2025 West of England mayoral election

The 2025 West of England mayoral election will be held on the 1st of May, 2025 to elect the mayor of the West of England, on the same day as other local elections across the country. It will be the third election for the role. For the first time the mayor will be elected using first past the post.

Background
The West of England term has been used as a synonym for either south-west England or the former county of Avon which was abolished in 1996. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) was created in 2017 as a statutory body which covers the local authority areas of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. It broadly resembles Avon, but excludes North Somerset because that council opposed joining the combined authority, although they collaborate on some projects. In October 2020, there were discussions around North Somerset joining the WECA in time for the May 2021 election, but councillors in Bristol voted down this proposal in early 2021. The mayor of the West of England is the directly elected head of the WECA. Under a devolution deal agreed in 2017, they have powers over a £30 million annual allocation from the government, to fund transport management, strategic planning of land and housing and adult education.

Electoral System
The election will use the voting system of first past the post to elect the mayor, in this system the candidate with the most votes wins. The Electoral Reform Society described the move towards first past the post as one lowering the bar for policitians and thus damaging British democracy.