Mayor Election 2016 / News
Ukip announce Bristol mayor candidate
Ukip has announced Paul Turner as its mayoral candidate for this May’s election.
Turner, 53, stood for the party in Bristol West in the General Election last year where he came fifth.
He told Bristol24/7 he was standing as the “common sense candidate” for the upcoming elections where congestion and social housing would be his focus.
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“I’m realistic about our chances,” he told Bristol24/7. “We only have one councillor at the moment, but with the all-out local elections this year there is a good opportunity to get more councillors in the the chamber. It seems like there is quite strong support for Ukip across Bristol.”
Ukip got the highest vote share of all parties in the Greater Bristol area at the European elections in 2014. But in the last local elections, the party came fifth in Bristol, with just over 8 per cent.
He added he wanted to reiterate the benefits of Bristol having a mayor, building more trust in the post. He accused the current mayor of “not listening” enough.
Turner is a part-time carer who also runs his own freelance business as a communications advisor to small firms.
He has been the treasurer of both Bristol Ukip and the Bristol branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.
Ukip’s announcement comes two days after independent candidate Laurence Duncan said he would be pulling out of the mayor race to stand as a councillor instead.
Read more: Bristol mayor candidates 2016
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