A meeting of the West of England’s political leaders on Friday was heavily guarded after protestors pursued Mayor Helen Godwin through her offices earlier in the week.
On Monday, March 23, Mayor Godwin was chased by activists from the community union Acorn during a West of England Combined Authority (WECA) scrutiny panel meeting. The confrontation escalated when a protester trapped the mayor in a lift, causing her to feel “trapped and unsafe.” Police responded to the incident, though no arrests were reported.
When council leaders reconvened for the WECA committee meeting on Friday, March 27, enhanced security measures were clearly in place. Attendees underwent bag searches, and security personnel were stationed throughout the WECA headquarters at 70 Redcliff Street in Bristol, including between the public seating and committee members.
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Mayor Godwin opened the meeting by addressing the security presence: “You will have noticed as you came in that we do have additional measures in place at today’s meeting for everybody’s safety and security. There was an incident earlier this week at our overview and scrutiny committee, and we have responded by implementing these steps.”
She expressed gratitude for the support of officers: “I want to thank officers across the combined authority who have helped to ensure this meeting runs safely today.”
Jerome Thomas, chair of the Monday meeting and a representative for Bristol City Council’s Clifton and Green wards, commented: “We were obviously concerned about the incident on Monday and fully support these additional measures to protect everyone’s safety.”
Mayor Godwin detailed the incident during a statement, saying she had attended the scrutiny committee to answer questions from councillors and the public. Upon leaving after about thirty minutes, she was followed by activists who had been seated in the public gallery. “As I tried to leave the room, a group of people ran after me, shouting,” she said. “A man followed me into a lift and refused to leave despite repeated requests. People, especially women, will understand how frightening this was. I felt trapped and unsafe.”
She condemned the tactics used, stating: “Aggression is not activism, and intimidation has no place in our society.”
Acorn responded, claiming their actions were misunderstood. They said they had attempted to question Mayor Godwin about her pre-election promises on housing insecurity, bailiff enforcement, and public control of buses. The union accused the mayor of refusing to engage and questioned the claim of being trapped, noting that security personnel blocked the exit rather than the protesters.
Acorn added: “Our members know what intimidation feels like—from unsafe public transport at night to hostile encounters with bailiffs and the struggle against inadequate housing services.”