‘It’s surreal’ – Conservative Paul Bristow reacts to being elected mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
The former Peterborough MP will now lead the combined authority
Conservative candidate Paul Bristow has thanked his voters after he was elected as the new mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Mr Bristow, the former Peterborough MP, won the election with 60,243 votes, beating Ryan Coogan of Reform 49,647, Lorna Dupre of Liberal Democrats 41,611, Bob Ensch of the Green Party 18,255 and Anna Smith of Labour 42,671.
Just 26.09% of the electorate turned out to vote in Peterborough, with Mr Bristow winning 15,769 of these votes, followed by Ryan Coogan of Reform UK with 9,221.
Speaking at the Ross Peers Sports Centre in Soham where the results were announced, Mr Bristow told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It’s surreal. It’s fantastic to have got that job. Being the MP for Peterborough was just about the most important thing I’d ever done.
“I found another important thing to do and that’s become the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
“In Peterborough, the result was phenomenal. I won every ward in Peterborough and I’ve got to be pleased with that.
“This is a Conservative gain against a sitting Labour mayor. Labour came third. It’s a poor result for them.”
Touching on the tactics used by the Labour Party in the run up to the election, notably around Mr Bristow’s home address, he said: “It shows the people of Peterborough and Cambrdge didn’t subscribe to those tactics.
“My campaign was entirely positive. That was then, this is now. We have a blank piece of paper, we start fresh, and hopefully we can all work together to get the best for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.”
Mr Bristow says he hopes to speak with Peterborough City Council leader Dennis Jones (Labour) about introducing free parking in the city, a key pledge in his campaign.
He also thanked the people who voted for him.
“It was the people of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire that put me here. So thank you very much indeed,” he said.
The combined authority mayor makes important decisions for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and is responsible for a £20 million annual budget, as well as having devolved powers to spend up to £800 million on local housing, infrastructure and jobs.
Mr Bristow will take over from Labour’s Dr Nik Johnson who announced earlier this year that he would not be standing for re-election.