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Nottingham Trent University, Notts TV and Nottinghamshire Live hosts East Midlands Mayoral Hustings

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) partnered with Notts TV and Nottinghamshire Live and Derbyshire Live for an innovative East Midlands Mayoral Debate which took place last week.

    East Midlands Mayoral Candidates
    East Midlands Mayoral Candidates at NTU Hustings

    The Hustings event, held at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies’ Confetti X venue in Nottingham brought together the six confirmed Mayoral candidates in a one-hour live debate, answering questions on their priorities for the region should they be elected Mayor as part of a £1.14bn devolution deal for the East Midlands.

    The televised debate took place ahead of voters taking to the polls on 2 May to elect the East Midlands Mayor, and questions were posed from the audience, which consisted of members of the public and students from Nottingham and Derby and respective counties.

    Opening statements were heard from each of the candidates followed by pre-submitted questions on a variety of topics such as education, housing and the environment.

    The debate was co-presented by Notts TV's Frances Finn and BA Broadcast Journalism Course Leader at NTU, Gail Mellors.

    The event was streamed live on Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Live social media channels, followed by a one-hour programme broadcast later in the evening on Notts TV.

    Professor Edward Peck, Vice-Chancellor and President of Nottingham Trent University said: “The Mayoral hustings event is a fantastic collaboration between our university and our local media. The creation of an East Midlands Combined Authority is an historic first for our region, and working together we’ve made sure we can reach our local communities to ensure they can make an informed decision on the candidates’ policies when voting. In addition, by involving our students in various ways, we’re working to encourage young people to exercise their democratic right to vote.”

    Chris Breese, Channel Manager for Notts TV said: “Political debates like these can be among the most exciting parts of elections, and it was great to see so many Nottinghamshire organisations combine their different areas of expertise to host this one. It was also heartening to see so many questions submitted by voters, who we hope we have helped to engage ahead of the election. Events like this really do show how important local democracy is, and why it's vital to encourage healthy debate.”

    Natalie Fahy, Editorial Director,  East Midlands, Reach Plc said: “I am delighted that we have been able to work with NTU and Notts TV on this exciting hustings event. We are all focused on making sure communities across the region can have a voice for an important and historical election such as this which is what binds us together. The response from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Live readers has been enthusiastic and robust and I know readers are glad to have the opportunity to directly put their questions to candidates."

    The hustings event is the result of a close, collaborative relationship between the three parties, working together on various initiatives to develop and enhance engagement in the local community.

    • Notes for editors

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      About Nottingham Trent University

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK. It is the 3rd best modern university in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023).

      NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of almost 8,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

      NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The second was awarded for research on the safety and security of global citizens.

      The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.

      NTU is rated 5/5 stars overall and for Teaching, Employability, Internationalisation, Research and Facilities (QS Stars 2022).

      NTU is a top five university for widening participation with 25% of NTU students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds (HESA 2021-22). It was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge in 2018 and was named ‘University of the Year’ at the UK Social Mobility Awards in 2019.

      NTU is the most sustainable university in the UK and 2nd in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2023).

      About Notts TV

      Notts TV has been the local TV channel for the City and County since 2014 – dedicated to ‘Championing Notts’. Locally owned, the channel's programming is about celebrating what’s great about the area – while not being afraid to face its problems and hold authority to account.

      The channel broadcasts a range of programmes 24 hours a day – from local news to history; sport to music.

      Notts TV is available on Freeview channel 7, Virgin 159 and programmes can be watched on-demand at nottstv.com.

      Notts TV is an independent broadcaster, not connected to any larger national grouping. Owned by Nottingham Trent University, its award-winning content has been seen by 44% of the 16+ population in Nottinghamshire. The channel is funded by contributions from NTU and a rich variety of top Nottinghamshire companies who value being part of the channel and see it is an excellent way to promote their activities.

      The majority of Notts TV programmes are produced in-house from its studios at the Antenna Media Centre, part of the Confetti Media Group. In addition, a full-time team of experienced journalists, producers and technical staff work from the Nottingham city centre newsroom.

      The channel also runs innovative industry training experiences for students working towards academic qualifications in TV, film, the wider media, and related sectors. At Sky, the BBC, commercial radio and leading digital and PR organisations, there are individuals who made their first steps in their media careers through NTU and Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies – and through making programmes for Notts TV.

      About Reach

      We’re Reach plc, the UK’s and Ireland’s largest commercial news publisher. We’re home to over 120 trusted brands, from national titles like the Mirror, Express, Daily Record and Daily Star, to local brands like MyLondon, BelfastLive and the Manchester Evening News, as well as our US brands.
      Every month we reach 72% of the UK online population, who come to us for trusted news, entertainment and sport.

      For more information, visit reachplc.com

    Published on 22 April 2024
    • Category: Press office