East Midlands (strategic authority area)
Strategic authority region in Northern England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
East Midlands is a strategic authority area in England.[4] It has four council areas: the non-metropolitan counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and the unitary authorities of Nottingham and Derby. It had a population of 2,284,616 in 2024.[3] Its largest settlement is Nottingham and administrative HQ is Derby.
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East Midlands | |
|---|---|
Strategic authority area | |
 East Midlands shown within England | |
| Coordinates: 53.140°N 1.341°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Established | 27 February 2024 |
| Administrative HQ | Council House, Corporation Street, Derby[1] |
| Local authorities | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Strategic authority |
| • Body | East Midlands Combined County Authority |
| • Mayor | Claire Ward (Labour) |
| Area | |
| • Land | 1,847 sq mi (4,784 km2) |
| Population (2024)[3] | |
• Total | 2,284,616 |
| • Rank | 5th |
| • Density | 1,240/sq mi (478/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcode areas | |
| Dialling codes |
|
| GSS code | E47000013 |
| Website | www |
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The Mayor of the East Midlands and East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) have a devolution deal which was established on 27 February 2024.[5]
History
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 provided the basis of the creation of combined county authorities, a form of strategic authority.
A North Midlands combined authority was proposed by Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in 2016. South Derbyshire District Council, High Peak Borough Council, Amber Valley Borough Council and Erewash Borough Council all voted to reject the proposal, and Chesterfield Borough Council decided to join the South Yorkshire Combined Authority instead.[6] In July 2016, it was reported that the North Midlands devolution deal had collapsed.[7] There has been support from several council leaders for an East Midlands combined authority (in response to the West Midlands) with discussions to follow on whether a directly elected mayor would be implemented, and on the future of the existing boroughs.[8] The scope of the devolution deal has involved the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, as well as their cities.[9] The leaders of seven Leicestershire councils wrote in 2020 to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who gave support.[10][11]
In 2022, leaders of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire county councils, and Nottingham and Derby city councils, stated that discussions had taken place for a deal, and that they were open to a mayoral deal.[12] A proposal was made by Government and signed by the four councils on 30 August 2022, to form the first Mayoral Combined County Authority.[13]
The deal was criticised for side-lining neighbouring Leicestershire and some politicians in Leicestershire expressed regret at being left out of the devolution deal, which had been opposed by Leicester City Council. The Centre for Cities said that even combining Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire was "a mistake" as "they are two different counties with distinct local economic needs" and "There is very little commuting between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire".[14] Despite the same organisation including the Derbyshire district of Erewash in their definition of Nottingham. [15]
The combined authority was formally established by the East Midlands Combined County Authority Regulations 2024 which were made on 27 February 2024.[16][17]
The Mayor of East Midlands became a member of the Mayoral Council for England and the Council of the Nations and Regions when those bodies were established in October 2024.
Governance
Combined county authority
As of June 2025[update], the board of the East Midlands Combined County Authority comprises:[18]
| Name | Membership | Position within nominating authority | Nominating authority | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claire Ward | Constituent | Mayor of the East Midlands | Direct election | |
| Alan Graves | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Derbyshire County Council | |
| Nadine Peatfield | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Derby City Council | |
| Mick Barton | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Nottinghamshire County Council | |
| Neghat Khan | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Nottingham City Council | |
| Rob Reaney | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Derbyshire County Council | |
| Paul Hezelgrave | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Derby City Council | |
| John Doddy | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Nottinghamshire County Council | |
| Ethan Radford | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Nottingham City Council | |
| Tricia Gilby | Non-constituent | D2 Strategic Leadership Board | ||
| Anthony McKeown | Non-constituent | D2 Strategic Leadership Board | ||
| Julie Leigh | Non-constituent | N2 Economic Prosperity Committee | ||
| Paul Peacock | Non-constituent | N2 Economic Prosperity Committee | ||
Mayor of the East Midlands
in 2016 the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 provided the provisions for combined authorities to establish directly elected mayors to lead their respective regions.
The local authorities in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire voted to proceed with devolution plans, including the establishment of a directly elected mayor of the East Midlands, in March 2023.[19] The first mayor, Claire Ward, was elected on 2 May 2024 in the 2024 East Midlands mayoral election.
Members of Parliament
Demography
Population
The area had a population of 2,284,616 in 2024.[3]