The West of England Combined Authority Committee (WECA) has called an emergency meeting today to determine whether Metro Mayor Dan Norris spent taxpayers’ money ‘unlawfully’.
Norris, who was elected in 2021, covered a First bus in a wrap to advertise WECA’s ‘birthday buses’ scheme.
Since launching in August, the scheme has offered anyone living in the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority or North Somerset Council region, a free month of bus travel throughout their birthday month.
Now Norris has come under fire for decorating a bus intended for a launch event with images of him and his dog.
Concerns were raised in April by WECA interim chief executive Richard Ennis, and the bus was ultimately removed, but a report issued before today’s meeting states “£10,000 of public funds were nevertheless unlawfully spent wrapping the bus.”
As well as the expenditure, the report also questions the images used.
Three sides of the bus featured large photos of the Metro Mayor and his dog. It’s claimed, “Imagery associated with the Metro Mayor should be merely ‘incidental’ to the main purpose of the spending.
“Instead, the wrap appears to explicitly seek to affect public support of the Metro Mayor.”
Steve Smith, Conservative Councillor for Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze, thinks Norris has gone too far, saying: “If you look at similar material that gets put out by the Mayor of London – another combined authority mayor – it doesn’t say Sadiq Khan with a big picture of Sadiq Kahn on. Which is what Dan did here.
“You have to be aware when the taxpayer’s paid for it. There is a line that you don’t cross, and it’s my view that he was certainly skirting over that line if not completely crossing it with these [adverts].”
Norris has defended himself and explained “I remain steadfast in my view that mayors are meant to be visible, and this was stated in my election manifesto on which I won” and that he “hasn’t been asked for his view” since the report was published.
Committee members will meet later today to discuss the issue, although Norris will be required to leave the room for the duration of the meeting.
