New East Midlands mayor: Your questions answered as the historic vote nears
and Nottinghamshire voters will go to the polls in a historic election in May to choose the firstever East Midlands mayor.
The £1.14 billion devolution deal for the region will move some powers from Westminster to an elected leader for the two counties, which have a combined population of 1.6 million people.
The mayor will have authority to make more major decisions locally, similar to West Midlands mayor Andy Street or Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham.
As part of the role, a joint area council called the East Midlands Combined Authority has been created, although major local authorities including the city and county councils will continue.
The election race is already under way, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visiting the area last week to support the Conservative candidate.
Mark Rogers, interim chief executive of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), said: “This is a big deal in every sense. It’s on a scale that the East Midlands hasn’t seen before, and gives it the powers and resources it needs to turn round under-investment, tackle challenges and open up massive new opportunities for people and places.
“This is all about bringing power back to the East Midlands, and the most significant part of that process is the vote – the people will decide who’ll lead this transformation.”
Who is running to be East Midlands mayor?
In alphabetical order, the current candidates are:
■ Frank Adlington-Stringer (Green)
■ Ben Bradley (Conservative)
■ Alan Graves (Reform)
■ Matt Relf (Independent)
■ Clare Ward (Labour)
This list is still not definitive, as other candidates have until April 5 to throw their name into the ring.
What powers will the mayor have?
The combined authority will receive £38m annually for 30 years and have greater controls over how money is spent on education, housing and the environment.
The devolution deal promises to tackle under-investment in the East Midlands and reclaim powers from Westminster.
The mayor will also take a leading role in transport, with the government promising an additional £1.5bn of funding.
The Government believes a mayor means clearer accountability over local powers, functions and funding.
The mayor’s term of office will run for four years.
When is election day?
Voters will go to the polls on Thursday, May 2 between 7am and 10pm. The results will likely be tallied overnight and announced some time on Friday, May 3.
Voters will be asked to show photographic ID at polling stations, such
as a passport, driving licence, blue badge or an Older Person’s Bus Pass. If you don’t have this, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by Wednesday, April 24.
You can only vote if your name is on the register of electors. You may need to update this if you have never voted before, moved house or changed your name since the last election. This can be done online before Tuesday, April 16.
How can I vote?
The most common way to vote is in person at your local polling station, however this isn’t possible for everyone due to health reasons, disabilities or other commitments.
You can apply for a postal vote online at www.gov.uk or fill in an application form, which are available from the electoral services team at your local council. You will need to do this before Wednesday, April
17, to ensure it is processed in time for the May elections.
You can also designate someone as a proxy to vote on your behalf. Online applications, at www.gov.uk, will need to be made by Wednesday, April 24, and your proxy will still need to bring ID.
Has there even been an election across both counties before?
This is the first election to cover the electorate of both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, making it uniquely difficult to predict.
Control of the four major councils across the area is currently split between different parties. Conservatives currently have a majority of seats on both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire County Councils. Nottingham City Council is Labour controlled, while no party has overall control of Derby City Council, which has a Labour leader.
How can I find out more about the candidates?
The Derby Telegraph and sister publication the Nottingham Post and their respective websites have teamed up with Notts TV and Nottingham Trent University to host a live hustings event set to feature all five of the confirmed mayoral candidates.
The event is on Friday, April 19, at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, Convent Street, in Nottingham. From 2pm, the candidates will face a live audience. Presenter Frances Finn will be posing questions to them, including those submitted by readers.
Will it mean more housing?
The new authority says it would work with local authorities, landowners, developers and housing providers to create affordable, good quality housing and to retrofit existDERBYSHIRE ing homes to be more environmentally sustainable.
It says it could use new powers to buy land and housing, with the consent of district and borough councils and it could mean new and better standards for homes, low carbon measures, and improvements to existing housing.
It would mean £16.8 million a year would be available for building homes on brownfield land, subject to areas being identified. £9 million would help to support the delivery of housing priorities and new powers would allow it to acquire and dispose of land to build houses, commercial space and infrastructure, for growth and regeneration.
Does it mean more jobs?
The combined authority says devolution means it would get more say locally, and get to make decisions about the region. For example, it would have a fully devolved adult skills budget, which means it would no longer be constrained by rules set nationally on what it can use adult education funding for – only on specific age groups, for instance – and could instead tailor this to the region’s needs.
It could help this funding be available to the people who need it so they can fulfil their potential and help them get the jobs they want. It would also help employers hire people with the skills they need by addressing the skills gap, by removing barriers to better paid work.
What will mean for transport?
The authority says it will work with transport providers inside and outside its area to develop a collective infrastructure and create the best possible public transport system.
Devolution would give it the opportunity to combine local transport plans together into a single integrated plan, rather than four, develop new smart integrated ticketing on public transport and create new concessionary fare schemes.
It would also mean it could set up and coordinate a Key Route Network, which would be made up of some of the busiest and most important roads in its area, so it could better manage the region’s highways.
Will it improve the environment?
The authority says it wants to lead the way in new forms of clean energy. It says devolution means it could work more effectively on a larger scale to bring cleaner air, lower heating costs, and move towards being carbon neutral with schemes such as new low carbon homes, retrofitting existing homes with insulation, promoting the use of renewable energy, protecting and enhancing green spaces, explore the establishment of heat network zoning to decarbonise heating and hot water and potentially increase the area’s electricity network capacity
It says it would make £18 million available to support housing and drive net zero ambitions in the East Midlands.