Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire went to the polls to elect the first mayor of the new East Midlands Combined County Authority on Thursday, May 2.
East Midlands Mayor election
It follows a devolution deal being signed with the Government to divert some decision-making powers from Westminster to the region.
The mayor will have authority to make more major decisions locally, similar to West Midlands mayor Andy Street or Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham.
Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council are the members of the new Combined County Authority.
The combined authority will receive £38m annually for 30 years and have greater controls over how money is spent on education, housing and the environment.
The candidates for East Midlands mayor are (in alphabetical order):
- Frank Adlington-Stringer (Green)
- Ben Bradley (Conservative)
- Alan Graves (Reform)
- Matt Relf (Independent)
- Helen Tamblyn-Saville (Liberal Democrat)
- Clare Ward (Labour)
•  Live updates: Election count starts in Nottinghamshire for East Midlands Mayor and Notts PCC
East Midlands Mayor result
The process of counting will begin on Friday, 3 May at 9 am.
The result of the mayoral race could come in anywhere from 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm if everything goes smoothly.
The newly-formed East Midlands CCA has confirmed the counting of votes won’t be held overnight when polls close, as typically happens for General and Local Elections.
The count for votes across the two counties will be held at Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre in Nottingham.
The first stage will see the ballots verified, which ensures that the correct number have been brought to the count.
This is expected to conclude around 12 pm, after which the main count for the East Midlands mayor will begin.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner election
An election for Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner was also be held on the same day 2 May.
The candidates for the Nottinghamshire PCC (in alphabetical order) are:
- Gary Godden (Labour)
- Caroline Henry (Conservative)
- David Watts (Liberal Democrat)
Police and Crime Commissioner result
The PCC count will begin around 2.30pm on 3 May, after the mayor result – Â with the results expected around 4pm to 5pm.
Mel Barrett, the chief executive of Nottingham City Council, is acting as the returning officer who is in charge of overseeing the election.
The count will only be open to accredited media, not members of the public.
What does a Police and Crime Commissioner do?
Contact your police and crime commissioner (PCC) to make a suggestion or a complaint about how your local area is policed.
PCCs are elected in areas of England and Wales to make sure that local police meet the needs of the community. They are responsible for:
- how your area is policed
- the police budget
- the amount of Council Tax charged for the police
- the information you get about what the local police are doing
- appointing and dismissing the chief constable (the most senior police officer for the area)