Conservatives pick East Midlands mayor candidate
Ben Bradley currently serves as MP for Mansfield
Last updated 18th Sep 2023
The Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Mansfield MP Ben Bradley has been elected by the party to stand as Mayor.
A mayoral role is intended to form part of a new devolution package for the region, with an election in May 2024.
In a statement on his website, he said ‘The election of the first Mayor of the East Midlands in May 2024 is a once-in-a-generation chance to change our region for the better.
‘It will come with billions of pounds of new investment in our infrastructure, a chance to create exciting new jobs and opportunities for local people, powers to improve the kinds of skills and qualifications that are on offer here, and the ability to plan much more effectively around how and where we deliver housing.
‘These powers are really important, and many of them are things that our region have really struggled with in the past.
‘The Mayor will be able to build partnerships and create long-term plans in a way that just hasn’t been possible before.
‘A clear strategy, a clear voice for our region, for the first time ever. We have one chance to choose the right person to build this from scratch.’
If he becomes Mayor he can longer lead the county council.
He will be in competition with Claire Ward for Labour and Matthew Relf for Independents.
Claire ward currently chair of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust.
Between 1997 and 2010 she was the Labour MP for Watford.
Councillor Matthew Relf serves on Ashfield District Council as the executive Lead Member for Growth, Regeneration and Local Planning.