I’m keeping it local, says Ben Bradley
MP AND COUNCIL BOSS SAYS DOUBLE JOB IS ‘BENEFICIAL’
THE leader of Nottinghamshire County Council says he will be committing his time locally rather than climbing the career ladder in Westminster.
Ben Bradley – who is also Conservative MP for Mansfield – was appointed leader of the county council more than 100 days ago.
It was a move that surprised many, including local political experts, while MPS and council leaders in opposition parties raised concerns as to whether he will be able to juggle both full-time job.
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East and currently taking a break for mental health reasons, said at the time: “Another MP with a lucrative second job and this one comes with potential conflicts of interest.”
Meanwhile, Councillor David Mellen, leader of Nottingham’s Labour-run city council, said: “Being a council leader is very much a fulltime job, as is being a Member of Parliament. How could anyone do both jobs at the same time?”
However speaking to the Post after over three months doing both jobs, Mr Bradley said it had proved to be beneficial so far – for both his personal life as well as his professional activities.
He said: “It has been really rewarding so far, [despite] initial challenges managing the diary and getting structures in place, but having got over that it seems to be working OK.
“To be honest, I feel more informed as an MP because I’m actually delivering these services rather than just hearing about it.
“Obviously, council-wise nobody else can have the local discussion and deal with the local issues and go straight down as a councillor to Westminster and talk to ministers so, so far it has been really beneficial.
“It has been manageable. One of the reasons why I chose to commit my time locally rather than go off and being a minister is having young children and not wanting to be in Westminster five, six days a week.
“I’m going to go down and represent my constituents but I don’t want to go and climb that career ladder.
“I am committing that time locally instead and that means, although it’s long days and it’s busy, I have been able to go home at night and see my kids.”
While Mr Bradley’s position is the first of its kind in politics, it is not unprecedented for an MP to have two jobs.
Sheffield MP Dan Jarvis, for example, is also Mayor of South Yorkshire.
Comparisons were therefore drawn between the two following Mr Bradley’s appointment.
Full-time jobs quite obviously come with a pay packet and Mr Bradley is entitled to both his council leader allowance, of roughly just under £50,000, and his MP’S salary of just over £80,000 per year.
Mr Jarvis, meanwhile, opted to donate his salary of almost £80,000 to local causes.
Asked what Mr Bradley has planned for his pay, he said it is “not something I have thought about”
He added Dan Jarvis’s role “is very different” did not involve “leading a £1 billion authority”, and involved a different workload.
“I plan to earn the money and if I’m not my people will kick me out I’m sure,” he said.
High on the agenda, particularly in the Midlands and the North, is talk of the Government’s “levelling-up” plans.
Many have already concluded it is just a hollow piece of lip service, particularly after comments from an anonymous Whitehall source claiming that HS2 East, which would include a hub at Toton, has been all but scrapped.
Mr Bradley however says that no such decision has yet been made on the eastern leg. A decision is still expected in the autumn.
Mr Bradley added: “We’ve kicked things off on the big stuff.
“The biggest thing that came up in the election was roads and highways in particular, so we have kicked off a full review of absolutely every aspect of it, like what kit we will use and the policy and leadership. We will get to the bottom of what will deliver the best value.
“It is all coming together this autumn in terms of Government decisions, so we will get some outcomes on HS2, some outcomes on the Freeport and we will know whether that will get the go-ahead.
“We are having a conversation about devolution, what powers we can bring down from Whitehall to the county, for bespoke local interventions on things like children’s services and health inequalities.
“We will get a sense of the direction we will have in terms of levelling-up.
“It needs to be a long-term plan from Government and we have got a White Paper coming out in November.
“The intention is what is the longterm impact we are trying to make here.
“It is really holistic, like skills and job creation being key parts of that.
“In terms of what it has done so far, it is not just lip service. There is £130-odd million committed in terms of our regeneration and investment in the north of the county in those coalfield areas as well as the levelling-up fund.
“The funding has certainly been coming our way.”
Mr Bradley emphasised that it would be a “game-changer” if it can be pulled together. With schemes such as HS2, the Freeport and East Midlands Development Corporation plans, it could pave the way for 85,000 jobs, 10,000 homes and nearly £5 billion a year to the local economy.
I plan to earn the money and if I’m not people will kick me out, I’m sure
Ben Bradley