THE LEADERS of Labour councillors on three West of England councils have announced plans to work more closely together in their manifestos for the local elections on May 7.

Councillors Pat Rooney (South Gloucestershire), Helen Holland (Bristol City) and John Bull (Bath & North East Somerset) will be launching their own separate documents addressing specific local concerns, but have united to encourage their councils to work together as closely as possible in the future.

In particular, the three leaders pointed to the need for close collaboration on improving public transport in the sub-region, and for attracting investment in high-value jobs and opportunities for local people across the area.

In a joint statement the three leaders said: “Labour’s core value is that we achieve more together than we do alone – it is on our membership cards – and the three of us commit to working together and with other neighbouring councils to make sure we have joined-up planning for key services and infrastructure.

“Our councils must continue to embrace a culture of openness and partnership in their dealings with each other.

“Local residents get frustrated when they perceive that their local representatives are not taking a wider view when trying to sort out the West of England’s problems.

“National government needs to do a lot more to help councils work together by removing the obstacles that stand in our way. For example, each local council is on a different timetable for drawing up its strategic Local Plan, which is very unhelpful.

South Gloucestershire Labour’s manifesto will be available on its website: http://www.sglabour.org.uk