Heather mack, deputy leader of Bristol city council
My current position and my successful campaigning experience make me uniquely well placed to be our Green Party candidate for the West of England Combined Authority Mayor. As Deputy Leader of Bristol City council I hold one of the most significant Green roles within the region, I have sat on WECA committees and have worked closely with the current metro Mayor, I also have extensive media experience and a track record of winning elections.
My granddad was a farmer and I grew up in rural Devon on a council estate; I now represent a council estate within Bristol, I therefore have lived experience, or a strong understanding of, the most disenfranchised communities within the region. Before getting elected I worked for Oxfam, and in sustainable food system work, the latter is particularly relevant for rural economic development within the region.
The challenges and opportunities for our region
The variety and diversity of the region makes it a challenging area to represent with little clear shared identity, and a candidate with experience across these communities will be essential: while my main experience is within Bristol, I recently worked on a WECA project in North East Somerset which has significant elements of community outreach.
The Regional Authority does not have the same ‘bread and butter’ responsibilities as local authorities, such as social care, education and bins, which gives it a fantastic opportunity to use the large amounts of money available, for environment, transport and economy & skills projects, to increase equality and sustainability across the region. For example our money spent on economic development could have a much greater focus on areas of deprivation and driving equity, over Labour’s current priority of growth for growth's sake.
We must be brave enough to seek and use the powers and funding to deliver the mass transit our region needs, and not just political headlines for the ruling party! We have been a consistently poor performing authority, largely due to lacking serious commitment to public transport and vocational skills. Westminster is pushing for all local authorities to join a regional authority, we must now support the addition of North Somerset, and also increased devolved responsibilities around housing, to therefore increase funding and powers available for the region, specifically those handed down from above and not those taken from local authorities. To do this we must fix the broken culture of the committee, which has failed to work together and make decisions under the current mayor, resulting in Government intervention. With a Green in charge we would ensure respectful and collaborative working to get the best for the whole region.
As a campaigner
I am one of the most successful and experienced campaigners within the Green Party with experience of campaigns at all levels. I managed the Bristol elections in 2021 and increased the group size from 11 to 24, winning every one of our target campaigns, including securing the largest swing in the city to win my own seat. In 2019 I ran the South West European election campaign. For the 2024 Locals and General Election I worked for the party nationally and contributed to our successes at all levels.
I have been a Green Party campaigner since I learnt to walk, a member since I was the youngest candidate in the country at 18, and an officer or staff member for most of the last decade. I understand how the democratic processes in the party work and think that it is vitally important that members, either directly, or through elected officers, have control of our campaigns. In my view the candidate's role is to serve the party and as such I would fit into, or create if necessary, mechanisms for the campaign to be led by the regional and local parties.
I am dedicated to Green values of social and environmental justice, and I adore our West of England region. Our Green values and policies must be clearly communicated to a wide variety of audiences across the region, and we must tailor our messages to inspire different communities, whilst centring a clear consistent message. As the candidate for Mayor I will work tirelessly to do this, I would also use the campaign to support all parties within the region and to contribute towards future election success. I have a proven track record of winning and my position adds credibility. Vote Heather for Green Candidate for West of England Combined Authority Mayor.