Assuming the relevant legislation is passed by Parliament, spring this year should see the creation of the East Midlands Combined County Authority. This mouthful will be a new layer of regional government covering the counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, and the cities of Derby and Nottingham, altogether a population of 2.2 million people. Some funding and decision powers which are currently held by central government will be devolved to the Combined Authority. The Combined Authority will have representatives from the constituent councils (all four types: county, city, borough and district) and will be led by a Mayor.

            According to the East Midlands Devolution website (www.eastmidlandsdevolution.co.uk) there are four main priorities for the new Mayor to address, and one of those is transport. Another is achieving net zero by 2050, which is also relevant to transport. It’s notable that in the East Midlands Combined County Authority Proposal document (March 2023) one of the region’s challenges is described as “poor East-West and North-South connectivity by road and rail, with many areas suffering from transport isolation.” The Peaks and Dales line, connecting Derby to Manchester via Matlock and Buxton, is an obvious solution.  

            And the Mayor will have a substantial sum of money to spend. After the cancellation of phase 2 of HS2 the Government decided to give the East Midlands Combined Authority £1.5 billion ringfenced for transport. The new mayor will not have much money to spare on a railway, after all those potholes have been fixed, but he or she could kickstart the line.

The Mayors of Manchester and the West Midlands (Andy Burnham and Andy Street) are currently exploring alternative funding methods to improve transport links between Birmingham and Manchester after the cancellation of HS2. The East Midlands Mayor could do the same to open up another route between Birmingham and Manchester, via Derby!

            The vote for the Mayor takes place on Thursday 2 May. The three main candidates are Ben Bradley (Conservative), Claire Ward (Labour) and Matt Relf (Independent). Ascertaining their views on public transport is key – all three will be at the MEMRAP public meeting in Whaley Bridge on 8 February, and hopefully at one in Belper in April. Why not come along and ask them?

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