Your chance to put questions to the candidates for first regional mayor
THE six candidates hoping to become the first ever East Midlands Mayor will face questions as part of a live hustings event.
Nottinghamshire Live and Derbyshire Live have teamed up with Notts TV and Nottingham Trent University to host the event which will feature all of the confirmed mayoral candidates.
It takes place on Friday at 2pm and readers have been given the chance to submit their own questions. Hosted by broadcaster Frances Finn, the event will be broadcast live on Notts TV as well as on Nottinghamshire Live and Derbyshire Live’s websites. We will also stream it on Nottinghamshire Live and Derbyshire Live’s Facebook pages. All six of those hoping to become the East Midlands Mayor have been invited to take part in the hustings. The candidates are:
■Frank Adlington-stringer for the Green Party - currently an elected member of North East Derbyshire District Council
■Ben Bradley for the Conservative Party - currently Mansfield MP and Nottinghamshire County Council’s leader
■Alan Graves for the Reform Party currently the Mayor of Derby
■Matt Relf - an independent candidate who is currently an elected member of Ashfield District Council
■Claire Ward for the Labour Party currently chair of the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
■Helen Tamblyn-saville for the Liberal Democrats - Mrs Tamblynsaville owns the Wonderland Bookshop in Retford, previously serving as a member of Bassetlaw District Council and standing as the Lib Dem candidate for Bassetlaw MP at the 2019 general election.
The East Midlands Mayor will lead the East Midlands Combined County Authority - a new organisation covering Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The authority has been given extensive powers currently held by Westminster, meaning it will be able to take decisions on issues including local transport and housing.
To take advantage of these powers, the combined authority has been given an initial £1.14 billion budget over 30 years. The East Midlands Mayor will lead on the use of the new powers and funding. The election will be held on Thursday, May 2.