Devolution headaches for East Midlands MPs

Worksop in the Bassetlaw area of Nottinghamshire is in need of investment

With a possible shake-up of local government in the East Midlands to be decided in the autumn, Nottinghamshire's politicians are haggling over what is best for the county's residents.

East Markham is a quiet Nottinghamshire village. It has a pub and a primary school and the last shop closed five years ago. But it does have an ancient monument - the East Markham Pinfold.

The largest pinfold in the country no less.

It's basically a high-walled rectangle where any stray livestock found wandering around would be put, making it the first port of call for a worried shepherd.

Nowadays, the best place to go with your worries is the village hall. It's where I found Conservative MP for Newark, Robert Jenrick, holding one of his mobile surgeries. He drives to see people and they know where to find him, a modern political pinfold.

Robert Jenrick MP said his constituents hated the idea of joining a Sheffield deal

Some were there to respond to an issue raised by Mr Jenrick himself. He wrote to 8,000 of his constituents to find out what they thought Bassetlaw District Council's wish to join in with the Sheffield City Devolution deal.

He was surprised to get more than 2,000 replies - all of them against the plan.

He said they "hated the idea" and expected they would just be neglected.

Mark Priddle, who went to see Mr Jenrick, said: "Why would Sheffield want anything to do with a village in Nottinghamshire? It doesn't make sense economically or socially."

It's a year since plans for a combined Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire devolution deal were submitted to the government. The aim is to get powers and money shifted from Whitehall to the East Midlands.

People in Worksop look to the north rather than the south

But of the 19 councils first involved, only 13 are left. Two, Chesterfield and Bassetlaw, have decided they would rather be part of a deal already signed off with Sheffield.

Nearby in Worksop, it is fair to say that devolution is not the hot topic of conversation of many in the street. But for the politicians getting money from Westminster to spend on infrastructure projects is important.

The MP for the bulk of the Bassetlaw district is Labour MP John Mann.

He said people in the town looked to Sheffield, so would be better off in the new Sheffield City Region.

"When it comes to education, when it comes to transport and industrial links, that's where our links are and we want to benefit from it and get the most out of it."

John Mann MP said Bassetlaw's identity would not be given away in any deal with Sheffield

If you look around the town you can see his point. Buses are heading to Rotherham and Doncaster and Wensleydale. Signposts show how to navigate North to the M1 and the A57 to Sheffield.

You can see too, the town needs investment. Below the Worksop Town Centre notice board in the car park lies a substantial rat which has given up on life. Shops are boarded up as you venture towards the centre. A shopping centre is padlocked shut. The traffic is pretty congested too.

As for giving away its identity to Sheffield?

"We're giving nothing to anyone," Mr Mann said. "We're not going to be run by Sheffield, by Mansfield, by Nottingham, by London. We look after ourselves.

"But when it comes to those strategic investments in railways and in roads, let's get the investment which would be good news for local people and local jobs."

But Nottinghamshire County Council is keen to keep the North Nottinghamshire towns and villages as part of their devolution deal whenever it comes. The Labour leader, Alan Rhodes, represents a Worksop seat.

He said: "If you live in Worksop, like I do, people may well associate themselves with Sheffield as a big city, but it's different in Retford, Tuxford and the villages.

"It's a very short-sighted approach which will divide the district and I don't think that is helpful for Bassetlaw or Nottinghamshire."

Although maybe not at the forefront of people's minds in Worksop, devolution is proving tricky for the area's MPs

He added there would also be confusion surrounding highways maintenance and transport.

Mr Rhodes said they needed clarity from the government. He acknowledges there is talk of doing away with having a mayor for the planned Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire deal. He wants to get around the table with ministers as soon as possible.

Robert Jenrick said a mayor was not needed.

"We've got enough politicians as it is," he said. "The last thing we need is another expensive politician."

Mr Jenrick said it was more likely a devolution deal would happen if the idea of a mayor was scrapped.

It could well be that instead, the government wants a three-city, three-county, deal involving Leicestershire, and without the need for a mayor to oversee it. That was always a stumbling block for Tory MPs.

And Leicester already has its own mayor.