Bristolians will be able to vote in a number of elections on 6 May, using their cross to decide who they think should represent them for city mayor, West of England Combined Authority (‘Metro’) mayor, Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, and on Bristol City Council as their local councillor. 

At the time of writing there were five names in the hat for Mayor of Bristol, including Labour’s Marvin Rees, who has held the position since 2016. The candidates are:

• Caroline Gooch – Liberal Democrats
• Sandy Hore-Ruthven – Green Party
• John Langley – Independent
• Marvin Rees – Labour Party
• Alastair Watson – Conservative and Unionist Party

Before the election, Voscur will invite candidates to give their support for the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, by signing up to five pledges that they would undertake if elected:

• Pledge 1: I will champion the contribution of the VCSE sector.
• Pledge 2: I will work with the VCSE sector to provide solutions to long standing inequalities, including the digital divide, isolation, mental health, affordable housing and unemployment.
• Pledge 3: I will support the voluntary sector and ensure fair opportunities for small and large organisations in influencing service design, commissioning and procurement and service delivery.
• Pledge 4: I will support measures to improve the lives of young people, ensuring equal access to education, job opportunities and mental health support.
• Pledge 5: I will support measures to address climate change, for instance through the One City Climate Strategy.

We will publish each candidate’s response to these pledges; 12 months after the election, we will request a ‘progress report’ from the successful candidate to see how they measure up against their promises.

There are a number of hustings events (in this case as online meetings) where members of the public can listen to and question the candidates before the May elections.

• 15 April: African Heritage (organised by Afrikan ConneXions Consortium and Creative Power Town)
• 21 April: Active Travel (organised by Bristol Walking Alliance, Bristol Cycle Campaign, Liveable Bristol and Bristol Parents for School Streets)
• 23 April: Bristol Decides (organised by Bristol Festival of Ideas)
• 25 April: Bristol Sight Loss Council hustings (organised by Bristol Sight Loss Council)
• 27 April: Bristol's response to the climate and ecological emergencies (organised by the Bristol Green Capital Partnership)

To share your response to this article and the pledges, please contact tom.burnett@vosur.org.