There is widespread opposition to the idea of an East Midlands elected mayor as devolution talks continue, but the final decision over whether a deal will be accepted lies in the hands of county and city councils.
Chesterfield Borough Council (CBC) is the latest authority to react to plans for an East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) as part of the consultation over the addition of an overarching tier of local government to Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham and Derby councils.
In a meeting last night (December 14), CBC Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Paul Holmes said: “The idea of having a directly elected mayor representing millions of people is remote, out-of-touch, unwanted – it’s just a shocking bad idea.”
He added that in the past the Government had allowed a referendum on devolution plans, which the public had generally voted against, but now the decision had been taken out of their hands.
The Labour-run council’s leader Councillor Tricia Gilby stated the four upper tier county and city councils would be the ones who would ultimately make the call over whether to accept the offer or not.
She pointed out that the East Midlands had been underfunded for a long time and the £1.14billion over 30 years offered to the region as part of the deal would be welcome, adding: ”The only way that we could reach all the money that was on offer, and all the powers that were on offer could be received by areas, was by agreeing to a mayor.
“There was no single leader in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire that was in favour of having a mayor.”
Earlier this month, the Labour-led Bolsover District Council voted in favour of writing to both the local MP and the Levelling Up Secretary opposing the EMCCA plans.
Leader Councillor Steve Fritchley commented: “There is a lot of objection to the proposal, not only here in Bolsover district, but across Derbyshire as well, as it will have a real significant effect on democracy in Great Britain.”
Similarly the majority of the Conservative-led North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) voted to respond to the ongoing consultation opposing the deal in its current form on the grounds that it was not in the ‘best interests of the residents of North East Derbyshire’.
The amended recommendations put forward by NEDDC Labour Leader Councillor Nigel Barker said the council supported devolving powers to a local level but did not support the creation of a mayor, stating: “This council believes those powers should be devolved to existing local councils.”
The Tory leader of Derbyshire County Council (DCC) Councillor Barry Lewis, who also sits on NEDDC, has spoken in favour of the current devolution deal, which he was instrumental in creating.
Despite previously being opposed to the idea of an elected mayor, the leader argues the increased powers over transport, housing and skills, as well as the funding desperately needed by the county, make the move worthwhile.
If the devolution deal is accepted, the EMCCA will be brought into being in May 2024.
