Expert blog: A mayor for the East Midlands - what is the new East Midlands County Combined Authority? And why should we vote on 2 May?

On Thursday 2 May, voters across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, including the cities of Derby and Nottingham, will get the chance to elect their first directly elected mayor. This mayor will lead a new combined authority (EMCCA) responsible for an area with a population of around 2.2 million people in the East Midlands.

The prime responsibility of the mayor will be to implement the East Midlands devolution deal – an agreement negotiated between the leaders of the four principal local authorities in this sub-region and the government.

The ‘devo deal’ will see the mayor take on a number of new responsibilities devolved by government and receive (some) additional funding with which to discharge these new responsibilities.

The current model of devolution to Metro Mayors and combined authorities originated with the Greater Manchester Agreement of 2014 which led to the election of Andy Burnham as Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017. Other prominent Metro Mayors subsequently elected to lead combined authorities include Andy Street in the West Midlands, Steve Rotherham in Liverpool, Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire and Ben Houchin on Teeside.

There are currently 22 devo deals in place or in development in England, so the East Midlands has come relatively late to this party.

Compared to more established combined authorities such as those in Manchester and the West Midlands, it is important to recognise that the scope and funding associated with our deal is relatively modest. Expectations for the new authority must therefore be realistic. The initial focus of EMCCA’s activity will be:

• Skills
• Transport
• Housing
• Net Zero (and Retrofit)
• Business Support and Innovation

The new combined authority is likely to be staffed by around 50 people and initially take charge of a £38 million a year investment fund. This will rise with the devolution of an Adult Education Budget of around £53 million in 2025.

Of course, the devo deal promises much larger levels of new public investment into the region equivalent to some £4.4 billion in total – but this is over a 30-year period.

This includes an additional £1.5 billion of transport funding will flow into the region as a result of the cancellation of the northern leg of High Speed 2.

In the current public funding environment, any additional funding must be welcomed. But these levels of new public funding are insufficient to transform a regional economy worth around £50 billion in gross value added per year.

Why then should we care - and get out and vote on the 2 May?

In the context of an excessively centralised British state, this is necessary first step towards bringing power over important investment and public service delivery decisions back into the region from Whitehall.

Whatever the outcome of the much-anticipated general election likely to be held later this year, it is highly likely that we will see more, not less, devolution of powers and funding to the regional level in future years.

If the East Midlands is to benefit from this process, we must have a regional combined authority, headed by an elected mayor, who can be a powerful advocate for our region – able to secure both the powers and resources necessary to make a difference to the people of this region.

Associate Professor Will Rossiter,  Economic Strategy Research Bureau, Nottingham Business School