I WRITE having just marked my 100th day as the Mayor of the West of England.
This was a milestone that came around quickly!
Together, since May, I hope that you would agree that we’ve hit the ground running.
I promised to be a different kind of mayor, and want people across the West to see and feel a real change across the board.
This is the start of a new chapter for our region, and we’ve already got a lot to shout about.
In a video on my social media pages (@mayorhelengodwin) and those of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, I’ve tried to cover as much of those first 100 days as possible in less than 100 seconds.
Working with Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset councils, and the government, we’ve made some real progress:
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Got the first new green electric buses out on our streets
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Started Kids Go Free on our buses – with almost 400,000 free journeys during the first three or so weeks of the summer holidays
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Secured the green light to reopen the Bristol & Portishead Line
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Confirmed £40m for a new train station in Charfield
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Committed, with other mayors, to make walking and cycling safer – and invested in Bath Quays
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Secured a record three-quarters of a billion for fixing roads, better buses, more trains, and mass transit
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Started a partnership with Homes England to build more affordable homes
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Announced a new Business Board that will support firms in our region
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Kicked off £5 million of new support to help young people into work and training through our Youth Guarantee
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Been named as one of six places to share £150m for our creative industries
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Turned on the country’s fastest supercomputer – Isambard-AI
Over the summer, like people across the country, we’ve also celebrated the Lionesses’ further success. Inspired by that, I announced plans for a new football tournament for Year Six girls across the West during a visit to Mangotsfield United’s Cossham Street Stadium.
We’re working with Gloucestershire FA and Somerset FA and will look to share more details in the autumn.
Finally – one more plug for Kids Go Free! When you read this, there should still be a few days left. Under 16s go free on bus journeys starting in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire until September 5, with no registration or bus pass required. Just hop on board!
It’s been a busy first 100 days. We’ve turned the page, and we’re only just getting started.