A public war of words between two political heavyweights over who should take the reins to lead the region has cranked up a notch.

South Gloucestershire Council's Conservative leader Cllr Toby Savage criticised metro mayor Dan Norris as divisive in a fresh attack on Tuesday (September 28).

He said Labour's Mr Norris should act more like a chairman of the board to secure a consensus among the leaders of the three councils that make up the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) rather than "one person doing whatever they want".

But Mr Norris, who succeeded Tory Tim Bowles at the polls in May, fired back, insisting his role was "not about keeping council leaders happy in private meetings behind closed doors" but getting the best for the region's residents.

He said that despite Cllr Savage's assertion that the system had worked well for the past four years under the previous West of England mayor, the region had not won extra resources or powers from Whitehall.

It comes one week after a meeting of the Weca committee descended into an "embarrassing fiasco" where "vital decisions were delayed", apart from a motion to oppose Bristol Airport's proposed expansion and agreement on general principles to underpin a refreshed climate emergency strategy.

But a £20million green recovery fund was put on hold for not being ambitious enough while Mr Norris's plans to create a regional climate board overseen by a new Weca environment director were voted down by the leaders of South Gloucestershire, Bristol city and Bath & North East Somerset councils despite support for all these measures from the cross-party scrutiny committee.

The metro mayor, meanwhile, vetoed alternative proposals by Cllr Savage and B&NES's Lib Dem leader Cllr Kevin Guy, backed by Bristol city Labour deputy mayor Cllr Craig Cheney, that would have given them more say over the new board's purpose and director's recruitment.

Cllr Savage told BBC Radio Bristol's John Darvall show on Tuesday (September 28) that because Mr Norris was "rubbing against rules" designed to ensure collaborative leadership to instead forge his own path, the region's political landscape was in a "difficult place".

He said that while Bristol's mayoral model was a matter only for the city's residents, the regional system of local governance with a second mayor – the metro mayor – had worked well since the role was created in 2017.

"That's why the Government has approved various new funding bids that we've submitted because there has been a confidence from Government that the West of England Combined Authority does deliver and does get things done," Cllr Savage said.

"The problems that we've had very recently seem to be a difference of opinion on how the West of England mayor role should operate – is it one person doing whatever they want or is it a role that has to bring together the three councils and to find a consensus?"

Mr Darvall asked: "So chairman of the board rather than a powerful regional voice?"

Cllr Savage said: "That is the legal fact of the role, that the West of England mayor, whoever they are, cannot just do whatever they want.

"There are rules in place that mean they have to work together with the councils, they have to collaborate, they have to unite not divide, and if you're going to try to rub against those rules, we are going to end up in a difficult place.

"We are currently in that difficult place."

In response, Mr Norris told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "There are going to be some choppy waters but frankly I don't think that local people believe the model of the last four years worked.

"That's because we didn't win extra resources or powers from government.

"We had an invisible metro mayor that the prime minister couldn't even name.

"The previous metro mayor was busy chairing meetings but not achieving results nor putting the West of England on the national and global map.

"That was reflected in my result and margin of victory in May. So I'll be loudly banging the drum for our region because I'm passionate about it.

"The metro mayor's role isn't about keeping council leaders happy in private meetings behind closed doors, it's about getting the best for all the people of the West of England.

"I believe in cooperation and getting things done. I'm determined to deliver on this in an open and transparent way and I know that local communities right across North East Somerset, Bath, South Gloucestershire and Bristol want that too."