02:39 BST
Hannah Miller
Reporting from Bristol
With probably about an hour of counting to go, it remains too close
to call in the West of England mayoral race.
Four years ago, a Labour mayor was elected. On his watch, the
combined authority ended up in special measures for a year. Many voters tell us
they don’t think having a mayor has made any difference to their lives.
So Labour knew they’d have to work hard for their new candidate
Helen Godwin to win. Her supporters here look nervous.
It’s not exactly a surprise to see votes piling up for the Greens
in Bristol itself. They run the council and the city centre elected a Green MP.
But do they have enough support in Bath and South Gloucestershire to win?
Perhaps not, we’ll see. One supporter just suggested they wished they’d had the
resources to campaign harder.
But what is especially notable here is the stacks of votes for
Reform. Their candidate, Arron Banks, thinks the final result could be between
him and the Greens.
Whatever happens, the count is definitely showing evidence
of some support for him in Bristol, and he’s perhaps more likely to pick up
votes in the surrounding areas.
This seems now to be a three-way race – perfectly illustrating the
challenge for Labour, as voters look in both directions for an alternative.
Image source, BBC / Hannah MillerImage caption,