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Darren Hall, the Green Party mayoral candidate for the region, is promising to give up more than half of his pay if he is elected, and has since asked the others if they’ll follow suit.
Darren revealed that he would give £32,000 of the allowance to projects which would help reduce inequality in the combined authority area.
The announcement follows the news that the new Metro Mayor would receive an allowance of £62,000 a year. Less than the Bristol City Mayor or an MP would receive.
@WestofEnglandCA have just agreed #metromayor salary of £62k plus expenses. If I win I will only draw the region’s average wage, approx £30k
— #DarrenforMetroMayor (@DarrenHall2015) March 15, 2017
After making the announcement Darren explained why saying, “I believe in equality and an equal society; the responsibilities of leadership are not to tell people but to show them.”
“It is a tough job, and you expect to get a significant amount of money, but I don’t feel it would be fair to take the full amount when so many people earn less than the minimum wage.”
The candidate would like to see the extra money put into research projects.
He said: “I want to see it put into research into how so we become socially fairer, how do we bring about social change.”
Once elected the Metro Mayor will be in control of £31 million annual budget which will be spent in the five key areas including transport, planning, adult education, the promotion of business and helping the long-term unemployed to work.
Since the meeting, Darren Hall has asked the other candidates to follow suit and lead by example.