Seriously?!

The mayor of Bristol, one Marvin Rees (pictured above), has been named as one of the finalists in the World Mayor Awards 2023: Rees named finalist in World Mayor Awards 2023 - Martin Booth | B24/7 | 2.11.23. No, it's not April Fools Day, it's the 3^rd November and this is actually happening... Suffice to say that from what I've seen so far on social media, this short-listing has quite rightly been met with derision from many Bristolians.

What the criteria are for becoming a finalist in the World Mayor Awards 2023 is somewhat at odds with what the people of Bristol actually think of Marvin Rees, the role of the mayor in the running of the city and the way he has conducted himself in that role. A role which will cease to exist after May 2024. It will cease to exist because in a referendum, the people of Bristol, fed up with the mayor's grandstanding, voted to end it: Bristol Mayor position to be scrapped in 2024 after referendum - itvNEWS | 6.5.22.

Returning to the way this short-listing was covered in the B24/7 article linked to above, the first half of it sounds like your typical, uncritical, city boosting puff piece. It's only when you scroll down to the second half that you'll find the quotes from the people of Bristol as to what they think about this short-listing. Here are a couple of quotes to give you a flavour, starting with this:

“I am a resident in Bristol and was aghast at hearing that our Mayor Marvin Rees has been shortlisted,” writes Aliaa P.

“How can he be awarded a best mayor, when the City, in Referendum voted against him and for scrapping the mayoral role totally? This happened because the citizen of Bristol had enough of the mayor.

“Most of the housing he promised to build for the poor resulted in unaffordable accommodation, his outreach to a variety is very selective.

“Public transport has become non-existent, he’s defacing the central beautiful areas by building non-affordable, high-rise luxurious flats without compelling developers to leave a big portion for social housing, every street has potholes and not a single proper cycle lane has been put in place.”

Then there's this:

Gavin D added: “I was very surprised to see that Marvin Rees has made it to a shortlist for any sort of mayoral accomplishment, let alone World Mayor! He has performed so poorly, that in a referendum in May 2022 the people of Bristol opted to remove the position entirely rather than continue to even have a mayor! As such he is currently in position with no mandate from the people.

“I also take umbrage at the idea that he promotes equality and inclusion. He is a deeply divisive figure, and is known for inappropriate treatment of other councillors and the press.

“Failures under his stewardship include: The £50million losses incurred via Bristol Energy; The 132million Bristol Beacon vanity project; The Bristol underground.

“His inclusion on this list tarnishes both this competition, and the other shortlist entrants, who I am sure are far more suitable candidates.”

I'm pretty certain that there will be plenty of comment about this short-listing across social media, a fair few quite possibly containing the type of language that would render them unfit for reproduction in a family friendly publication!

Most people judge the performance of their city leaders by their day to day experiences of living, working, shopping and leisure. Talk to any Bristolian and you'll hear a long list of issues that make living in the city a difficult experience. These range from a chronic shortage of genuinely affordable housing through to a public transport system, buses in particular, that's not fit for purpose. The long running spat between Marvin Rees and Dan Norris, the metro mayor for the West of England Combined Authority, over the future direction of public transportation in Bristol and the surrounding areas is one example of grandstanding and point scoring that's seriously holding things back.

Then there are the basics which any competent council should be routinely getting right without any dramas. One being the state of the pavements. Rees has talked about Bristol being a 'world city', whatever the f**k that means. He always seems to be jetting off to conferences with other city leaders from across the road. While he's doing that, the infrastructure of Bristol is literally crumbling away before our eyes and beneath our feet: Are Bristol City Council and Sustrans taking the piss? 27.6.23.

Walking round Bristol requires a decent pair of walking boots - nothing less will do!

The residents of Easton who have to use dilapidated pedestrian underpasses like these will doubtless be delighted to hear that Marvin Rees has made the short-list for the finals of the World Mayor Awards 2023 <sarc>

So, there we have it, a classic example of how far away our city leaders are from the people they're supposed to serve. Arrogant, remote and out of touch. It's time to start seriously thinking about how we bring power right down to the level of our neighborhoods where we're the ones in control, not some World Economic Forum stooge.