On 5 May, the city is going back to the ballot boxes – just a year after the local elections. The vote is to decide whether to keep the mayoral system or scrap it. It’s taking place just 10 years after we voted to have a mayor, and the alternative is to install a committee system made up of local councillors.
With the referendum around the corner but little unbiased information out there, we’re on hand to demystify what’s going on with in-depth articles on WTF is the mayoral referendum, why voters should care and many more articles and podcasts to come on our mayoral referendum homepage.
Keep the Lights On
Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?
Comments
Related content
Listen: People Just Do Something Live – comrades aren’t cringe, with leftwing US academic Jodi Dean
What's the difference between a party and a movement? Is communism really on the horizon? And how can the UK left get its act together? Professor Jodi Dean has some – but not all – of the answers Isaac and Priyanka crave…
Listen: Bristol Unpacked, with Labour councillor Kirsty Tait on the Just Transition and how best to spend £20m in Hartcliffe
Neil asks Hartcliffe and Withywood representative Kirsty Tait about the government money the neighbourhood is getting – and about the importance of putting working-class voices at the centre of climate conversations.
Listen: People Just Do Something – investigative journalist Sian Norris on going undercover with the many men of Reform
As a well-known left-leaning journalist, how does one turn up at a Reform rally and go undercover without being outed? This week, Sian Norris breaks that down for Isaac and Priyanka, as well as discussing the party’s rise and the far right’s wider attack on reproductive rights.
Listen: People Just Do Something – Isaac meets the Great Baldini at Cribbs Causeway’s Tesla Takedown
Who are the people taking part in the global Tesla Takedown at the local dealership for Elon Musk's cars, in Cribbs Causeway. And do they have an effective protest strategy? Isaac hits the road to try to find out.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked with the BBC’s Pete Simson on the WECA mayoral election, making politics interesting and why snacks matter
Neil talks to Pete Simson, BBC Politics West editor, about the race to become the new mayor of the West of England Combined Authority and whether an upset in the 2025 election is likely after Arron Banks' entry.
