East Midlands Devolution - What does it mean for your business?

The Government has confirmed that a £1.14 billion devolution deal is on offer for the East Midlands, covering Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Derby, and Nottingham.

The deal will provide the region with a guaranteed income stream of £38 million per year over a 30-year period. Covering an area home to around 2.2 million people, an East Midlands combined authority would be one of the biggest in the country.

Mansfield and Ashfield 2020 believe that there is a real opportunity here for businesses across our district to get involved in shaping what that deal means for them.

The changes will see decision making about local issues such as infrastructure, skills, business support, inward investment and environmental concerns move from central government to a combined mayoral authority. Decisions that directly affect our businesses every day.

Consultation is expected to take place across the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire regions this winter and, as such this event is designed to help our local business community understand how we can make the most of the next 2 years to work together to make sure that our voice as a business community is clear on the areas that we need to see improved.

It will also provide us with an indication of the direction of the local authorities and how we, as business owners, can prepare for any opportunities that may arise, from innovation through to public procurement.

Working with our local partners, Mansfield and Ashfield 2020 will bring together a panel including decision makers and experts with an understanding of how devolution could work to try and help us understand what is possible. There will be some short presentations and then our guests will be invited to take part in a question-and-answer session.

The panel will include:

Ben Bradley – Leader, Notts County Council, MP for Mansfield

Cllr Matthew Relf – Executive Lead Member for Regeneration and Corporate Transformation, Ashfield District Council

Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams – Mansfield District Council

Chris Hobson – Director of Policy & External Affairs, East Midlands Chamber

Andrew Cropley – Principal, Vision West Notts College

Sarah Mayfield – Director of Mansfield Hub and UK College Partnerships, Nottingham Trent University

Martin Rigley – Managing Director, Lindhurst Engineering

Nick Linney – Linney

We now have a unique opportunity to make sure that our voice is heard by decision makers as early as possible in the process to try and make sure that this deal will benefit the long-term economic prosperity of our area.

The event is free to attend and refreshments will be available.

More information about the deal can be found here​