Dan Norris
Dan Norris | |
---|---|
![]() Norris in 2009 | |
Mayor of the West of England | |
Assumed office 10 May 2021 | |
Preceded by | Tim Bowles |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Environment | |
In office 9 June 2009 – 6 May 2010 | |
Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
Preceded by | Joan Ruddock |
Succeeded by | Richard Benyon(Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs) |
Member of Parliament forNorth East Somerset and Hanham | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Majority | 5,319 (10.4%) |
Member of Parliament forWansdyke | |
In office 1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010 | |
Preceded by | Jack Aspinwall |
Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | London,England | 28 January 1960
Political party | Labour |
Residence(s) | Pensford,Somerset[1] |
Alma mater | University of Sussex |
Website | votedan.uk |
Dan Norris(born 28 January 1960) is a BritishLabour Partypolitician serving as theMayor of the West of Englandsince May 2021, and Member of Parliament forNorth East Somerset and Hanhamsince 2024. He previously served as theMember of Parliament(MP) forWansdyke,largely of the same area, from 1997 to 2010.
Norris served in government as theParliamentary-Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Environmentfrom 2009 to 2010, and anassistant whipfrom 2001 to 2003. Norris was elected to Parliament for North East Somerset and Hanham in the2024 general election,defeatingJacob Rees-Mogg.
Early life
[edit]Dan Norris was born on 28 January 1960 in London to June Norris and David Norris.[2][3]His mother was a Labour councillor who stood unsuccessfully as the candidate for theNorthavon constituencyin the1983 general electionand again in1992.His father worked as a sales manager and as a social worker.[2]
Norris was educated atChipping Sodbury School[4]and theUniversity of Sussex,where he completed amaster's degreein social work.[5]He worked as a teacher and child protection officer, having trained with theNSPCC.[2]
Before parliament
[edit]Norris was a councillor onBristol City Councilfor theBrislington Westward from 1989 to 1992 and from 1995 to 1997, and a councillor onAvon County Councilfrom 1994 to 1996.[2][6][7]He is a member of theGMB trade union.[8]
First Parliamentary career
[edit]Norris first stood for parliament in the constituency ofNorthavonin 1987, losing against theConservativeincumbent,John Cope.In 1992, he was the Labour candidate forWansdykein Somerset, coming in second place against the Conservative incumbent,Jack Aspinwall.He contested the Wansdyke seat again in the election of1997,and this time succeeded in taking it with a majority of 4,799, overturning a Conservative majority of 11,770 votes.[9]Norris went on to increase his majority to 5,613 in the election of2001.
Norris has a particular interest in child safety and regularly campaigns against child sexual abuse,[10]having co-written a free booklet on its prevention. He also co-wrote, produced and distributed a booklet,Don't Bully Me,giving practical advice to children across the United Kingdom on dealing with bullying.[11]
Norris was anassistant whipfor theTreasuryfrom June 2001 to June 2003.[10][12]In May 2006 he was appointedParliamentary Private Secretary(PPS) toSecretary of State for Northern IrelandPeter Hainuntil June 2007, then PPS toForeign SecretaryDavid Milibandto January 2009.[13]In the reshuffle of June 2009, Norris entered government as a minister for the first time, becomingParliamentary Under Secretary of Stateat theDepartment for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(Minister for Rural Affairs and Environment).[14]
Norris had long campaigned againstfox hunting,supporting thelegislation outlawing it.On the final day of legal fox hunting, 28 February 2005, he was accosted byDuke of Beaufort's Huntsupporters in an incident atBadmintonwhich was shown live on regional television news.[15]
The2005 general electionsaw his lead over the Conservatives fall to 1,839. In changes made by theBoundary Commission for England,the Wansdyke constituency was abolished at the2010 election.Norris stood instead for theNorth East Somersetseat which covered most of the same area, and was defeated by the Conservative candidateJacob Rees-Mogg.
Later career
[edit]Following his defeat at the2010 general election,Norris worked forDavid Milibandin his unsuccessfulbid for the Labour leadership.[16]In May 2012, Norris was shortlisted to be the Labour Party candidate for theBristol mayoral election,but did not win the selection.[17]In 2016 he was head of operations for theRussell Groupof universities,[18]and he has run businesses.[1][19]Norris was critical ofJeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party's handling ofantisemitism,stating in anop-edfor theBristol Post,"today’s Labour leadership seems to have become highly uncomfortable in opposing racism when it is directed at Jewish people".[20]
In 2004, Norris was appointed to the board of the Snowdon Trust, a charity that supports students with physical disabilities.[16]Norris is an ambassador for the children's charityKidscape.[21][22]He is a trustee of theLeague Against Cruel Sports,[23]becoming chair in October 2022.[15]
Mayor of the West of England
[edit]Candidacy
[edit]Norris was selected as theLabour Partycandidate on 16 November 2020, defeating Bristol councillor Helen Godwin in a vote of local members by 1,611 votes to 1,558.[24]During the election campaign, the leader of the Labour PartyKeir Starmervisited Bath to campaign with him. They were asked to leave a pub by its landlord, who opposed the use of lockdowns as part of the government's response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[25]
During the election campaign, Norris said that incumbent mayorTim Bowleswas the "only metro mayor who doesn't have more powers than when he started", and that if elected he would seek more money and powers from central government.[26]He said he would establish a "Green Recovery Fund" to create 23,000 jobs by investing in "home retrofitting, tree-planting, flood and drought defences, and renewable energy".[27]
Mayoralty
[edit]Norris was elected as the mayor of the West of England in the2021 mayoral election,a role which had previously been held by the ConservativeTim Bowles.[28]Upon taking office, he became entitled to the style ofMayor.[29]He credited his victory to the leadership ofKeir Starmer.[28]He said he would supportNorth Somersetand parts ofSomersetjoining the combined authority, and he would seek additional funds for them.[30]
In his first public meeting of theWest of England Combined Authority(WECA), Norris vetoed a proposal supported by the leaders of the three constituent councils to spend £100,000 reviewing how the authority functions and makes decisions.[31]At a meeting in July, Norris and the council leaders rejected most of a climate action plan that the authority had been developing since 2019 as insufficiently ambitious, and agreed to begin developing a replacement.[32][33]Also in July 2021, Norris launched new schemes to support the creative and food industries in the region.[34][35]
In theOctober 2021 budget,the UK government allocated £540 million to WECA over a five-year period for public transport improvements, to predominantly be spent on improving bus services.[36][37]This included £48 million for apark and ridescheme near theM32strategic corridor from South Gloucestershire to Bristol.[38]The funding is from theDepartment for Transport's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements scheme.[37][39]
There was a dispute between WECA members and Norris over the mayor's powers,[40]in particular a power to veto alternative proposals to their joint committee which includedNorth Somerset Council.The four local authorities’ monitoring officers, who give legal advice, stated the veto could arguably amount to maladministration.[41]On 15 October 2021, the four council leaders did not attend a WECA meeting with the mayor, which meant over £50 million of spending decisions could not be made.[42][43]Norris stated "I would agree that [my predecessor] gave into them, I am not prepared to do that... I’m not really bothered about procedures or legal arguments, frankly. I’m determined to get policies through and things delivered." A former non-voting member of WECA,Vice-Chancellorof theUniversity of the West of EnglandProfessorSteve West,was appointed as mediator in the dispute.[44][45]In November 2021, after taking new legal advice, Norris agreed not to claim veto powers on decisions involving North Somerset.[46]
In November 2021, the combined authority submitted a plan for a "seamless" public transport system with a single brand and payment system across buses and trains and across different operators.[47]South Gloucestershire Councilasked for funding from WECA for a pedestrianisation scheme onThornbury's high street, which Norris threatened to withhold unless the council further consulted residents.[48][49][50]In the same month, Norris signed WECA up to a charter committing to support staff diagnosed with terminal illness, and urged organisations across the West of England to do likewise.[51][52]He supported a strike by theUniversity and College Unionin Bristol in December 2021.[53]
Spatial Development Strategy
[edit]A major responsibility of WECA and the mayor is the development of a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), which will guide major planning decisions in the area and thus development direction.[54]A somewhat similar Joint Spatial Plan was previously being developed by the area's unitary authorities in a four-year process, and included building three new "garden villages". In 2019, the plan was withdrawn after thePlanning Inspectoratecriticised it as not "robust, consistent or objective".[55][56][57]Consequently, producing a SDS for WECA to agree became a priority for the new mayor.[58]The SDS covers the period to 2041, and was to have a 12-week public consultation before a public examination by thePlanning Inspectoratein early 2023.[59]
In March 2022, Norris stated that the region'sgreen beltwas "not fit for purpose". He argued that there should be no overall green belt area reduction, but limited changes to extend urban areas in a few places should be permitted. At the time, there was a proposal by the owners of Bristol'sAshton Gate Stadiumto build 500 homes on the neighbouring green belt as part of a "sporting quarter" development.[60][61]
The mayor and the leader of South Gloucestershire council disputed the amount of new housing proposed in WECA's forthcoming SDS, publication of which was deferred.[59][62]In May 2022, Norris told the government that agreement of a SDS was impossible, blaming South Gloucestershire council for leaving discussions, which was denied by South Gloucestershire's leader.[63][64]Subsequently, the three councils started developing their own individual Local Plans, which Norris had described as parochial.[57][65]
Return to Parliament
[edit]In July 2024, Norris was elected to Parliament at the2024 general electionforNorth East Somerset and Hanham,defeatingJacob Rees-Mogg.[66]
Bibliography
[edit]- Violence Against Social Workers: The Implications for Practice,Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1989 (with Carol Kedward).ISBN978-1-85302-041-4
References
[edit]- ^ab"Dan Norris was elected West of England Metro Mayor in May 2021".West of England Combined Authority.May 2021.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^abcdRoth, Andrew;Criddle, Byron (1998)."Dan NORRIS, WANSDYKE '97-"(PDF).Parliamentary Profiles: Four Volume Set.Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd.ISBN9780900582431.Retrieved1 May2021.
- ^"Norris, Dan, (born 28 Jan. 1960)".WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO.2007.doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U29681.ISBN978-0-19-954088-4.Retrieved10 May2021.
- ^Norris, Dan (30 April 2021)."Today I went back to school".Facebook.Retrieved28 March2022.
Today I went back to school (at Chipping Sodbury School where I did my A levels)
- ^"NORRIS, Dan".Who's Who 2010 online edn.Oxford University Press. November 2009.Retrieved7 April2010.
- ^Postans, Adam (8 May 2021)."Labour's Dan Norris wins West of England mayoral election".Gloucestershire Gazette.Retrieved13 September2022.
- ^Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1993).Local Elections Handbook 1993(PDF).The Elections Centre(Report). Plymouth University. p. 17.Retrieved1 May2021.
- ^"GMB MP's".GMB Union.Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2007.Retrieved10 May2008.
- ^White, Michael (28 December 2000)."Labour roots in a rural Tory setting".Special report: elections 2000.The Guardian.Retrieved10 May2008.
- ^ab"Dan Norris".BBC News.16 October 2002.Retrieved22 September2020.
- ^"Council's irresponsible and dangerous approach to bullying slammed by child campaigning West MP".Kidscape.23 November 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2008.Retrieved10 May2008.
- ^"Parliamentary career for Dan Norris - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament".members.parliament.uk.Retrieved12 April2021.
- ^"Dan Norris".TheyWorkForYou.mySociety.Retrieved28 September2020.
- ^"Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State - Dan Norris MP (Minister for Rural Affairs and Environment)".Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.9 December 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2010.Retrieved11 May2021.
- ^abCork, Tristan (7 October 2022)."Metro Mayor Dan Norris gets new role - leading the League Against Cruel Sports".Bristol Post.Retrieved30 January2023.
- ^ab"Our Board - Dan Norris".Snowdon Trust. 2014.Retrieved14 December2016.
- ^Amanda Ramsay (25 May 2012)."Profile of Labour's candidates for the Bristol mayoralty: Dan Norris".Labour Uncut.Retrieved14 December2016.
- ^Brown, David (10 August 2016)."Universities chief's free, five-star Singapore trip".The Times.London.Retrieved28 April2021.
Dan Norris, 56, a former Labour MP and head of operations at the Russell Group
- ^Aviram, Alon (2 August 2021)."West of England Mayor directed business that tried to profit from logging on rainforest island".The Bristol Cable.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Norris, Dan (13 November 2018)."My shock and horror at Labour's antisemitism - former Bristol MP".Bristol Post.Archivedfrom the original on 14 November 2018.Retrieved22 May2020.
- ^"Kidscape Staff, Trustees, Patrons, Volunteers".Kidscape. Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2011.Retrieved8 October2010.
- ^"Management, patrons and ambassadors".Kidscape.Retrieved14 December2016.
- ^"Our Trustees".league.org.uk.Retrieved27 June2022.
- ^Rodgers, Sienna (16 November 2020)."Dan Norris selected as Labour's West of England mayoral candidate".LabourList.Retrieved17 November2020.
- ^"Sir Keir Starmer kicked out of pub and Boris Johnson appears to forget name of Tory incumbent on difficult day of campaigning".Sky News.19 April 2021.Retrieved25 April2021.
- ^"West of England metro mayor election: Meet the candidates".ITV News.20 April 2021.Retrieved25 April2021.
- ^Corner, Adam (20 April 2021)."A green jobs revolution must go beyond construction and manufacturing".The Bristol Cable.Retrieved25 April2021.
- ^ab"Labour's Dan Norris wins West of England mayor election".The Guardian.8 May 2021.Retrieved8 May2021.
- ^Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009,s 107A(5).
- ^"West of England Mayor Dan Norris hopes to safeguard jobs and businesses".BBC News.11 May 2021.Retrieved16 May2021.
- ^Postans, Adam (2 July 2021)."Metro mayor Dan Norris in early clash with council leaders".BristolLive.Retrieved18 July2021.
- ^Postans, Adam (6 July 2021)."Mayors and council leaders back to drawing board on climate plan".BristolLive.Retrieved18 July2021.
- ^Postans, Adam (7 July 2021)."WECA scraps its climate plan: 'Not ambitious enough'".The Bristol Cable.Retrieved18 July2021.
- ^"Metro mayor announces more support for creative businesses and freelancers in Bath and North East Somerset".InYourArea.co.uk.2 July 2021.Retrieved18 July2021.
- ^"Extra support offered to food and drink sector across West of England".Bath Echo.14 July 2021.Retrieved18 July2021.
- ^Baker, Hannah (28 October 2021)."Autumn Budget 2021: Bristol and Bath region receives £540m boost for public transport".Bloomberg.Retrieved29 October2021.
- ^abShapps, Grant (1 April 2022)."Allocating City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements"(PDF).Department for Transport.Retrieved28 April2022– via gov.uk.
- ^Postans, Adam (28 April 2022)."Bristol M32 must be downgraded to A-road for park and ride to happen, says council leader".Bristol Post.Retrieved28 April2022.
- ^"Scope of city region sustainable transport settlements".Department for Transport.12 August 2021.Retrieved28 April2022– via gov.uk.
- ^Postans, Adam (29 September 2021)."Row between WECA's political leaders intensifies".Bristol Post.Retrieved29 October2021.
- ^Postans, Adam (13 October 2021)."Bombshell leaked letter reveals WECA leaders' power tussle".Bristol Post.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Postans, Adam (15 October 2021)."WECA crisis as all four council leaders pull out of crucial meeting".Bristol Post.Retrieved26 October2021.
- ^Kenyon, Megan (19 October 2021)."West of England leaders 'in dialogue' with mayor after veto dispute".Local Government Chronicle.Retrieved30 November2021.
- ^Postans, Adam (8 November 2021)."Trouble-shooter appointed to break WECA leaders' deadlock".Bristol Post.Retrieved30 November2021.
- ^"WECA row".Politics West.BBC TV. 7 November 2021. Event occurs at 1m23s-9m34s.Retrieved2 December2021.
Norris:Well, I think what's happened is that the issues that we're seeing now at the moment with me were also happening for my predecessor. I would agree that he probably gave in to them. I'm not prepared to do that where there are important issues about serving our community. So, you know, I was elected by the people. They are my first concern. I'm not really bothered about procedures or legal arguments, frankly. I'm determined to get policies through and get things delivered.
- ^Postans, Adam (17 November 2021)."WECA row could be over as metro mayor Dan Norris backs down over veto".Bristol Post.Retrieved30 November2021.
- ^Postans, Adam (8 November 2021)."Bus services revamp in Bristol region to mirror London transport".BristolLive.Retrieved2 December2021.
- ^"Metro mayor threatens to withhold Thornbury High Street funding".Gazette Series.6 November 2021.Retrieved2 December2021.
- ^"Metro mayor welcomes return of buses to 'empty' Thornbury High Street".Gazette Series.19 November 2021.Retrieved2 December2021.
- ^Cruse, Beth (10 November 2021)."Pedestrianisation row sees Mayor threaten to withdraw funding".BristolLive.Retrieved2 December2021.
- ^"WECA signs up to Dying to Work Charter".The Midsomer Norton & Radstock Journal.Retrieved2 December2021.
- ^"Local organisations encouraged to sign up to new" Dying to Work "charter".Bath Echo.2 December 2021.Retrieved2 December2021.
- ^Deeney, Yvonne (1 December 2021)."University of Bristol staff begin three-day strike".BristolLive.Retrieved2 December2021.
- ^"Spatial Development Strategy"(PDF).WECA.2020.Retrieved28 May2022.
- ^Gogarty, Conor (2 August 2019)."'Years have been wasted': All the reaction after plans for 105,000 homes rejected ".Bristol Post.Retrieved29 May2022.
- ^Marrs, Colin (8 January 2020)."West of England joint spatial strategy in doubt as councils line up to withdraw".Planning.Haymarket.Retrieved28 May2022.
- ^abSeabrook, Alex (29 June 2022)."Collapsed west of England housing plan is 'lost opportunity to shape region's future'".Bristol Post.Retrieved27 September2022.
- ^Walker, Geoff (May 2020)."The on-going saga of strategic planning in the West of England has taken a further turn"(Word DOC).Royal Town Planning Institute.Retrieved10 June2022.
- ^abWoodruff, Leanne (27 January 2022)."Metro Mayor and South Glos leader in row over Spatial Development Strategy concerns".Gloucestershire Gazette.Retrieved14 April2022.
- ^Diamond, James (28 March 2022)."West of England greenbelt needs to change, says regional Mayor".Greatest Hits Radio.Planet Radio.Retrieved14 April2022.
- ^Cork, Tristan (21 June 2021)."Final plans for 4,000 seat arena and 500 homes submitted by Ashton Gate".Bristol Post.Retrieved14 April2022.
- ^Postans, Adam (7 April 2022)."Row erupts amid fears South Gloucestershire could be swamped by thousands of new homes".Bristol Post.Retrieved14 April2022.
- ^Postans, Adam (12 May 2022)."Bristol region housing masterplan collapses amid huge row - what it means for city's future".Bristol Post.Retrieved20 May2022.
- ^Postans, Adam (19 May 2022)."WECA housing masterplan not dead after all, council leader insists".Bristol Post.Retrieved20 May2022.
- ^Postans, Adam (6 September 2022)."South Gloucestershire Council resumes Local Plan work after collapse of WECA housing masterplan".Bristol Post.Retrieved27 September2022.
- ^"Labour Mayor selected to fight Rees-Mogg seat".BBC News.11 May 2024.Retrieved15 May2024.
External links
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- 1960 births
- Living people
- Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Labour Friends of Israel
- Councillors in South West England
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- British businesspeople
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children people
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