West of England Combined Authority (WECA) elections

Use this page to find out about why we have this type of election, and how it works. Select a topic below to read more.

The purpose of this type of election

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is our regional combined authority, an organisation which brings together a number of local councils. Bath & North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council formed WECA in 2017, to work together strategically on issues that affect the whole area, such as housing and transport. Visit the WECA website to find out the latest projects that the Combined Authority is working on. 

Learn more about combined authorities

View information from the Local Government Association, including a video on what combined authorities are, and where they are in the UK.

At the head of the Combined Authority is a Regional Mayor, also known as a Metro Mayor, who is elected by residents in the areas which make up WECA. 

Learn more about metro mayors

View information from the Institute for Government website on the powers that metro mayors have, and what the role involves

How the election is run

Metro mayors serve for a fixed term, and we have an election every four years, normally on the first Thursday in May. The last election was in May 2021, and the next one will be in May 2025. 

Although previous WECA mayoral elections used a Supplementary Vote system, with first and second choice options, future elections will use the 'First-Past-The-Post' voting system: all of the votes are counted, and the candidate with the most votes is elected.

Current elected representative

The current Metro Mayor is Helen Godwin. You can contact Helen Godwin directly by email at Mayor@westofengland-ca.gov.uk

If you would like to know more about the WECA Senior Team, who lead WECA in collaboration with the Metro Mayor, you can find more information or contact them on the WECA website. 

Previous election results

You can learn more about how the May 2021 WECA mayoral election was run, and view the results in detail, on the WECA website. 

If you are interested in standing as a candidate at the next WECA mayoral election, please visit the Electoral Commission website.