:01:29. > :01:32.And in the west - a new dawn for west country politics. But the
:01:33. > :01:42.turnout in the police elections was pitiful - what does that mean for
:01:43. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :41:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2383 seconds
:41:26. > :41:31.how they do the job? That's in 40 Thanks Andrew - you join us live
:41:31. > :41:33.this lovely morning for the Sunday Politics in the west. Bristol has a
:41:33. > :41:36.new mayor and the police forces have new commissioners. But these
:41:36. > :41:46.images taken at a polling station in Gloucestershire summed up
:41:46. > :41:46.
:41:46. > :41:50.election day - where did all the voters go?
:41:50. > :41:53.I'm delighted to say that I am joined by the new Mayor of Bristol,
:41:53. > :41:57.George Ferguson. And the new police and crime commissioner for Avon and
:41:57. > :42:07.Somerset, Sue Mountstevens. Welcome to you both. George, has it sunk in
:42:07. > :42:12.yet? Yes, it has. I feel deeply honoured that the people of Bristol
:42:12. > :42:19.have entrusted me. It is a huge responsibility. Tomorrow morning I
:42:19. > :42:24.will be starting. I will start the steadily, I will get into what the
:42:24. > :42:30.true situation is, in terms of the Budget and everything else. And I
:42:30. > :42:34.will start thinking about putting the Cabinet together.
:42:34. > :42:38.Mountstevens, you told me on Friday you were shocked. Are you still
:42:38. > :42:42.shocked? I am getting used to the idea. People have put their trust
:42:42. > :42:48.in me and I now have to deliver. I won the job to start as soon as
:42:48. > :42:51.possible so the residents can see a difference.
:42:51. > :42:54.The election day in Bristol was full of drama - on paper, the
:42:54. > :42:57.Labour candidate Marvyn Rees should have walked it. But in the end it
:42:58. > :43:03.was the independent - George - who will go down in local government
:43:03. > :43:06.history. He will be sworn in tomorrow, then it is just the small
:43:06. > :43:08.matter of selecting a cabinet from councillors who represent the
:43:08. > :43:11.parties he defeated, pushing through budget cuts, and
:43:11. > :43:21.transforming the city. In a moment, I will be asking him how he's going
:43:21. > :43:34.
:43:34. > :43:36.to do it - but first, Paul Barltrop It's six months since he was the
:43:36. > :43:43.first candidate to come forward. George Ferguson had assembled an
:43:43. > :43:45.army of volunteers, taken on the political establishment and won.
:43:45. > :43:52.Sweet victory for the independent, bitter disappointment for Labour,
:43:52. > :43:58.who had put big resources behind their candidate Marvin Rees. All
:43:58. > :44:03.sides are now contemplating what comes next. The new man in charge
:44:03. > :44:06.here faces formidable challenges. Financially, there's a hole in the
:44:06. > :44:10.budget, within weeks the mayor has got to find �28 million of savings,
:44:10. > :44:12.but the more immediate task is to form a cabinet of councillors. No
:44:12. > :44:16.political party is excluded, and this weekend the discussions and
:44:16. > :44:19.deliberations are already underway. Liberal Democrats emerging after a
:44:19. > :44:27.four hour meeting yesterday - they're happy to work for the mayor.
:44:27. > :44:33.After all, until recently, he was a member of their party. We want to
:44:33. > :44:43.Halpin do that well. We are in it for the future of the city and the
:44:43. > :44:44.
:44:44. > :44:48.residents of Bristol. -- help him. Tomorrow, his time as Bristol's
:44:48. > :44:55.last council leader ends. He thinks the new mayor won't be as big a
:44:55. > :44:59.change as many believe. He has no more power and few resources. It is
:44:59. > :45:09.no use people expecting miracles overnight. I don't think that is on
:45:09. > :45:11.
:45:11. > :45:13.offer. He'd like all parties to co- operate. But that's harder for the
:45:13. > :45:20.Conservatives' defeated candidate Geoff Gollop. He has talked
:45:20. > :45:25.critically of excessive spin being used by George Ferguson. Anyone who
:45:25. > :45:29.thinks they can solve all these problems is falling the people
:45:29. > :45:35.because it is not possible. So how someone is best to work with that
:45:35. > :45:40.is an issue that is yet to be resolved. One has to have an open
:45:40. > :45:43.mind in politics, and I do. For Labour, whose hopes had been so
:45:43. > :45:46.high, defeat hurts. One activist said they were gutted. They may
:45:46. > :45:50.choose to spurn the new mayor's advances - and possibly reap
:45:50. > :46:00.rewards at next May's council elections.
:46:00. > :46:02.Joining the debate are two local politicians. Peter Abraham is the
:46:02. > :46:05.Conservative group leader in Bristol and Thangam Debbonaire, who
:46:05. > :46:15.is the Labour candidate for Bristol West. But first, let's hear from
:46:15. > :46:15.
:46:15. > :46:21.the Mayor. Should I call you the mayor? From 2pm tomorrow I will be
:46:21. > :46:26.the mayor, yes. What will you do in your first 100 days? I think we
:46:26. > :46:28.have to change the mood. We need to look at what can be done within the
:46:28. > :46:36.very difficult economic circumstances that I am presented
:46:36. > :46:42.with. And we need to make sure that whatever is done it protects the
:46:42. > :46:49.most vulnerable. That has to have absolute priority. I think we have
:46:49. > :46:53.to change the mood about people's perception of the government in
:46:53. > :46:57.crystal -- Bristol. I think people are cynical and that has been shown
:46:57. > :47:01.in the way people don't vote in elections. I want to make everybody
:47:02. > :47:05.feel they are part of the governance of this city. We need to
:47:05. > :47:10.open up the council house and truly get into the communities, we need
:47:10. > :47:19.to have a much greater understanding of the needs of the
:47:19. > :47:29.Community's, and we have to share the Government's -- governance of
:47:29. > :47:32.
:47:32. > :47:36.the area. -- needs of the communities. If you look at your
:47:36. > :47:41.leaflets, you are the champion of this and a supporter of that, but
:47:41. > :47:45.there is no detail. You are not looking at the detailed document. I
:47:45. > :47:49.carefully did not give promises about numbers. I think chasing
:47:49. > :47:54.numbers is a silly game. You know, the number of houses or the amount
:47:54. > :48:00.that you pay to go on the bus. Those are the sort of cynical
:48:00. > :48:04.political promises that come out of party manifestos. Can I give you
:48:04. > :48:09.one number you will have to grapple with? �28 million in cuts in the
:48:09. > :48:13.next six weeks. It is time to tell us what you're going to do. I shall
:48:13. > :48:20.be telling you what I will do when I have dug down into this figures
:48:20. > :48:24.and I can see where the spending is, where it has to be prioritised. I
:48:24. > :48:33.cannot do that because it's -- before I go into office, and it
:48:33. > :48:39.would be silly to go and say that. When I became president of the are
:48:39. > :48:49.BAe in 2003, that first meeting I had was a shock about the hole in
:48:49. > :48:51.
:48:52. > :48:56.the finance -- final salary pension scheme. -- president of the RBA. It
:48:56. > :49:00.has 40,000 members, it is a serious national organisation. And the same
:49:01. > :49:10.principles apply. I then had to look at how we make best use of the
:49:10. > :49:15.barns. -- funds. You like being popular, there is no doubt about
:49:15. > :49:21.that. You're going to be sworn in on Monday and possibly sworn at on
:49:21. > :49:31.Tuesday. I've had people swear at me and then sell meat during the
:49:31. > :49:36.
:49:36. > :49:42.selection. Indicating that I am some sort of sleaze back. -- and
:49:42. > :49:49.insults me during this election. All I know is that I am here to
:49:49. > :49:56.serve the people of Bristol. Peter, you are a seasoned political
:49:56. > :50:00.operator. What do you think will happen when he takes office? When
:50:00. > :50:07.the spin, if you'll forgive me, has to stop and he gets down to it,
:50:07. > :50:11.what will happen? Let's be clear, you talked about the deficit will
:50:11. > :50:20.need to find. Work is under way with that and has been for some
:50:20. > :50:27.while. So I thought will not have a blank sheet of paper. -- George
:50:27. > :50:32.will not have. My job is to support and to get the best possible deal
:50:32. > :50:38.for the people of Bristol. What I learnt on Thursday is that people
:50:38. > :50:43.are fed up to the back teeth with as arguing amounts ourselves. I
:50:43. > :50:51.hope it we can sit down... So you would serve in his cabinet if he
:50:51. > :50:58.asked you to? Are not looking for a job. I want to serve. I've always
:50:58. > :51:02.worked for Bristol. That I will continue to do. This weekend, I
:51:02. > :51:07.checked with my group because I won the strength of that, that they
:51:07. > :51:11.want to work with him as well, totally. So what has been said in
:51:11. > :51:21.the heat of the moment is just not the case. We want to work together
:51:21. > :51:22.
:51:22. > :51:31.and get this Budget, which is our first priority, a right. Thangam
:51:31. > :51:39.Debbonaire, Kenny believe that George one? -- can you believe that
:51:39. > :51:43.George won? I can believe he won, he is a great candidate. We were
:51:43. > :51:50.disappointed that our candidate did not win. I think there are many
:51:50. > :51:56.reasons. I spoke to Labour supporters recently, and some of
:51:56. > :52:00.them were not convinced that Bristol should have a mayor. Yes,
:52:00. > :52:06.there was a referendum, but there was quite a low turnout. At think
:52:06. > :52:16.that is something to be concerned about. On paper, Labour should have
:52:16. > :52:20.
:52:20. > :52:27.won. If you add up the votes they councils get, it is a Labour city.
:52:27. > :52:31.George, he has said he will serve with you. Labour, will you? Just
:52:31. > :52:36.like the Conservatives, the Labour group will be discussing this. This
:52:36. > :52:39.is not something that I can make up. Certainly, the leader of the Labour
:52:39. > :52:46.group will be talking to all the Labour councillors over the next
:52:46. > :52:56.few days. But the trouble is at the moment we were -- don't know quite
:52:56. > :53:00.
:53:00. > :53:06.what it is George once. -- wants. Have you been making phone calls
:53:06. > :53:10.about who you will have on your Cabinet this weekend? I will look
:53:10. > :53:15.at that over the following week. I will talk to all parties and some
:53:15. > :53:19.individuals within those parties. That doesn't allow us anything!
:53:19. > :53:26.Well, it does tell you that this needs to be properly considered and
:53:26. > :53:30.it has to have due deference to the individuals and the party's. -- the
:53:30. > :53:33.parties. George Ferguson's victory in
:53:33. > :53:36.Bristol set a trend for independents. Apart from Wiltshire,
:53:36. > :53:38.they won all the local police elections in the west. The turnout
:53:38. > :53:42.was terrible, but Sue Mountstevens here slammed the Tory favourite to
:53:42. > :53:52.win and got the biggest vote in the country. Let's look at some of the
:53:52. > :54:13.
:54:13. > :54:16.I will listen to all residents, especially the quiet voices.
:54:16. > :54:26.Understand their needs and help shape police priorities across the
:54:26. > :54:39.
:54:40. > :54:49.The people of Dorset have spoken loud and clear. Party politics in
:54:50. > :55:04.
:55:04. > :55:14.We've worked hard over the last couple of months in the county,
:55:14. > :55:31.
:55:31. > :55:35.trying to tell people what this I've never stood for office before
:55:35. > :55:40.so I don't know the protocol. I will stay independent, I promise
:55:40. > :55:44.you that. I will represent all those who voted for me and another
:55:44. > :55:54.candidate and all those who even felt the need to spoil their ballot
:55:54. > :55:54.
:55:54. > :55:58.papers. Well, Sue Mountstevens has joined us for a bit of questioning.
:55:58. > :56:06.Well done again. But do you consider that you have a strong
:56:06. > :56:10.mandate? When you applied for a job, nobody asks you about the process.
:56:10. > :56:18.I think a government have to think about the process. But at the end
:56:18. > :56:27.of the day, I got 125,000 votes. The that's first and second
:56:27. > :56:35.preference. Yes, and I have now got the job, and it is now up to me to
:56:35. > :56:41.improve the morale of the police, to increase confidence. How do you
:56:41. > :56:45.propose to do that? I think now I can be the voice of the residents,
:56:45. > :56:51.so I will make sure that voice is heard at every level of policing
:56:51. > :56:56.decisions. So, in practical terms, you know what the residents will
:56:56. > :57:00.say. You were been campaigning for a couple of months. What will he be
:57:00. > :57:05.telling the chief constable when you get sworn in? I will be working
:57:05. > :57:11.with him. I won't tell them. But together, we want to make all our
:57:11. > :57:15.residents feel safe. So we will look at the priorities are set out
:57:15. > :57:20.- anti-social behaviour, burglary and violent offences against women
:57:20. > :57:30.and girls. That is what we will prioritise. He may well tie you
:57:30. > :57:30.
:57:30. > :57:38.that those are already his priorities. -- tell you. Well, we
:57:38. > :57:47.will write a plan together. Do you think that these PCCs are a good
:57:47. > :57:50.idea? There's been contempt for the process. The number of people who
:57:50. > :57:53.spoilt their ballots. A I think there was a clear message on the
:57:53. > :57:58.residents saying they did not want party politics in any way shape or
:57:58. > :58:02.form involved in policing. That is what I will deliver. Politicians
:58:02. > :58:10.are not going to get in the way of me listening to residents, speaking
:58:10. > :58:14.to the police and working together. The chief constables, not
:58:14. > :58:22.necessarily with you, but in other areas, could well say that these
:58:22. > :58:32.people had barely got any mandate. It is up to you to speak to other
:58:32. > :58:38.
:58:38. > :58:42.bins. I can only speak to myself. - - to other PCCs. Thangam Debbonaire,
:58:42. > :58:46.is this a good idea? Were all, it is an idea that David Cameron
:58:46. > :58:52.brought in. It is a shame that he bought it in and then did not get
:58:53. > :58:58.behind it. This was a flagship element of his big society plan. I
:58:58. > :59:04.think it's as a lock the people won't convinced by an -- I think it
:59:04. > :59:06.says a lot that people were not convinced by it, including David
:59:06. > :59:11.Cameron! People at my polling station were saying that they had
:59:11. > :59:17.not heard of the candidates. People without the internet and were at a
:59:17. > :59:24.disadvantage. Or could it be that people are relatively happy with
:59:24. > :59:29.the police and see no great desire for change? If people were unhappy
:59:29. > :59:32.with the police, thousands would have been out there. I think you
:59:32. > :59:40.are absolutely right. The role of the police and crime commission or
:59:40. > :59:45.is wider than the previous police authority. Peter, it was a
:59:45. > :59:48.devastating defeat in your area for your man. Again, as he was the
:59:48. > :59:56.clear favourite and yet people rejected party politics right
:59:56. > :59:59.across the board. Except in Wiltshire. I feel quite strongly,
:59:59. > :00:03.and I support the police commissioner, I thought it was a
:00:03. > :00:08.good idea. I still do not today no re the chairman of the police
:00:08. > :00:14.authority was. I've met Sue Mountstevens, I know her. I think
:00:14. > :00:18.that is very important. There is a need for the public to be
:00:18. > :00:23.represented. I 100% support the police, I think they do a
:00:23. > :00:29.marvellous job, but there is a level where we need somebody like a
:00:29. > :00:33.police authority, now a commissioner, to be able act for us.
:00:33. > :00:36.What I'm critical of is not the decision of the police and crime
:00:36. > :00:43.commission at, but the advisers to the government had thought you
:00:43. > :00:52.could cover an area like Avon and Somerset without any financial help.
:00:52. > :00:57.-- commissioner. Even the party machines struggle. I think that is
:00:57. > :01:05.ridiculous. Where were the advisers, the electoral commissioners are
:01:05. > :01:12.saying to the government, this is not on? You are right, the
:01:12. > :01:22.residents were very angry. The a have a lot answer for, I think. --
:01:22. > :01:25.
:01:25. > :01:31.they have. You are now probably the most influential politicians in the
:01:31. > :01:35.West Country. I suppose we are. I know we will work well together. I
:01:35. > :01:45.was voting -- rooting for her, because I felt strongly that we
:01:45. > :01:48.should have an independent bin. -- PCC.
:01:48. > :01:51.We did ask the new commissioners for Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
:01:51. > :01:54.to come in today, but they didn't get back to us. Let's take a spin
:01:54. > :02:00.through the other political stories making the headlines this week in
:02:00. > :02:03.our 60 second roundup. David Cameron and 26 members of his
:02:03. > :02:06.coalition cabinet held their weekly meeting in a school near Bristol
:02:06. > :02:15.this week. The Prime Minister was quizzed by pupils at John Cabot
:02:15. > :02:18.Academy - so did he get top marks? I've never really taken much
:02:19. > :02:23.interest in politics before, but after meeting the Prime Minister, I
:02:23. > :02:26.think it is something I should be more interested in.
:02:26. > :02:28.The west's smallest local authority is on the brink of bankruptcy -
:02:28. > :02:31.losing �100,000 a year. The Conseravtive leader of West
:02:31. > :02:35.Somerset says it is not due to incompetence, but the rural nature
:02:35. > :02:44.of the area. If it goes bust, it would be the first council to go
:02:44. > :02:47.under ever. We're not getting the income that are people deserved.
:02:47. > :02:50.And when budgets were cut for youth clubs in Somerset, some feared they
:02:50. > :03:00.would all close. But the local community have rallied around and
:03:00. > :03:03.
:03:03. > :03:09.the good news is most have stayed Of course, it was dominated by-
:03:09. > :03:17.elections. George, this is the start of a new life for you. Any
:03:17. > :03:27.chance of new trousers, or...? be different shades, but the same
:03:27. > :03:37.colour! Will you change? Nothing will change me. I am what I am, I
:03:37. > :03:39.
:03:39. > :03:42.am now the servant of people of Bristol. Will you get a car, horses
:03:42. > :03:49.and it carried? And no, you are getting a confused with a different
:03:49. > :03:53.sort of mayor! And what you have to swear on Wednesday, remind us?
:03:53. > :04:00.is an oath of impartiality, and that I'm there to represent all
:04:00. > :04:04.voices, every Biddy, whether they voted for me or didn't vote.
:04:04. > :04:07.That's all we've got time for today. Thank you to all of our guests. The