Mayor's drive to highlight region's 'fantastic gems'

Claire Ward visited Bolsover Castle on her first day as the East Midlands Mayor

The new mayor for the East Midlands said "it's still sinking in" on her first day in the role.

Labour's Claire Ward won the election to become the region's first ever mayor, with the result announced on Friday.

She visited Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire on Tuesday, where she signed the official document to become mayor.

The new mayoral role is a requirement of a £1.14bn devolution deal for the region and will cover Derby, Nottingham, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Ms Ward signing the official declaration to become mayor

The funding from the deal will be spread over 30 years.

Ms Ward said: "It’s still sinking in. I’m really excited to do this role.

"I think by starting here, at Bolsover Castle, it’s showing the pledges that I made, which is to really put some of these fantastic gems, these beautiful places, on the map and highlight them."

When asked why another layer of bureaucracy in local government was needed, she pointed to other regional mayors.

"They’ve made a difference, mostly because they’re getting the power and the funding from Westminster," Ms Ward said.

"And they’re bringing it here into the local regions to be able to make their own choices and priorities."

'Greater investment'

Leicestershire is not involved in the East Midlands Combined County Authority, but Ms Ward said there were "bound to be some connections" with the county.

She added: "We’ve got the freeport, for example, which covers not just our region, but also has an impact into Leicestershire.

"I’m sure there will be wider discussions in due course, but my focus right now is on the areas for which I’ve been elected - Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire."

Ms Ward said she wanted to "see much greater investment being brought into this region" and collaborate with existing tourism boards to put the East Midlands "firmly" on the map.

Ms Ward said her first few weeks in the job would be about getting to know the team, meetings with stakeholders and thinking about strategy and budget.

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