East Midlands Mayor oversees millions of pounds of funding schemes for the region in her first year

The East Midlands Mayor is determined to overcome fresh challenges and navigate some new political waters after she has been overseeing millions of pounds of Government funding schemes for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire during her first year at the helm of the new authority.

The Local Democracy Reporter Jon Cooper said that Labour’s Claire Ward was voted the first ever Mayor of the new East Midlands Combined County Authority with a landslide victory in May, last year, with a promised funding stream of £1.14bn to be spread by the authority over 30 years with devolved powers around transport, housing, skills and adult education, economic development and net zero.

EMCCA brings together representatives from four local authorities – Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council – who still oversee many public services but the new East Midlands authority deals with broader issues like transport, regeneration and employment although Leicester City and Leicestershire County councils declined to join.

However, despite Labour’s strong political presence across the region and a Labour Government, Ms Ward will now have to forge fresh ties with new Reform-controlled Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire county councils but she feels a shared desire for what is best for the region in terms of skills, jobs, industry and homes should unite the authority’s board behind the same goals.

Ms Ward said: “Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire’s councils are constituent parts and sit on the board of EMCCA and I have been clear… we welcome working with anyone sharing our ambition to share the best for the region.”

She added that she would also defy anyone not to support EMCCA’s work to create more skills, jobs and homes to enhance local industry with a shared commitment to improve the area.

EMCCA has already boasted securing over £120m in extra funding for the region alongside many multi-million pound Government-backed funding schemes facilitated under the authority’s devolved powers affording Ms Ward closer links to Westminster to lobby Government and to give the region more influence for greater investment in the East Midlands.

The £160m East Midlands Investment Zone, under EMCCA, aims to grow jobs in clean energy, high-tech industries, and advanced manufacturing with the skills and training in place to make sure residents are first in line for future opportunities and this will all be supported by the Inclusive Growth Commission aimed at prioritising investment and delivering prosperity.

This EMIZ funding will be spread over ten years at three sites – the Hartington-Staveley site, in Chesterfield borough, Infinity Park, at Derby, and The Explore Park, at Worksop – to support growth in green industries and advanced manufacturing.

Ms Ward said: “We have got £160m in our investment zone and that has been confirmed by Government and that means we can encourage more businesses to come in advanced manufacturing and clean, green energy to be themselves here in our region and that will encourage and bring new jobs and skills and great opportunities for people who live in our region, and we are making progress and there is lots more to do on that and we are putting more money into business and skills.”

A £140m community regeneration plan will also see Chesterfield, Worksop, Mansfield, Carlton, Clifton, Kirkby in Ashfield and Newark all getting £20m each over the next decade.

More than £200m is also going into improving bus services, road safety, and daily commutes including £88m in extra money secured thanks to the Mayor’s efforts, according to EMCCA.

The East Midlands Investment Fund plans have also secured £38m a year with £9.5m allocated so far this year for six projects including the transformation of the Derby City Urban Quarter and the part demolition of the Broadmarsh shopping centre in Nottingham.

EMCCA also says plans are under way for over 1,400 new homes to be built on brownfield land to meet housing needs while protecting green spaces.

The introduction of the new ‘High Peak Pass’ is also helping youngsters get to college and training under EMCCA with over 30,000 free bus journeys already taken in the scheme’s first three months.

A new Connect to Work programme will also help thousands of people with long-term health conditions get back into employment with £13m of funding support a year for the region, and the new £3m Mayoral Community Fund has been designed to support and strengthen some of the most disadvantaged areas and help them to grow.

EMCCA is also eager to keep plans for the stalled Chesterfield-to-Staveley Regeneration Route scheme on the road after they were ‘paused’ in 2023 by Derbyshire County Council as the council addressed forecast multi-million pound budget deficits while awaiting Government confirmation on funding for the £166m project.

Ms Ward said: “There is a proposal for the Chesterfield-to-Staveley bypass and we are keen to get the money and support from Government and it’s a really big project but in order to keep things moving – to make sure we have done everything we possibly can – we have to invest money for feasibility to clean up the land so development is not stopping while awaiting decisions from Government.”

With public transport expected to be eventually transferred to EMCCA, Ms Ward explained in the future the authority aims to work with bus companies to target and improve areas where there are insufficient services.

Prior to the county council elections, Derbyshire County Council stated it had been working hard to find a solution for desperate villagers in Morton, Derbyshire, who feel they have been left stranded after bus company Hulleys ceased trading and Notts and Derby Buses took over the 55 service but rerouted it away from the village.

The council said the decision was down to a very small number of passengers in Morton using the number 55 commercial service but new operator Notts and Derby Buses have said they would consider reinstating the Morton stop if the council agreed to allocate funding.

Ms Ward said: “Public transport is moving from the four councils to EMCCA in the next year – from April, next year – and that means we are not responsible for this relationship but we are building those relationships with the bus companies.

“The 55 is not a funded-route by the buses. It’s a commercial route which is the reason why they chose to change it but I think all of these hotspots and areas where there is not sufficient public transport is exactly the reason why we need to get control over public transport, and I want to work with bus companies so we can identify the areas that need additional support to encourage more people to use the bus.”

With foundations in place, Ms Ward expects the forthcoming year to bring even more progress from improving transport to building more homes, to the Inclusive Growth Commission working together to bring fresh perspectives to deliver economic growth, to creating new opportunities for young people and raising the East Midlands’ profile.

She believes the creation of EMCCA under devolution has opened up avenues for greater investment and more regional control and she has largely welcomed the prospect of the Government’s Local Government Reorganisation plans to introduce single, unitary councils in two-tier areas like Derbyshire by merging borough and district councils.

Although, Ms Ward has stressed she does not want to see Derbyshire and Nottnghamshire’s boundaries altered to accommodate new unitary councils because she feels the existing boundaries are important for EMCCA.

But she said unitary authorities will help spread the money spent across the region and to make better use of people’s hard-earned taxes.

Ms Ward added: “I would also say that the money we have been getting from Government has allowed us to make decisions locally.”

She explained she has been able to make direct choices such as supporting youngsters with the High Peak bus pass so they can get to college and training because EMCCA wants more young people to have access to training.

A new £5m Youth Guarantee Trailblazer scheme also aims to support youngsters aged between 18 to 21 to get their desired job or course.

The Mayor has also made it her mission to involve young people in the EMCCA decision-making process with the first-ever East Midlands Youth Committee.

Overall, Ms Ward Ward has been reflecting on what she regards as a successful year of greater investment in the region to help deliver better jobs, better skills, build new homes, improve transport and support a greener East Midlands while championing a visitor economy despite the current stagnant, national economy

She said: “It has been a busy but successful year for me and my team at the East Midlands Combined County Authority, setting up the first ever Combined County Authority for the region and taking office.

“The East Midlands has always been a place of ambition and resilience, full of potential — hard-working people, strong communities, and world-class industries.

“But for too long, we’ve missed out on the investment and attention we deserve. That’s starting to change, because the region now has a Mayor that is focussed on improving the region. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together in just one year – bringing in funding, new opportunities and real improvements.

“Devolution has given us the power to invest in ourselves, from £140m to regenerate our towns, to new homes, better transport, and more opportunities for young people. We’re already seeing the real difference a regional Mayor can make, bringing in funding and improvements that communities have long needed.

“This is just the start, I’m even more excited about what lies ahead, as we work together to make the East Midlands the best place to live, work and learn.”