The newly elected East Midlands Mayor, Claire Ward, will be attending UKREiiF and will lead Team East Midlands to shine a spotlight on the huge potential of our region.
One of the many events that Claire will be attending at UKREiiF is our interactive panel discussion on 22 May ‘Focus on the East Midlands: our Time is NOW’.
During the panel session, delegates will hear directly from Claire, the new East Midlands Mayor, and senior leaders from D2N2 LEP, East Midlands Freeport and the East Midlands Development Company, who will outline investment and development opportunities in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and explain how devolution is set to transform the East Midlands region.
We caught up with our new Mayor and invited her to share her thoughts on her new role and her plans for UKREiiF:
Claire said:
“It is an enormous honour to be elected as the very first East Midlands Mayor and I am delighted to have the opportunity to share some first thoughts here about the future we face together as we work to make this region the best place in the country to live, work and learn.
“I am so grateful to the people of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire who grasped the opportunity on 2 May to vote for a new Mayor for the region as we take decision-making out of the hands of strangers in Whitehall and bring them closer to home through our devolution deal.
“Over the past six months, I’ve talked to residents, business owners and community leaders who are frustrated by some of obstacles they face in delivering success.
“Like me, though, they know that our region has an incredible amount to offer. We have world-leading manufacturers based here, a talented workforce across many sectors and we’re home to some world-beating tourist destinations from the Peak District to Sherwood Forest.
“There’s a real will and determination to work together to tackle these challenges across the political divide and make this a better place.
“The £4 billion of government funding on the table for us is just the start; we aim to attract more investment by making things happen and turning round historic under-investment in the East Midlands so the regional economy is stronger and better for local residents. We consistently get below the UK average public spending per head – devolution will begin to change that.
“The spirit of partnership working that brought us to this point will continue. We have many partners, not just in the public sector, but also universities, businesses, voluntary sector, national parks and other drivers of economic growth like our Freeport, Development Company and the Midlands Engine.
“They have all played their part in our story so far and will continue to do so. Collaboration and teamwork is in my DNA and being part of the team that will drive change for the better feels like both an enormous challenge and a massive privilege.
“I’ll be a member of the great team banging the drum for the region at the high profile national economic development event, the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF). We’ll be showcasing why it makes so much sense to invest here and highlighting some of the great investment opportunities across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
“I’m looking forward to taking part in the panel session, meeting investors and developers over a lunch reception, speaking at the East Midlands Hydrogen reception and launching the EMCCA digital investment prospectus that highlights our key investable propositions here.
“I’ll be unashamedly showing off all we have to offer and how I’ll be driving the work to make sure that across the region we’re better connected, better funded and better prepared for a future of opportunity, growth and hope.”
• Claire Ward gets 181,000 votes in massive East Midlands mayoral election victory
• Claire Ward: East Midlands has massive challenges says new mayor
