LISTEN: Bristol’s property bosses say the city’s new mayor must focus on making decisions without a “political agenda”.
Labour candidate Marvin Rees’s landslide victory against incumbent George Ferguson was met by surprise from some members of the industry.
He received almost 30,000 more votes than independent candidate Ferguson, who has held the leadership position since 2012.
Tim Davies, head of the Bristol office of Colliers International, said the result was “pivotal” for the city and wider region given West England’s £1bn devolution deal.
He said: “Marvin has a tough act to follow in succeeding George Ferguson, who as an independent mayor unfettered by party politics, brought about tangible progress during his time in office, ranging from delivering the Arena to bringing a new momentum to decision-making after years of political infighting.
“The city and wider region has benefited from that fact that George was not aligned to a political party, and I sincerely hope that the new Labour mayor will not be putting a political agenda ahead of the needs of the city.”
Martyn Jones, senior partner at property consultancy Alder King, said it was “essential” that Bristol continued to compete for new business both in the UK and internationally.
He added: “George Ferguson achieved a number of successes in his term of office – Green Capital, the commitment to a new arena, Metrobus funding and raising the profile of the city in Westminster.
“We hope he is remembered for these achievements rather than the 20 mph speed zones and the RPZs which attracted a lot of criticism.”
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