Mayor
Dan Norris
Norris in 2021
Mayor of the West of England
Assumed office
10 May 2021
Preceded byTim Bowles
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Environment
In office
9 June 2009 – 6 May 2010
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byJoan Ruddock
Succeeded byRichard Benyon (Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs)
Member of Parliament
for Wansdyke
In office
1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byJack Aspinwall
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1960-01-28) 28 January 1960
London, England
Political partyLabour
Residence(s)Pensford, Somerset[1]
Alma materUniversity of Sussex
Websitewww.dannorris.org.uk

Dan Norris (born 28 January 1960) is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Mayor of the West of England since May 2021. He previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wansdyke from 1997 to 2010.

Norris served in government as the Parliamentary-Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Environment from 2009 to 2010, and an assistant whip from 2001 to 2003.

Early life

Dan Norris was born on 28 January 1960 in London to parents June Norris and David Norris.[2][3] His mother was a Labour councillor who stood as the candidate for the Northavon constituency in the 1983 general election and the 1992 general election. His father worked as a sales manager and as a social worker.[2] Norris was educated at Chipping Sodbury School[4] and the University of Sussex, where he completed a master's degree in social work.[5] He is a former teacher and child protection officer, having trained with the NSPCC.[2]

Before parliament

Norris was a councillor on Bristol City Council for the Brislington West ward from 1989 to 1992 and from 1995 to 1997, and a councillor on Avon County Council from 1994 to 1996.[2][6][7] He is a member of the GMB trade union.[8]

Parliamentary career

Norris first stood for parliament in the constituency of Northavon in 1987, losing against the Conservative incumbent, John Cope. In 1992, he was the Labour candidate for Wansdyke in Somerset, coming in second place against the Conservative incumbent, Jack Aspinwall. He contested the Wansdyke seat again in the election of 1997, and this time succeeded in taking it with a majority of 4,799, overturning a Conservative majority of 11,770 votes.[9] Norris went on to increase his majority to 5,613 in the election of 2001.

Norris has a particular interest in child safety and regularly campaigns against child sexual abuse,[10] having co-written a free booklet on its prevention. He also co-wrote, produced and distributed a booklet, Don't Bully Me, giving practical advice to children across the United Kingdom on dealing with bullying.[11]

Norris was an assistant whip for the Treasury from June 2001 to June 2003.[10][12] In May 2006 he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain until June 2007, then PPS to Foreign Secretary David Miliband to January 2009.[13] In the reshuffle of June 2009 Norris entered government as a minister for the first time, becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Minister for Rural Affairs and Environment).[14]

Norris had long campaigned against fox hunting, supporting the legislation outlawing it. On the final day of legal fox hunting, 28 February 2005, he was egged by Duke of Beaufort's Hunt supporters in Badminton recorded live on regional television news.[15]

The 2005 general election saw his lead over the Conservatives fall to 1,839. Due to changes made by the Boundary Commission for England, the Wansdyke constituency was abolished at the 2010 election. Norris stood instead for the North East Somerset seat which covered most of the same area, but was defeated by the Conservative candidate Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Later career

Following his defeat at the 2010 general election, Norris worked for David Miliband in his unsuccessful bid for the Labour leadership.[16] In May 2012, Norris was shortlisted to be the Labour Party candidate for the Bristol mayoral election, but did not win the selection.[17] As of 2016 he was Head of Operations for the Russell Group of Universities,[18] and he has run businesses.[1][19] Norris was critical of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party's handling of antisemitism, stating in an op-ed for the Bristol Post, "today’s Labour leadership seems to have become highly uncomfortable in opposing racism when it is directed at Jewish people".[20]

In 2004, Norris was appointed to the board of the Snowdon Trust, a charity that supports students with physical disabilities.[16] Norris is an ambassador for the children's charity Kidscape.[21][22] He is a trustee of the League Against Cruel Sports,[23] becoming chair in October 2022.[15]

Mayor of the West of England

Candidacy

Norris was selected as the Labour Party candidate on 16 November 2020, defeating Bristol councillor Helen Godwin in a vote of local members by 1,611 votes to 1,558.[24] During the election campaign, the leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer visited Bath to campaign with him. They were asked to leave a pub by its landlord, who opposed the use of lockdowns as part of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[25]

During the election campaign, Norris said that incumbent mayor Tim Bowles was the "only metro mayor who doesn't have more powers than when he started", and that if elected he would seek more money and powers from central government.[26] He said he would establish a "Green Recovery Fund" to create 23,000 jobs by investing in "home retrofitting, tree-planting, flood and drought defences, and renewable energy".[27]

Mayoralty

Norris was elected as the mayor of the West of England in the 2021 West of England mayoral election, a role which had previously been held by the Conservative Tim Bowles.[28] Upon taking office, he became entitled to the style of Mayor.[29] He credited his victory to the leadership of Keir Starmer.[28] He said he would support North Somerset and parts of Somerset joining the combined authority, and he would seek additional funds for them.[30]

In his first public meeting of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), Norris vetoed a proposal supported by the leaders of the three constituent councils to spend £100,000 reviewing how the authority functions and makes decisions.[31] At a meeting in July, Norris and the council leaders rejected most of a climate action plan that the authority had been developing since 2019 as insufficiently ambitious, and to begin developing a replacement.[32][33] Also in July 2021, Norris launched new schemes to support the creative and food industries in the region.[34][35]

In the October 2021 budget the UK government allocated £540 million to WECA over a five year period for public transport improvements, which will predominantly be spent on improving bus services.[36][37] This includes £48 million for a park and ride scheme near the M32 strategic corridor from South Gloucestershire to Bristol.[38] The funding is from the Department for Transport City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements scheme.[37][39]

There was a dispute between WECA members and Norris over the mayor's powers,[40] in particular a power to veto alternative proposals to their joint committee which included North Somerset Council. The four local authorities’ monitoring officers, who give legal advice, stated the veto could arguably amount to maladministration.[41] On 15 October 2021, the four council leaders did not attend a WECA meeting with the mayor, which meant over £50 million of spending decisions could not be made.[42][43] Norris stated "I would agree that [my predecessor] gave into them, I am not prepared to do that ... I’m not really bothered about procedures or legal arguments, frankly. I’m determined to get policies through and things delivered." A former non-voting member of WECA, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West of England Professor Steve West, was appointed as mediator in the dispute.[44][45] In November 2021, after taking new legal advice, Norris agreed not to claim veto powers on decisions involving North Somerset.[46]

In November 2021, the combined authority submitted a plan for a "seamless" public transport system with a single brand and payment system across buses and trains and across different operators.[47] South Gloucestershire Council asked for funding from WECA for a pedestrianisation scheme on Thornbury's high street, which Norris threatened to withhold unless the council further consulted residents.[48][49][50] In the same month, Norris signed WECA up to a charter committing to support staff diagnosed with terminal illness, and urged organisations across the West of England to do likewise.[51][52] He supported a strike by the University and College Union in Bristol in December 2021.[53]

Spatial Development Strategy

A major responsibility of WECA and the mayor is the development of a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), which will guide major planning decisions in the area and thus development direction.[54] A somewhat similar Joint Spatial Plan was previously being developed by the area's unitary authorities in a four year process, and included building three new "garden villages". In 2019 the plan was withdrawn after the Planning Inspectorate criticised it as not "robust, consistent or objective".[55][56][57] Consequently producing a SDS for WECA to agree became a priority for the new mayor.[58] The SDS covers the period to 2041, and needs a 12-week public consultation before a public examination by the Planning Inspectorate in early 2023.[59]

In March 2022, Norris stated that the region's greenbelt was "not fit for purpose". He argued that there should be no overall greenbelt area reduction, but limited changes to extend urban areas in a few places should be permitted. There was a current proposal by the owners of Ashton Gate Stadium to build 500 homes on the neighbouring greenbelt as part of a "sporting quarter" development.[60][61]

The mayor and the leader of South Gloucestershire council dispute the amount of new housing proposed in WECA's forthcoming SDS, publishing of which was deferred.[59][62] In May 2022, Norris told the government that agreement of a SDS was impossible, blaming South Gloucestershire council for leaving discussions, which was denied by South Gloucestershire's leader.[63][64] Subsequently the three councils started developing their own individual Local Plans, which Norris had described as parochial.[57][65]

Bibliography

  • Violence Against Social Workers: The Implications for Practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1989 (with Carol Kedward). ISBN 978-1-85302-041-4

References

  1. 1 2 "Dan Norris was elected West of England Metro Mayor in May 2021". West of England Combined Authority. May 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Roth, Andrew; Criddle, Byron (1998). "Dan NORRIS, WANSDYKE '97-" (PDF). Parliamentary Profiles: Four Volume Set. Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd. ISBN 9780900582431. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Norris, Dan, (born 28 Jan. 1960)". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U29681. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Norris, Dan (30 April 2021). "Today I went back to school". Facebook. Retrieved 28 March 2022. Today I went back to school (at Chipping Sodbury School where I did my A levels)
  5. ↑ "NORRIS, Dan". Who's Who 2010 online edn. Oxford University Press. November 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Postans, Adam (8 May 2021). "Labour's Dan Norris wins West of England mayoral election". Gloucestershire Gazette. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1993). Local Elections Handbook 1993 (PDF). The Elections Centre (Report). Plymouth University. p. 17. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "GMB MP's". GMB Union. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  9. ↑ White, Michael (28 December 2000). "Labour roots in a rural Tory setting". Special report: elections 2000. The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  10. 1 2 "Dan Norris". BBC News. 16 October 2002. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  11. ↑ "Council's irresponsible and dangerous approach to bullying slammed by child campaigning West MP". Kidscape. 23 November 2005. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  12. ↑ "Parliamentary career for Dan Norris - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Dan Norris". TheyWorkForYou. mySociety. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - Dan Norris MP (Minister for Rural Affairs and Environment)". Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  15. 1 2 Cork, Tristan (7 October 2022). "Metro Mayor Dan Norris gets new role - leading the League Against Cruel Sports". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  16. 1 2 "Our Board - Dan Norris". Snowdon Trust. 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  17. ↑ Amanda Ramsay (25 May 2012). "Profile of Labour's candidates for the Bristol mayoralty: Dan Norris". Labour Uncut. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  18. ↑ Brown, David (10 August 2016). "Universities chief's free, five-star Singapore trip". The Times. London. Retrieved 28 April 2021. Dan Norris, 56, a former Labour MP and head of operations at the Russell Group
  19. ↑ Aviram, Alon (2 August 2021). "West of England Mayor directed business that tried to profit from logging on rainforest island". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Norris, Dan (13 November 2018). "My shock and horror at Labour's antisemitism - former Bristol MP". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "Kidscape Staff, Trustees, Patrons, Volunteers". Kidscape. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  22. ↑ "Management, patrons and ambassadors". Kidscape. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  23. ↑ "Our Trustees". www.league.org.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  24. ↑ Rodgers, Sienna (16 November 2020). "Dan Norris selected as Labour's West of England mayoral candidate". LabourList. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  25. ↑ "Sir Keir Starmer kicked out of pub and Boris Johnson appears to forget name of Tory incumbent on difficult day of campaigning". Sky News. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  26. ↑ "West of England metro mayor election: Meet the candidates". ITV News. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  27. ↑ Corner, Adam (20 April 2021). "A green jobs revolution must go beyond construction and manufacturing". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  28. 1 2 "Labour's Dan Norris wins West of England mayor election". The Guardian. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  29. ↑ Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, s 107A(5).
  30. ↑ "West of England Mayor Dan Norris hopes to safeguard jobs and businesses". BBC News. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  31. ↑ Postans, Adam (2 July 2021). "Metro mayor Dan Norris in early clash with council leaders". BristolLive. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  32. ↑ Postans, Adam (6 July 2021). "Mayors and council leaders back to drawing board on climate plan". BristolLive. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  33. ↑ Postans, Adam (7 July 2021). "WECA scraps its climate plan: 'Not ambitious enough'". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  34. ↑ "Metro mayor announces more support for creative businesses and freelancers in Bath and North East Somerset". InYourArea.co.uk. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  35. ↑ "Extra support offered to food and drink sector across West of England". Bath Echo. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  36. ↑ Baker, Hannah (28 October 2021). "Autumn Budget 2021: Bristol and Bath region receives £540m boost for public transport". Bloomberg. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  37. 1 2 Shapps, Grant (1 April 2022). "Allocating City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements" (PDF). Department for Transport. Retrieved 28 April 2022 – via gov.uk.
  38. ↑ Postans, Adam (28 April 2022). "Bristol M32 must be downgraded to A-road for park and ride to happen, says council leader". Bristol Post. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  39. ↑ "Scope of city region sustainable transport settlements". Department for Transport. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2022 – via gov.uk.
  40. ↑ Postans, Adam (29 September 2021). "Row between WECA's political leaders intensifies". Bristol Post. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  41. ↑ Postans, Adam (13 October 2021). "Bombshell leaked letter reveals WECA leaders' power tussle". Bristol Post. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  42. ↑ Postans, Adam (15 October 2021). "WECA crisis as all four council leaders pull out of crucial meeting". Bristol Post. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  43. ↑ Kenyon, Megan (19 October 2021). "West of England leaders 'in dialogue' with mayor after veto dispute". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  44. ↑ Postans, Adam (8 November 2021). "Trouble-shooter appointed to break WECA leaders' deadlock". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  45. ↑ "WECA row". Politics West. BBC TV. 7 November 2021. Event occurs at 1m23s-9m34s. Retrieved 2 December 2021. Norris: Well, I think what's happened is that the issues that we're seeing now at the moment with me were also happening for my predecessor. I would agree that he probably gave in to them. I'm not prepared to do that where there are important issues about serving our community. So, you know, I was elected by the people. They are my first concern. I'm not really bothered about procedures or legal arguments, frankly. I'm determined to get policies through and get things delivered.
  46. ↑ Postans, Adam (17 November 2021). "WECA row could be over as metro mayor Dan Norris backs down over veto". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  47. ↑ Postans, Adam (8 November 2021). "Bus services revamp in Bristol region to mirror London transport". BristolLive. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  48. ↑ "Metro mayor threatens to withhold Thornbury High Street funding". Gazette Series. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  49. ↑ "Metro mayor welcomes return of buses to 'empty' Thornbury High Street". Gazette Series. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  50. ↑ Cruse, Beth (10 November 2021). "Pedestrianisation row sees Mayor threaten to withdraw funding". BristolLive. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  51. ↑ "WECA signs up to Dying to Work Charter". The Midsomer Norton & Radstock Journal. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  52. ↑ "Local organisations encouraged to sign up to new "Dying to Work" charter". Bath Echo. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  53. ↑ Deeney, Yvonne (1 December 2021). "University of Bristol staff begin three-day strike". BristolLive. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  54. ↑ "Spatial Development Strategy" (PDF). WECA. 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  55. ↑ Gogarty, Conor (2 August 2019). "'Years have been wasted': All the reaction after plans for 105,000 homes rejected". Bristol Post. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  56. ↑ Marrs, Colin (8 January 2020). "West of England joint spatial strategy in doubt as councils line up to withdraw". Planning. Haymarket. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  57. 1 2 Seabrook, Alex (29 June 2022). "Collapsed west of England housing plan is 'lost opportunity to shape region's future'". Bristol Post. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  58. ↑ Walker, Geoff (May 2020). "The on-going saga of strategic planning in the West of England has taken a further turn" (Word DOC). Royal Town Planning Institute. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  59. 1 2 Woodruff, Leanne (27 January 2022). "Metro Mayor and South Glos leader in row over Spatial Development Strategy concerns". Gloucestershire Gazette. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  60. ↑ Diamond, James (28 March 2022). "West of England greenbelt needs to change, says regional Mayor". Greatest Hits Radio. Planet Radio. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  61. ↑ Cork, Tristan (21 June 2021). "Final plans for 4,000 seat arena and 500 homes submitted by Ashton Gate". Bristol Post. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  62. ↑ Postans, Adam (7 April 2022). "Row erupts amid fears South Gloucestershire could be swamped by thousands of new homes". Bristol Post. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  63. ↑ Postans, Adam (12 May 2022). "Bristol region housing masterplan collapses amid huge row - what it means for city's future". Bristol Post. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  64. ↑ Postans, Adam (19 May 2022). "WECA housing masterplan not dead after all, council leader insists". Bristol Post. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  65. ↑ Postans, Adam (6 September 2022). "South Gloucestershire Council resumes Local Plan work after collapse of WECA housing masterplan". Bristol Post. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
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