East Midlands Mayor Archives

Regional Mayor opens £10k fund for grassroots sports organisations (Deadline: 23rd August 2026)

Grassroots organisations across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire are being encouraged to apply for a share of £10,000 following on from Mayor Claire's Summer of Sport. The Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, has launched the Community Activity Challenge Fund, offering grants of between £250 and £2,000 to local groups to deliver free sport and activity opportunities between 1st September and 30th November 2026. The fund is designed to increase participation in sport and physical activity by supporting organisations to deliver […]

17 August 2026 43

Derbyshire

Bus franchising plans

Seizing bus services from private providers into public ownership remains firmly on the table, says the East Midlands Mayor, with trailblazer Andy Burnham now Prime Minister. Bus franchising is the process through which services are seized from private providers and placed back into public ownership – then rendered to be run by those firms under one banner with ticketing and prices decided centrally. This process was pioneered in Greater Manchester by the city region’s former Mayor and now Prime Minister, […]

13 August 2026 25

Nottinghamshire

Mayor Claire commits £200k to shape future of iconic nature centre

A popular Nottinghamshire nature site is set for a brighter future thanks to a £200,000 investment from the Mayor of the East Midlands. Mayor Claire Ward has awarded the funds to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust to develop plans to improve Attenborough Nature Reserve and the on-site Attenborough Nature Centre. The centre, which opened 21 years ago, was initially designed to welcome around 70,000 visitors per year, but welcomed around 160,000 visitors in its first year of operation – and has been […]

6 August 2026 15

Mayor Claire Ward Launches Her Big Transport Conversation in November 2025. Image from EMCCA.

Derby

Opposition parties dub East Mids Mayor chauffeuring as “excessive, shocking, eyewatering and unjustifiable”

The spending of more than £17,000 on chauffeurs by the region’s Labour mayor has been dubbed “excessive, shocking, eyewatering and unjustifiable” by opposition parties. This follows extensive work from the Local Democracy Reporting Service into the amount of money spent by Claire Ward, East Midlands Mayor, on chauffeurs since March 2025. Data published by the East Midlands Combined County Authority shows that in the 13 months from March last year to April 2026, Ms Ward has spent £17,733 on chauffeurs […]

9 June 2026 8

Cricket

Sports consortium set to drive East Mids growth with generation lead role

The Trent Sports District is set to become a major driver of growth for Nottingham and the wider East Midlands - forming a key part of the Trent Arc plan led by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). Built around one of the UK’s strongest clusters of sports, leisure and waterfront assets, the District will bring these strengths together to support regeneration, attract investment and create a better-connected place for residents, visitors and businesses. Property and construction consultancy Gleeds […]

20 May 2026 35

News

Housing and pothole funding among highlights as Mayor marks two-year anniversary

Giving councils the most money ever to tackle potholes and seeing the first residents move into the thousands of new homes unlocked for development are among the key highlights as Mayor Claire Ward celebrates her second anniversary in office. After being elected the inaugural Mayor of the East Midlands in May 2024, Mayor Claire is now celebrating the halfway mark of her term of office, highlighting a period of major investment, strengthened regional partnerships and a renewed focus on growth, […]

12 May 2026 14

News

Mayor completes 150-mile ‘Loop’ challenge across the East Midlands

Forget running 26.2 miles in under two hours - the Mayor of the East Midlands has completed a marathon challenge of her own. Just days after Sabastian Sawe smashed the world record at the London Marathon, Mayor Claire Ward crossed the finish line of her 150-mile “Loop” around the region, returning to Buxton to a brass band welcome and cheers from supporters who joined her along the way. Mayor Claire said: “Tackling the Loop has been an incredible experience - […]

1 May 2026 37

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has played down fresh plans for trams in Derby. Image by LDRS.

News

Thousands spent on chauffeuring, restaurant hire, food-runs and waterpark and US-hotel stays for the East Mids Mayor and staff

By Eddie Bisknell - Local Democracy Reporting Service Thousands of pounds have been spent on chauffeuring services, upmarket restaurant hire, M&S food runs, and waterpark and American hotel stays for the East Midlands Mayor and their staff. Data disclosed by the East Midlands Combined Authority shows the amount of money which staff, including Labour’s East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward and the authority’s chief executive, have spent on Government-issued corporate credit cards. The most recent monthly reports published by the authority […]

19 March 2026 28

East Midlands Mayor

Regional Mayor opens £10k fund for grassroots sports organisations (Deadline: 23rd August 2026)

Bus franchising plans

Mayor Claire commits £200k to shape future of iconic nature centre

Opposition parties dub East Mids Mayor chauffeuring as “excessive, shocking, eyewatering and unjustifiable”

Sports consortium set to drive East Mids growth with generation lead role

Housing and pothole funding among highlights as Mayor marks two-year anniversary

Mayor completes 150-mile ‘Loop’ challenge across the East Midlands

Thousands spent on chauffeuring, restaurant hire, food-runs and waterpark and US-hotel stays for the East Mids Mayor and staff

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