Dan Norris £10K Bus Wrap Fiasco: A Vanity Project in the Midst of Public Hardship

Dan Norris, the West of England metro mayor and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the League Against Cruel Sports, is embroiled in a scandal over the unlawful use of £10,000 in taxpayer money to cover a bus with oversized images of himself and his dog, Angel. The controversial wrap was intended to promote the Birthday Bus scheme, offering residents free bus travel during their birthday month and encouraging the recruitment of bus drivers.

Dan Norris bus wrap vanity project — Dan Norris £10,000 Vanity Project

The design featured three prominent photos of Norris—one towering at 3 meters, another at 2 meters, and the smallest at 1 meter—alongside two images of Angel. The slogans “Free Bus Travel In Your Birthday Month” and “Be A Community Hero. Become A Bus Driver” were prominently displayed on the sides of the double-decker bus, which was meant to be showcased at a launch event in May and stay in service for at least a year.

However, the project quickly unravelled when West of England Combined Authority (Weca) interim chief executive Richard Ennis raised concerns about the legality of the expenditure and pulled the bus from public view. A report to the council’s committee revealed that Norris had issued a “direct instruction” to mayoral office staff to execute the wrap using government funds, without following the necessary approval processes or obtaining the required three quotes. This breach of protocol led council leaders to determine that the spending was unlawful, and they have now demanded a full review of Norris’s mayoral budget over the past two years.

The report highlighted that officers, acting under Norris’s direction, did not consider consulting anyone within the combined authority, nor did they follow expected financial controls. The decision has been widely condemned as an example of political vanity, with the bus wrap described as being reminiscent of campaign vehicles used to influence voters.

The backlash has been swift and severe. Local politicians and citizens alike have criticised Norris for what they see as a flagrant misuse of public resources, particularly during a time of economic hardship for many in the region. Critics argue that the £10,000 could have been far better spent on essential services rather than what appears to be a self-promotional tool.

Norris justified the expenditure with the rationale: “It’s a big bus. If you put it any smaller, you wouldn’t see it.”

The fallout from the scandal has cast a long shadow over Norris’s leadership, both as metro mayor and as the Chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

As the investigation continues, there are growing calls for greater transparency in how public funds are managed, particularly by those in positions of significant power and influence.