East Midlands Mayor prepares to shape economic growth plan for the region after securing £4bn of funding

The East Midlands Mayor has been considering a range of expert views before reviewing a commission’s recommendations on how best to use a £4bn Government funding boost across the region to shape and drive economic growth.

Mayor, Claire Ward, who oversees the East Midlands Combined County Authority, hosted one of a series events at the Casa Hotel, in Chesterfield, on July 23rd, for community organisations, businesses, councils, and public health and voluntary sector representatives to have their say and learn about the new Inclusive Growth Commission’s advisory role as EMCCA looks to implement its growth plans.   

Ms Ward appointed the Royal Society of Arts to run the new commission to guide how EMCCA invests a £4bn Government investment and to help the authority overcome challenges and to identify the best opportunities to shape and drive economic growth for the region.   

The Labour Mayor told the meeting: “This is a joint endeavour and a shared purpose is what changes lives and we see that in your organisations, your community groups, businesses, services and the NHS. All these things are about having a shared purpose and shared endeavour and that’s what we are trying to secure here across the region.”  

Ms Ward explained EMCCA is bringing this ‘shared endeavour’ together to make the sum of the region’s parts ‘something really special’ and that is why she believes the Labour Government is investing in the authority and the region.  

The £4bn Government investment aims to open up the potential for nationally-significant developments, business expansion, jobs growth, transport improvements and more housing, and by helping to set up the commission, Ms Ward has brought together specialists who have been working with communities and talking to business, skills and health leaders about ways of opening up the benefits of inclusive growth combining factors like health, learning, transport and the economy for more people and places in the region to drive growth.  

This commission’s recommendations will be published in September just weeks ahead of EMCCA releasing its Local Growth Plan as a roadmap for regional investment while outlining the role the region will play in the UK’s wider growth ambitions.  

EMCCA believes that the region needs to work together to overcome challenges that hold it back so that any growth from the £4bn Government investment can unlock opportunities which EMCCA hopes will support transformational developments across the region.  

These include transport investments such as the growth of the Derby-Nottingham economic corridor known as the Trent Arc, special Industrial Strategy Zones including East Midlands Freeport, and the sustainable expansion of the region’s tourism from the Peak District to Sherwood Forest with everything potentially creating 100,000 jobs, helping deliver 52,000 new homes and hopefully adding £4.6bn to the value of the region’s economy.  

Ms Ward said the East Midlands Investment Zones, including the Hartington-Staveley site, in Chesterfield borough, Infinity Park, in Derby, and The Explore Park, at Worksop, are really important in creating opportunities for businesses to locate and relocate into the region, invest, bring in jobs, skills, and to get growth into the area’s economy.  

She added that she is eager to hear from organisations and people about what they believe will make the region stronger which is why the Inclusive Growth Commission has been established before EMCCA outlines its plan for growth and puts business sector and Government money to the best use.  

Ms Ward explained that inclusive growth means every child and every young person gets the best opportunities wherever they live either in deprived communities or rural areas and that means improving public transport and connectivity, introducing free travel for youngsters and providing the best choices for where they want to learn, live and work with well-paid and secure jobs and affordable homes.  

The responsibility for public transport will eventually be transferred from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire’s city and county councils to EMCCA and after the Government awarded EMCCA £2bn for local transport for buses, trams and local train infrastructure in city regions Ms Ward said it will be looking at how best to spend this funding based on the best available opportunities.  

She added: “We are in a transition from the existing four councils responsible for public transport into one new transport authority covering the whole region and that will take place over the next few months and we will take over responsibility legally in April, next year.”  

However, the Government has not made a commitment regarding the remaining necessary funding for the overall £166m Chesterfield-Staveley bypass scheme but EMCCA has stated it will lead the process with partners to develop a proposal once the Government shares more details or formally gives the go-ahead for the scheme pending a remaining business case and a ground investigation.  

Ms Ward says she wants an economy that works for all where ‘business comes knocking on the door’ because they can see that the East Midlands is a great place to invest.  

She added that EMCCA wants a healthy, active population ready and able to take the opportunities that it aims to create which is why it is keen to work with the region’s health partners and other organisations and stakeholders.  

Commission Chairperson and RSA’s Chief Executive, Dr Andy Haldane, expressed the need to address public transport for patients seeking healthcare and mental health issues as well as the need to reduce high levels of economic inactivity by creating a healthier population able to work and to be more adaptable.  

Ms Ward said the commission will help ‘shine the mirror back on ourselves’ and provide full data for the region, bring together people in and outside the area to look at the deals and the opportunities and bring all the different parts together.   

She added: “They will make recommendations with a report and it will be for the board of EMCCA to make the responses to that. But to be clear, we have a significant amount of money to invest in the region and we want to make the most of that and the Inclusive Growth Commission board will help us to do that.”  

Government plans to introduce sole unitary authorities in county areas and to scrap the two-tier system with county and then district and borough councils have also been welcomed by EMCCA to create ‘create clarity on the purpose of Local Government’, according to Miss Ward.  

She said: “It will help to utilise expenditure in a better way by focussing it across a unitary authority instead of two tiers. What that looks like and which bids go where is still under discussion.”  

But Ms Ward stressed there will be no changes to East Midlands’ borders and no changes to the Derbyshire and High Peak boundaries, for example, to ensure viability and sustainability.  

She also discussed the need to do more for UK Armed Forces’ veterans with connected health services, mental health, housing and capitalising on their skills such as teamwork and leadership that can be transferred into employment.  

Ms Ward said: “As Mayor, I’ve secured more than £4bn in investment to drive growth in the region. The scale of the investment we will be making in the East Midlands puts us at the heart of the country’s future, but this is not the end of the story.  I want everyone to be part of this economy and to feel the benefits of their contribution.  

“That means investing in a way which creates good jobs, thriving places, and an enabling, reliable transport network. This is growth held to higher standards – inclusive growth.”  

Feedback from events in Chesterfield, Derby and Nottingham is expected to be built into the work of the Inclusive Growth Commission and into the East Midlands Local Growth Plan.   

The Commission will deliver its final recommendations in September and they are expected to focus on ways of making it easier for people to climb the opportunity ladder through step-by-step skills improvement, overcoming health challenges that prevent people from working, and by making sure they have the technology and transport connections to pursue jobs and careers wherever they live.   

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 will deal with broader issues like transport, regeneration and employment although Leicester City and Leicestershire County councils declined to join.