Savage for Mayor? Uncivilised?

The book - High in Hope - and all the surrounding hype sounds like John Savage's (and through him Business West's) bid the become the Elected Mayor of Bristol! Has he ruled out this possibility??

The project says '...by 2050 the area’s [Bristol's] population will have massively increased, perhaps by as much as 500,000, meaning 300,000 jobs will need to be created and a further 200,000 homes built.'

Dont they have any grasp of the unsustainability of this? Given the unsustainability isn't it reasonable to try now to shape the future we want? Better to at least make an effort rather than simply going along with 'crystal ball gazing predict and provide' as if its an inevitability we can do absolutely nothing about.

More here:
http://www.bristol247.com/2011/12/08/lets-end-curse-of-poverty-in-bristol-by-2050/

http://www.bristol247.com/2010/07/05/bristol-group-call-for-new-debate-on-elected-mayor/

http://bristolmayor.org/about/

Bristol will merge with Bath by 2050????

I thought it was 9 Dec today not the 1 April! What ridiculous rubbish this prediction is - and its also ridiculous that its taken John Savage, his 'expert' team of town planners and £250,000 to come up with this idea and say that its a good thing!

WITHIN 40 years, Bristol and Bath will have merged into a single sprawling conurbation – to become one of the major economic powerhouses of Europe.

What will this mighty new supercity be known as? "BristolBath", is the name on the lips of John Savage, executive president of GWE Business West. Some might even shorten this to Brath.

The chamber of commerce has spent £250,000 on creating a new "blueprint" for the way Bristol will evolve over the next two generations.

Mr Savage, and his team of expert town planners, are predicting that Bristol will be a very different place by 2050...

Bristol business supports elected mayor as consultation ends | Bristol24-7

This may well be because they see it as it is - more power for business rather than more power for local people...not that I'm at all happy with Bristol City Council, the councils around it and the way they work (or rather dont work) together and with local people.

Bristol business supports elected mayor as consultation ends Bristol24-7

86% of the 200 GWE Business West members who responded to a survey said they favoured having an elected mayor. On Nov 16 Bristol City Council makes a decision on what they favour - I cant see the council voting for its power to be removed can you?