The West of England Mayor, Conservative Tim Bowles, who was elected as the first combined authority mayor back in 2017, has announced he is retiring from political life.

In a statement on his social media page he writes:

" After nearly 20 years of political service in the West of England, including four years as our first Regional Mayor, I intend to retire at the end of the present Mayoral term.

" I am proud of the track record of bringing our communities together so everyone can benefit from the skilled jobs, quality of life and new opportunities our area is home to. The Combined Authority has brought hundreds of millions of pounds to the region and seen major improvements that benefit every single person. "

He writes about the positive impact of the West of England Growth Hub and the Invest Bristol and Bath teams, but adds :

"But most of all I am pleased of the impact on the families right across the West of England that have benefited from the 4,000 new jobs and 13,000 new qualifications that have come as a direct result of extra funding that we have in the region, simply because we have a Combined Authority. "

The metro mayor role covers the Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset council areas.

The next election to the post is due on 6 May 2021.