Will the East Midlands get promised transport cash?

Signs along the A614 in Nottinghamshire proclaim that improvements are coming soon

When the East Midlands was asked to elect a regional mayor - covering Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire - for the first time this year, one of the big selling points was a massive investment in transport infrastructure.

The previous government promised the mayor would have £1.5bn to spend on improving connectivity – money saved from the cancellation of HS2 beyond Birmingham.

At the time, ministers suggested it could be used to fund an expansion of Nottingham's tram network and improve bus links between Derby and East Midlands Parkway.

Now though, there is at least a question mark over whether any of it will materialise.

The victor in May's election, Labour's Claire Ward, should have been the one to decide how the cash was spent.

Speaking to the BBC last week, however, she said she was unsure if it would ever arrive.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward says the region needs more investment

"The reality is the new government has come in. It's realised many of those commitments made by the last government were simply built on sand. They just didn't exist," she said.

She stressed that, whatever happens, there will be money available to spend on transport from the guaranteed "day-to-day" funding the new combined authority receives - equivalent to £38m a year.

But asked directly if she thinks the separate £1.5bn transport investment pot could be cut at the upcoming Budget, Ward said: "I don't know, but I have always said all the way through my election, I would believe it when the money hit the bank account."

As ever before the Budget, government departments are not willing to confirm or deny much at all.

A review of transport projects was announced by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh in July, however.

"Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them. This government will not make that mistake," she said at the time.

What else should people in Nottinghamshire look out for?

Ben Bradley is concerned about funding for improvements to the A614

There are fears specific projects in the region could face the axe as well.

Plans to improve the A614 and A6097 in Nottinghamshire have been in the works for years, with funding due to be allocated by the Department for Transport.

Conservative Nottinghamshire County Council leader Ben Bradley said it was "a matter of days" away from getting final confirmation when the general election was called - to the extent the council put up signs along the route saying the work is "coming soon".

"We're already now four or five months behind our schedule in terms of starting that work," he said.

"Truth be told, if we don't get some confirmation in the Budget heading into winter when our highways challenges increase with the weather anyway, it's going to be very, very difficult to get that started.

"Obviously if we don't get the money at all, it won't happen."

One theory is the government will shift the burden of funding the work to the East Midlands mayor.

In this scenario, the mayor would keep the £1.5bn transport pot, but would have to decide whether to use some of it to pay for projects, which were previously set to be funded directly by the Department for Transport.

What about housing?

Traffic regularly backs up along the A614, near Ollerton Roundabout

Bradley said problems along the route were "a massive constraint on the economy" and were holding up housebuilding in the area.

For example, land on the site of the former Thoresby Colliery currently has planning permission for 800 homes, with the potential for up to 1,200, but a planning restriction means only about half can be built without improvements to nearby roads.

Ed Catchpole, regional director for the site's developers - the Harworth Group - said he hoped to hear confirmation the work could go ahead in the Budget.

"We need to make sure there is sufficient capacity in the local highway network," he said.

"Ollerton Roundabout is a particular pinchpoint and has needed upgrading for a number of years."

He added he thought funding should have been provided, regardless of which party was in office.

"Brownfield regeneration of this nature spans political cycles and as such, public funding for critical infrastructure to underpin these sites should be ringfenced and allocated for the long-term," he said.

Ed Catchpole says road improvements are needed to unlock housing developments

While there was never the belief that an elected mayor would be the silver bullet to solve the region's infrastructure problems, it was at least hoped they could help reverse a trend of low investment.

Over the years, the region has consistently been bottom of the charts for public spending per head in the whole country, often leading to feelings the area has been left behind.

The government has already announced plans for a separate investment zone in the East Midlands.

But plans are one thing, and as any council or business leader will tell you, delivery is another. And, as ever, cash is king.