Weca mayoral elections: Steve Smith
BBCOn Thursday 1 May, voters across the West of England will decide the next regional mayor.
You can find more information about the election and the candidates here.
The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) is a local authority encompassing the council areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset (Banes) and South Gloucestershire. Weca is led by the West of England Mayor.
He is a former Conservative councillor and a Bristolian by marriage
Mr Smith is the former Conservative councillor for Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze in Bristol and has also served as the city's Lord Mayor.
He has lived in Bristol for more than 20 years. He said when he proposed to his wife she said she would "only marry him if he lived in Bristol".
A former youth worker turned politician
Mr Smith is the former chief executive of Young Bristol - a charity that runs numerous youth clubs within the city.
He said interacting with Bristol City Council while in this role is what piqued his interest in local politics.
He currently runs his own business advising organisations that are bidding for public sector contracts.
His first priority is 'to fix the mess Weca is in'
Mr Smith said the current administration "is just not working", and that "it's not a surprise the government is choosing to invest elsewhere".
Weca was recently taken out of special measures after being placed under them by the previous Conservative government, and the outgoing mayor has had a series of public disagreements with council leaders.
He wants a 'huge expansion' of local rail services
His priority is "to get the basics right," when it comes to policy, added Mr Smith
"I want to move away from silly arguments about whether to build a bus lane here or a bike lane there or a tram system that's over or underground that absorbs time, effort and headlines but doesn't actually achieve anything," he said.
He has pledged to create a larger and more efficient bus network as well as a "huge expansion" of local rail services.
He hopes North Somerset will join Weca
North Somerset rejected the chance to join Weca when the body was set-up in 2017.
A change in leadership at North Somerset Council has increased calls to join the authority.
Mr Smith acknowledged that Bristol makes up about half of Weca's population and said that North Somerset joining "ought to happen," but added it is up to the council or the residents to decide.
He says the balance of housing policy is 'wrong'
Mr Smith said he does not agree with the Labour government's housing policy that has seen housebuilding targets for Bath and North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire increased, while Bristol's decreased.
He intends to introduce a "radical brownfield site first policy" when it comes to planning.
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