The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) mayoral election takes place on Thursday, May 1. Five candidates are in the running, including Paul Bristow (Conservative), Ryan Coogan (Reform), Lorna Dupre (Liberal Democrats), Bob Ensch (Green Party) and Anna Smith (Labour). A combined authority mayor makes important decisions for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and is responsible for a £20 million annual budget, as well as having devolved powers to spend up to £800 million on local housing, infrastructure and jobs. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) sat down with Conservative candidate Paul Bristow to discuss his plans for Peterborough if elected on May 1. The LDRS has invited all five candidates for interviews, which will be published in the run up to the election. Who is Paul Bristow? Paul Bristow served as the MP for Peterborough from 2019 until 2024, when he was ousted by the Labour candidate Andrew Pakes. His political career began in 2006 when he was elected to Hammersmith and Fulham Council as a councillor for Fulham Reach ward. The 46-year-old grew up in Whittlesey and now lives with his family in Wansford, near Peterborough. He said: "I like politics, but I love my family and I spend a lot of time with them." Away from politics, Mr Bristow follows cricket and football closely, supporting York FC. What are Paul Bristow's plans for Peterborough if elected? One of Mr Bristow's main plans for Peterborough if elected as CPCA mayor is to build a community stadium for Peterborough United, which would also include a swimming pool and concert venue. He claimed that he would be able to remove any planning permission concerns regarding the stadium. He said: "I can remove that question mark by including a new stadium for Posh in my special development strategy. "I, together with that, want to build a swimming pool and a concert venue. I want to put Peterborough on the map." Explaining how the stadium and pool would be funded, he said: "A lot of the risk would be shared by Peterborough United and a public body, which would be myself. "Peterborough United would shoulder a lot of the cost. There would be planning gain I'm sure from building where the existing Posh ground is and that can be shared. "There would also be public sector involvement in terms of building the swimming pool. Mayors in Teesside, Birmingham and Manchester borrow against their guaranteed revenue stream for public good and we can do that here in Cambridgeshire." Peterborough's former regional pool is due to be demolished. Mr Bristow said: "The council will never have enough money or resources to build a new pool. The people of Peterborough and I know they won't do it. I will. "The way we do it is by building that community stadium and combining the swimming pool with that opportunity. It's happened in York and we can do it on a bigger scale here in Peterborough, including the concert venue too." Free parking in Peterborough is another one of Mr Bristow's pledges if elected. He said: "Peterborough city centre needs a hug and is not what it once was. It's been on a decline. A lot of that happened when John Lewis left but it was happening before that. "My biggest issue about regenerating the city centre now is around free parking. I want to bring free parking to Peterborough city centre. "I can subsidise the city council, some of the revenue they get through parking fees, through mayoral budgets, so people are encouraged to stay in our city centre." Also among Mr Bristow's plans are dualling the region's main A roads and improving rail transport. "I want to connect our three great cities together by much faster trains, dualling our A roads, building light rail in Cambridge, by improving digital connectivity and creating an identity for Cambridgeshire that doesn't exist at the moment. "I want people across Cambridgeshire to be proud to come from here," he said. When asked how he would make sure that Peterborough is not overlooked, he said: "There are two challenges that any mayor has to overcome. The first is to make sure that Cambridge remains a success story. "The second is how you spread that success story from Cambridge and South Cambs, and make sure places like Peterborough and the rest of our county benefit from the opportunities presented by Cambridge. "They are two different places, Peterborough and Cambridge, but they can complement one another. "On my watch, Peterborough is never going to be overlooked." Why Paul Bristow believes you should vote for him Mr Bristow said: "I am the only candidate who is not standing for council on the same day or who is not an existing councillor. I only want to be mayor. All the other candidates are hedging their bets. "I know how Westminster works, I know how to get money for projects and money for our city. I've done it before and I will do it again." The election results will be announced at the Ross Peers Sports Centre in Soham on Friday, May 2.