THE region’s Liberal Democrats have chosen a councillor from Bath to be their challenger for the role of Metro Mayor.
Oli Henman has represented the Walcot area of the city on Bath & North East Somerset Council since 2023.
He works as a coordinator aiding community organisations with sustainability, and last year he addressed the UN General Assembly for its ‘Summit of the Future’ action days.
Cllr Henman will be aiming to better the result of former Bristol MP Stephen Williams, the party’s candidate in the 2021 election who came fourth out of four.
He says he wants to use his experience to engage and involve local communities in the work the West of England Combined Authority does if he is elected Metro Mayor on May 1.
Cllr Henman said: “I’m committed to cutting waste and red tape in the Mayor’s office and putting power back where it belongs: in the hands of local communities. The West of England Mayor has a key role to play in delivering affordable and accessible transport, sustainable housing and the jobs of the future.
His selection was announced days after the Green Party said it had changed its mayoral candidate. The party unveiled Bristol City Council deputy leader Heather Mack as its candidate in November. However in January it announced that Cllr Mack had stood down from the candidacy “to allow her to focus on her council role”.
In her place the Greens have named Mary Page, the party’s candidate in Bristol North West at the last general election, who finished runner-up to Labour’s Darren Jones.
A media and marketing specialist, Mary was previously a member of the Liberal Democrats and was selected in 2019 as the Lib Dem candidate for the role of Bristol Mayor, on a platform of abolishing the post.
She later stood down from the candidacy for personal reasons, but then led the ‘It’s Our City Bristol – Scrap the Mayor’ campaign in 2022, which won a referendum to abolish the role.
Mary said: “Our party offers real hope and real change to all those who feel they have lost their political home or lost faith in our democratic system.
Labour and the Conservatives have both selected former Bristol city councillors, Helen Godwin and Steve Smith respectively, for the election.
WECA covers South Gloucestershire, Bristol and B&NES, with North Somerset currently applying to join.
It is run directly by the Metro Mayor, with council leaders having a vote on some issues.
Metro mayors are set to gain new powers under the government’s new devolution plans. Current Metro Mayor Dan Norris was elected as the MP for North East Somerset & Hanham and cannot stand for re-election because of a Labour Party ban on MPs having second jobs.
Reform UK had yet to announce a candidate as the Voice went to print.
Includes reporting by John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporting Service