West of England mayor will not step down after winning parliamentary seat

West of England mayor Dan Norris has said he will not step down from his role after being elected MP for North Somerset.
The Labour MP said in an interview there is no reason why he cannot carry out both roles at the same time.
Norris, who defeated Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg, was part of a group of Metro Mayors who visited Downing Street in the wake of Labour’s election victory.
Mayors pose for Hollywood style selfie
He said he would not be stepping down from his role as leader of West of England Combined Authority, calling a mayoral by-election “nonsensical” and “hugely costly”.
Dan Norris is being paid a yearly salary of £91,346 as an MP as well as his metro mayor salary’s of £87,000.
“So, until at least next May, I’ll do both jobs,” said Norris.
“And that makes sense, because to call the by-election when you’ve got an electorate of about a million people is a hugely expensive thing.
“Only to have it a few months later will be nonsensical.
“Also, allow me to work out how I can do both jobs and whether that’s possible in the longer term.”
He went on: “And obviously I’ll be taking soundings, but there’s lots of precedent in politics.
“You know, many MPs are ministers, for example. I’ve done that myself. And that’s very similar to being a regional mayor.
“So, I think it’s doable, but I’m not going to make a decision now.”
Talking about the Downing Street meeting he said: “The prime minister meeting regional mayors is a positive example of the new government hitting the ground running.
“I have been delivering on skills, the environment and transport for the last four years, including birthday buses to get more residents to use the bus, and look forward to working with a Labour government with the same priorities.”