The person who could effectively be in charge of Bristol City Council if the Green Party do take overall control of City Hall has been named - Tony Dyer.

Cllr Dyer, who has been a councillor for Southville since 2021, has been named as the party’s nominee for Leader of the Council, with Cllr Heather Mack (Green, Lockleaze) as deputy leader, after May’s election.

That’s assuming, of course, that they are re-elected in the May 2 vote, but with Bristol City Council switching to a committee system and scrapping the role of directly-elected Mayor, the councillors, their parties and the nominations will be the way the council is run after the election.

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The council will have a series of eight policy committees made up of councillors, along with a Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council. Cllr Dyer is chair of the scrutiny committee at the council, and has previously stood for election to be South Bristol’s MP, and as the Green’s nomination for Mayor.

Born and raised in Hartcliffe, Cllr Dyer was originally a bricklayer, before he got onto a government college course and a community work placement and re-trained to work in IT.

He also co-founded the South Bristol History Festival, and has led calls for a permanent memorial to the miners who were killed in the Dean Lane pit disaster in Bedminster.

“I am proud of my working class, South Bristol heritage which has shaped my politics and my desire to see our city deliver for all its residents,” he said. “Green policies recognise that social justice cannot be separated from the challenges facing our climate and environment.

“While our manifesto lays out the policies we will seek to deliver for Bristol, I am under no illusion about the financial pressures facing all local authorities.

“As the Leader of the Council, I would work collaboratively with the new committees, members of all parties, council officers and, most importantly, the communities of Bristol, to develop practical solutions with social and environmental values at their centre”.

“Much has been said about valuing the diversity of our city, but that also needs to recognise the value of the diversity of opinion within our city too,” he added.

The Green Party currently have 25 councillors, and need to win all those again and 11 more to take overall control of City Hall - otherwise there will be a ‘No Overall Control’ situation, and the parties will have to work together to form a coalition.

Heather Mack has also been a councillor since 2021. “Having grown up on a council estate and also been a foster carer for Bristol City Council, I have a deep emotional connection and understanding of the importance of local government in protecting our vulnerable,” she said.

“As Deputy Leader of the Council, this will be in the front of my mind at all times. I care deeply about our impact on the environment and I am really frustrated at the state of our public transport in Bristol - we will prioritise getting Bristol moving and making buses and active travel easy choices for everyone.”

The Green group on the council will continue to be led by Cllr Emma Edwards. She said: “While my focus will continue to be on leading and coordinating the ever-expanding Green Group of Councillors, I am looking forward to working closely with Tony and Heather to push forward the progressive policies laid out in our manifesto for Bristol.”