed,
:36:23. > :36:25.this is not Question Time and I am not David Dimbleby, sadly, but
:36:26. > :36:30.tonight we are hosting a special debate dedicated to the elections
:36:31. > :36:35.for the West's first Mayor on the 4th of May. This Mayor will be
:36:36. > :36:40.responsible for Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset. You can join in
:36:41. > :36:45.the debate on Twitter. This Mayor will also have an important role in
:36:46. > :36:55.delivering the homes we need. Here is again. -- here is Rob and again.
:36:56. > :37:01.If you want to see the scale of our housing crisis, head over the bridge
:37:02. > :37:08.to Wales and there you will meet people priced out of the West's
:37:09. > :37:12.booming property market. Specialist heart nurse Joanne Dow used to live
:37:13. > :37:19.in Bradley Stoke but rising rents forced to move back. As a public
:37:20. > :37:23.sector worker, it was really hard to make ends meet, especially as a
:37:24. > :37:29.parent with two children. Her monthly weren't went up ?200 in two
:37:30. > :37:34.years and she downsized twice before giving up. She moved her job to a
:37:35. > :37:39.hospital in Wales. I think it is wrong that the landlords just put
:37:40. > :37:44.the rent up so much. If you did have to move because you could not afford
:37:45. > :37:49.to stay where you are going, their houses go so quickly. People are not
:37:50. > :37:58.actually viewing them, they are just taking them up straightaway. House
:37:59. > :38:03.prices rose 10% in Bristol last year. Bath was not far behind. They
:38:04. > :38:10.haven't built enough property for a very long time to satisfy demand and
:38:11. > :38:15.what they may have built is not enough and not always in the right
:38:16. > :38:23.locations or if it is in the right locations, not enough infrastructure
:38:24. > :38:26.as well. But the housing has to go somewhere. The green fields around
:38:27. > :38:31.Thornbury have caught the eye of developers but plans to double the
:38:32. > :38:34.size of the town have angered residents. Developers feel they have
:38:35. > :38:38.got the green light now to come here and they are circling like hyenas
:38:39. > :38:45.around the lucrative plots and it is proper driven. The type of houses
:38:46. > :38:48.being built here are speculative development largely sold under the
:38:49. > :38:51.banner of three to five bedroom executive housing for commuter
:38:52. > :38:55.traffic. This West Mayor will help decide how many homes we need and
:38:56. > :38:59.where they go. But with limited Brownfield sites and plenty of green
:39:00. > :39:06.belts, the winner faces an unenviable task. This is so
:39:07. > :39:10.important to many of you and we had a lot of questions on housing from
:39:11. > :39:15.our viewers and indeed, from the audience here. We had to pick one
:39:16. > :39:24.and we came up with Mary Walsh. Hello. New homes are desperately
:39:25. > :39:32.needed. I ask, will he ever is elected Mayor commit to protecting
:39:33. > :39:38.our green belts and so protecting small villages around Bath and
:39:39. > :39:46.Bristol? That is important to you. Yes it is. We shall we start with,
:39:47. > :39:50.Aaron Foot from Ukip? As a farmer, I see how valuable green and open
:39:51. > :39:53.spaces are. I will protect them, they need protective or mental
:39:54. > :39:57.well-being and for why lie. It is there for us to enjoy, we should not
:39:58. > :40:01.be putting concrete on them. But we have a housing crisis in the West
:40:02. > :40:05.Country. I feel we should work together with all the leaders and
:40:06. > :40:09.look at building upwards, not ours. We should also work with the people
:40:10. > :40:12.of the West Country and find Brownfield sites and see where
:40:13. > :40:23.developers are not building on them. Developers are
:40:24. > :40:27.refusing to on Brownfield sites because it is too costly. We need to
:40:28. > :40:30.work together as a group and work and put pressure on the developers.
:40:31. > :40:32.John Savage. It is an obscenity that there are so many people who cannot
:40:33. > :40:35.find somewhere to live and that is the basis for doing anything in your
:40:36. > :40:38.life. It is a perfect example of the fact that for 30 years or more we
:40:39. > :40:41.have not built on of houses. They are not blaming these guys. They
:40:42. > :40:44.should not take it personally, they have been around for two or three
:40:45. > :40:48.years, I have dealt with councillors were 30 years but it is an
:40:49. > :41:10.obscenity, it is a basic need and I am
:41:11. > :41:13.talking to developers who understand that there is this terrible
:41:14. > :41:16.conundrum about building on grass and they are prepared to do
:41:17. > :41:19.different deals. They are prepared to work with us to make changes. But
:41:20. > :41:21.you would build on the green belt? I would build firstly wherever we
:41:22. > :41:24.could find land that is easy to develop. In the end, we will have to
:41:25. > :41:27.build on some grass, but the mistake I would not make is just building
:41:28. > :41:29.houses. We have to build hold communities. We have to provide
:41:30. > :41:31.doctors surgeries, libraries and play feels and so on and there is
:41:32. > :41:34.talk about just building houses and that is wrong and it comes from a
:41:35. > :41:37.complete lack of vision. Have you got any green belt in mind that
:41:38. > :41:39.this? There are pieces of grass that we could build on, running
:41:40. > :41:44.north-east and South West without actually building into the wetlands.
:41:45. > :41:48.Let's face it, if you look at the map of Bristol in 1830 and see the
:41:49. > :41:53.way it was built up and you look at it in 2000, it has changed and it
:41:54. > :41:59.will go on changing because people come here. Tim Bowles. Do you agree
:42:00. > :42:04.with John Savage that actually there is green land around and why do we
:42:05. > :42:09.build on it? I agree with the question of what we have got to be
:42:10. > :42:13.doing is actually protecting our villages, protecting our existing
:42:14. > :42:18.communities. The answer as I see it is for our focus on the region,
:42:19. > :42:22.working with our council leaders, is to be bringing those Brownfield
:42:23. > :42:25.sites to market, working with developers, working with the council
:42:26. > :42:30.leaders, developing a housing development fund that will actually
:42:31. > :42:40.help us start speeding is up. What sort of target would you have with
:42:41. > :42:43.the number of homes? The joint strategic plan is looking at 105,000
:42:44. > :42:46.homes over the next 20 year period and that is what we would he looking
:42:47. > :42:50.to. Obviously you will go to the Brownfield sites, you will go there
:42:51. > :42:55.first, of course you would, but if it came to it, would you say that if
:42:56. > :43:00.they field that would make a useful contribution to our housing needs?
:43:01. > :43:05.We have to be building where the homes are going to be close to jobs,
:43:06. > :43:11.close to communities, where we are able to build on that. Where we can
:43:12. > :43:18.provide the infrastructure. On the green belt? The priority will be
:43:19. > :43:22.developing the Brownfield. We have said that. Then we will work with
:43:23. > :43:24.council leaders on identifying the other sites that we can bring to
:43:25. > :43:33.market. Lesley Mansell, is the green belt
:43:34. > :43:37.precious to you, or could it be used by people who need him? I live in a
:43:38. > :43:41.village and the development I have seen around me is lots of houses but
:43:42. > :43:46.not enough social housing. That's a real problem. Where building lots of
:43:47. > :43:51.houses but quite often people are not living in them. If you look at
:43:52. > :43:54.the harbour-side development down in Bristol, people in Malaysia,
:43:55. > :43:58.business people there sought a great investment it was. But what we're
:43:59. > :44:01.finding is people can't afford those properties. Prices are not so much
:44:02. > :44:06.in this area that you need to have 12 times your earnings to be able to
:44:07. > :44:15.afford one. APPLAUSE What would you do? I would look at
:44:16. > :44:22.the rental sector. Putting caps on rent. They are going sky-high. What
:44:23. > :44:28.we also find is the quality of renting property is quite poor in
:44:29. > :44:30.some places. I would work with a developing agency, who are
:44:31. > :44:35.developing a fair rental Charteris of people have a decent home to live
:44:36. > :44:42.in. Not just one they can afford. -- rental charter. If you actually cap
:44:43. > :44:46.rents, would that mean the supply of rented accommodation would go down?
:44:47. > :44:52.I'm not sure it would in Bristol. We have a situation where over the last
:44:53. > :44:57.15 years, the rate of home ownership has reduced to 52%. That's colossal.
:44:58. > :45:02.There's a huge demand for rented accommodation. That's why you need
:45:03. > :45:05.more. Absolutely, but we need more social housing as well. Over the
:45:06. > :45:09.last year, Marvin Rees who was not yet been met for a year has already
:45:10. > :45:13.committed to build council houses. We have seen that in Stroud were a
:45:14. > :45:16.Labour council is building social housing. What we have not seen is
:45:17. > :45:25.the Tories doing that all the Lib doing that. And on the green belt?
:45:26. > :45:29.What we need to look at is the quality green belt, and then if we
:45:30. > :45:35.do build on it, to build... To make sure we have something to appraise
:45:36. > :45:38.that. So if necessary, you would, if it meant getting it housing the
:45:39. > :45:41.element of the ground? There's another issue we saw in Radstock
:45:42. > :45:45.weather was a developments, they came in, the builders were going to
:45:46. > :45:48.do all sorts, as soon as they got planning applications they change
:45:49. > :45:52.their minds. You'd want to make sure developers were held to what they
:45:53. > :45:57.say they are going to do. APPLAUSE Stephen Williams. I think everyone
:45:58. > :46:02.agrees there should be a presumption that you build on Brownfield land.
:46:03. > :46:07.That in itself is an obvious political statement. How do you
:46:08. > :46:12.develop that land, you develop it intensively. In some cities that
:46:13. > :46:16.means high rises, in places such as bar. Where that might not be
:46:17. > :46:26.suitable, but rather places such as Bath. In Bath? I'm saying, you
:46:27. > :46:32.shouldn't build them in Bath. The Victorians got it right. That's why
:46:33. > :46:36.you should use urban land. But the housing market at the moment, towns
:46:37. > :46:40.like Thornbury feel a certain type of housing is being built. That does
:46:41. > :46:46.not serve the local community. I would say, that the four members of
:46:47. > :46:52.the command authority, this is a pure example of one all of us will
:46:53. > :46:56.have to agree. Balanced and sustainable communities means single
:46:57. > :46:59.bedroom units, two bedroom units. Families and single people can
:47:00. > :47:02.aspire to live in their hometown. You also have got to get the
:47:03. > :47:07.transport right. There is no point in expanding Thornbury or Yates, or
:47:08. > :47:12.piece down St John, if people cannot get the bus along a 38 to get to
:47:13. > :47:15.work in Bristol or elsewhere. We have got to plan holistically.
:47:16. > :47:20.APPLAUSE I'm going to pursue as I did the
:47:21. > :47:23.others. Would you build on the green belt? I don't think it is necessary,
:47:24. > :47:28.as long as you build in towns and put infrastructure in the same place
:47:29. > :47:31.at the same time. As I have said in my manifesto, in Thornbury there is
:47:32. > :47:38.a freight railway line we should reopen. Darren Hall? I think we
:47:39. > :47:44.actually need to change the conversation. With great respect to
:47:45. > :47:48.my colleague, it's... Please answer the question! The thing is, the
:47:49. > :47:52.question is about using the market to build more of the same. Executive
:47:53. > :47:55.homes on the green belt that they can sell for half a million. We have
:47:56. > :48:00.this slightly bizarre government idea that if we can reduce the price
:48:01. > :48:04.of these things by 20%, it suddenly makes them affordable. That is not
:48:05. > :48:08.affordable housing. The only way we are going to solve some of the
:48:09. > :48:12.social housing crisis that we have is by building social housing. I'm
:48:13. > :48:17.on the board of the community land trust, the way we make that
:48:18. > :48:21.affordable is the shared ownership. We have to change the nature of this
:48:22. > :48:25.conversation. We don't need to build on the green belt. I will say
:48:26. > :48:29.another thing. What is great about the green belt campaign is coming
:48:30. > :48:37.forward is that they have ideas for Brownfield sites that could work. I
:48:38. > :48:42.spoke to the Hanham green belt group and said anyone can come up with an
:48:43. > :48:47.idea. It's persuading people to have them on their own doorstep, isn't
:48:48. > :48:51.it? It's about who you're asking to build the herbs. If you go to
:48:52. > :48:55.developers say we would like you to build here, they will say no. I
:48:56. > :48:59.really want to support what Marvin is doing a Bristol now. We will
:49:00. > :49:05.build houses for ourselves. On our own land. Social housing, affordable
:49:06. > :49:08.housing through community land trusts and housing associations. To
:49:09. > :49:13.radically change the system. APPLAUSE
:49:14. > :49:16.Last word with Aaron Foot. You say you want to prioritise social
:49:17. > :49:23.housing or low-cost housing for local people. What does that mean?
:49:24. > :49:26.Whose local? Local people who were priced out of villages, towns, even
:49:27. > :49:30.Bristol and Bath. People from generations that cannot afford
:49:31. > :49:35.houses. I wondered when I read that, does that mean no migrants? It
:49:36. > :49:38.doesn't mean that. It means we should be looking after our people
:49:39. > :49:43.that are born in our towns and Burgess first. We should be housing
:49:44. > :49:46.them in flats, smaller houses. We should not be building a least three
:49:47. > :49:53.and four beds. We need to restart the small housing scheme and held on
:49:54. > :49:58.Brownfield sites. Time is flying. Leslie, one last word. In Bristol
:49:59. > :50:01.there are 7000 planning applications gone through and nothing has
:50:02. > :50:11.happened with them. In veins there are 4000. But Roker in Bains. There
:50:12. > :50:14.have lots delay occurred been lots of applications but nothing
:50:15. > :50:21.happening. You can't force developers? Its pricing people out.
:50:22. > :50:24.I have already set out what I want to do, looking at capping rents to
:50:25. > :50:28.make sure we build more social housing so people can have access to
:50:29. > :50:38.it. Thank you. Our final question comes from Catherine. Hi. We hear a
:50:39. > :50:41.lot in the media and from politicians about the Northern
:50:42. > :50:45.powerhouse and the Midlands engine. Yet the West of England has got the
:50:46. > :50:50.most successful economy anywhere outside of London in the UK. As the
:50:51. > :50:54.first West of England Metro Mayor, what would you do to raise the
:50:55. > :51:00.region 's profile and what would you call the region? What would you do
:51:01. > :51:02.to raise the profile and what would you call our region? Who wants to go
:51:03. > :51:16.first? All I will go for it. This is at the heart of one of the
:51:17. > :51:20.most important roles of the mayor of the West of England, the vision and
:51:21. > :51:24.strategy, over the horizon thinking that we need for this area. The
:51:25. > :51:29.government are making it all about economic growth. Whereas I think one
:51:30. > :51:33.of the most important aspects for asked to show leadership is to make
:51:34. > :51:40.this region one of the most equal in the UK. In a more equal society,
:51:41. > :51:45.everyone does better. But, I think the real opportunity in the West of
:51:46. > :51:48.England to use our engineering expertise, our legal expertise, I
:51:49. > :51:52.financial expertise, is to lead the world in the next generation of
:51:53. > :51:57.smart urban living. I would like to see us being the gateway city, so
:51:58. > :52:01.that's where I would start. APPLAUSE A reminder, all of the money coming
:52:02. > :52:08.from the government is conditional on their being economic growth as a
:52:09. > :52:13.result. So you would be prepared to promote economic growth? We know
:52:14. > :52:17.that trickle-down doesn't work. We have to talk about... We have to
:52:18. > :52:23.talk about prosperity. Meaning more than just profit and GDP. Otherwise,
:52:24. > :52:27.we have got to get beyond that. That is one area where I think we have to
:52:28. > :52:34.challenge the government and actually, the people of Bristol and
:52:35. > :52:39.Bath agree with that. You have made that point. Just a three-day
:52:40. > :52:45.weekend, would we get that? In the green manifesto. Productivity goes
:52:46. > :52:51.up when we work less hard. John Savage? This is the point. We are in
:52:52. > :52:56.competition with cities in Europe who may not be our friends very
:52:57. > :52:59.soon. We are in competition with our own big cities and yet we have been
:53:00. > :53:03.the most successful city region outside of London for donkeys years.
:53:04. > :53:08.We still do not perform well enough. There is nothing wrong with profit.
:53:09. > :53:11.Appropriate profit works, it pays for your pensions. But we have to
:53:12. > :53:15.have an understanding of how we can make it work for everyone. I
:53:16. > :53:19.absolutely believe that everybody should benefit. It is about the
:53:20. > :53:23.economy. We have the best chance of improving the economy of a place in
:53:24. > :53:28.the UK of any place here. And yet, we play at it. It is the answer. We
:53:29. > :53:33.must push what we are good at and push it hard. So we have the best
:53:34. > :53:37.chance of improving the economy of a place in the UK of any place here.
:53:38. > :53:40.And yet, we play at it. It is the answer. We must push what we are
:53:41. > :53:43.good at and push it hard. So we had to sell it into our own country and
:53:44. > :53:45.into Europe and the world. It's called the west of England,
:53:46. > :53:48.therefore the West of England. Can you think of something more snappy
:53:49. > :53:50.than that? It's not the whole west and actually. Lots of the Westerman
:53:51. > :54:02.and is not included in this. That's the conundrum. It's Greater Bristol
:54:03. > :54:05.Bath, isn't it? My authorities in Manchester -- nine authorities in
:54:06. > :54:07.Manchester got together and they are happy to call themselves greater
:54:08. > :54:12.Manchester. They're getting on with the job. I think the title is not
:54:13. > :54:15.the most important thing here. The most important thing is thinking
:54:16. > :54:20.about what the Metro Mayor can do with the four local authorities. It
:54:21. > :54:24.isn't just the ferry. There is some are set to consider as well. For me,
:54:25. > :54:28.the big issue is to take this forward while we have to work
:54:29. > :54:32.together. The electric need a clear choice here. Now we have an
:54:33. > :54:34.opportunity to kick out these austerity policies, the once brought
:54:35. > :54:39.in by the Conservative government, and backed up by the Lib Dems in
:54:40. > :54:42.coalition. We have an opportunity to pick prosperity. That's what's
:54:43. > :54:46.happened in Iceland and I think we can do that here as well. We have a
:54:47. > :54:50.massive opportunity to do something different and I think that's what
:54:51. > :54:54.I'm prepared to do. I'm not a career politician, and a person get things
:54:55. > :55:01.done. That's what I will continue to do as much on there. One of the big
:55:02. > :55:03.roles would be as an ambassador. See Donald Trump takes his ride in the
:55:04. > :55:09.Golden carriage at the Moore and says I would like to visit the West
:55:10. > :55:12.of England. Would you meet him? I would absolutely welcome him. When I
:55:13. > :55:17.worked for Bristol City Council I wanted to welcome the President of
:55:18. > :55:20.South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Unfortunately that did not happen
:55:21. > :55:25.but I think I would have been fantastic for our black communities.
:55:26. > :55:31.They are being paid 10% less than white people. But you would shake
:55:32. > :55:37.his hand as an ambassador for the West of England? OK. Tim Bowles. My
:55:38. > :55:39.approach for this role would be about being positive, looking to the
:55:40. > :55:44.future and having to drive our economy forward. By doing that, we
:55:45. > :55:48.would ensure we get the jobs to help everybody throughout the region. In
:55:49. > :55:53.our very diverse economy, so we have lots of things we are really good
:55:54. > :55:57.at. We have got to drive forward the Digital agenda, focus on our
:55:58. > :56:01.high-tech engineering and aerospace hubs. We have got to focus on our
:56:02. > :56:05.small businesses as well. I will make sure we are working on all of
:56:06. > :56:09.those things, delivering that growth will help us then in terms of
:56:10. > :56:13.attracting the extra funding but we all know we need to deliver the
:56:14. > :56:16.transport improvements. As the only person here who is currently working
:56:17. > :56:20.in a leadership role with the council, we have got to remember the
:56:21. > :56:27.key thing to this is working with these guys here. I'm going to Bishoo
:56:28. > :56:30.on the name. I've said all along, it has to be about working with the
:56:31. > :56:34.council leaders. We'll sit down at that out ourselves. That's not very
:56:35. > :56:39.snappy, working with the council leaders! We are a really strong
:56:40. > :56:47.team. That's what I'll be promoting. We'll do that. Come on Stephen, give
:56:48. > :56:50.us a name. The question is right. This region has been overshadowed
:56:51. > :56:53.for far too long compared to other regions which are punched above
:56:54. > :56:56.their weight because they worked together in order to promote their
:56:57. > :57:00.local brand. I used to get fed up with ministerial colleagues in
:57:01. > :57:04.government talking about Silicon roundabout, which is quite a small
:57:05. > :57:08.place in East London. Could you know, the biggest concentration of
:57:09. > :57:13.silicone and high-tech businesses outside California is here? Here in
:57:14. > :57:17.Bristol, Bath and Swindon. That's why we need this position, to get us
:57:18. > :57:20.working together. To have someone who can champion the West of England
:57:21. > :57:26.and say this is what we are great at. To answer your question, Bristol
:57:27. > :57:30.and Bath together, I think could be a powerful world beating brand.
:57:31. > :57:33.Whether you go in the world, somebody has heard of Bristol Bath,
:57:34. > :57:42.I want to bring them closer together. So that's part. Aaron
:57:43. > :57:45.Foot, quickly. I want to bring in the northern powerhouse. But I would
:57:46. > :57:48.look to put the name out to the people. I think the people of the
:57:49. > :57:53.Westerman and you come up with some ideas of a name. And create a brand.
:57:54. > :57:59.Then we can push forward with the West of England. You suggesting a
:58:00. > :58:04.referendum? LAUGHTER I'm not sure we can stand it. No, I'm suggesting
:58:05. > :58:14.democracy. We have technology, let's use it. Thank you all so much. I'm
:58:15. > :58:18.afraid our time is up. My thanks to all our candidates and to our
:58:19. > :58:21.audience here tonight. The debate continues online using our hashtag,
:58:22. > :58:29.West Mare. You can find more information on our website. The West
:58:30. > :58:39.Maverick is being held the same night as the local council election
:58:40. > :58:44.-- the West Mare. If you miss out on the election, don't worry. There
:58:45. > :58:48.will be another one along soon. For now, that's it from us, he at the
:58:49. > :58:50.Bristol and Bath science Park. Thank you very much for watching. Sleep
:58:51. > :58:55.well.