Erster Bürgermeister Thomas Hermann (SPD party) attended the City Leaders Summit as part of the European Green Capital 2015 series of events. He was accompanied by his partner Margitta Schürmann, who was a local SPD party councillor in her own right. The Mayor contributed to the discussions as well as giving an interview to camera. He sat with Mayor Ferguson for one of the informal dinners and struck up a good relationship, discussing Jazz as both are fans. It was Mayor Hermann’s first visit to Bristol for ten years as he had been part of the Trade Union and Socialist exchange which ran between the two cities for many years.