By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottinghamshire voters have several major decisions to make at the ballot box in 2024.
People will get their say on who the first-ever elected Mayor of the East Midlands Combined County Authority will be.
And unless Westminster chooses to push it right down to the wire, there will be a General Election in 2023, with every single MP seat up for grabs.
The county’s Police and Crime Commissioner is also up for election again this year.
All three races are likely to have significant impacts on the region’s economy, household finances, standards of living, and other priorities in Nottinghamshire during a turbulent political time.
Candidates have already begun putting their names forward for some of the elections, which will dominate the local political landscape in 2024.
East Midlands Mayor
On Thursday, May 2, residents of both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will go to the polls in a historic vote on the region’s first mayor.
The winner will have broad powers over planning, housing, roads, infrastructure and economic development which were previously held by the Government.
A new council, the corresponding East Midlands Combined County Authority, will govern 2.2 million people, and the deal will bring an extra £1.2bn to the region. Leicestershire is not part of the plan.
The election will be a first past the post vote, meaning candidates simply need to get the most votes in order to become Mayor of the East Midlands, in a role similar to ones already created in the West Midlands and Manchester.
Three candidates have thrown their hats into the ring.
Councillor Ben Bradley, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council and Mansfield MP, will stand for the Conservative party.
Claire Ward, a former MP and current chair of the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will stand for Labour.
Ashfield District Councillor Matt Relf (Ash Ind) is standing as an Independent.
General Election
One of the peculiarities of the British political system is that only Prime Minister Rishi Sunak knows when the next General Election will be held – if he’s made up his mind.
Campaigning must start within five years of the previous election being held, giving until January 28 2025 as a final possible date.
The Prime Minister has indicated that it will take place in 2024, but exactly when is anyone’s guess. It could be held in May, to coincide with local elections, or could perhaps be called for autumn, which from the point of view of the Conservatives, gives maximum time for financial good news to arrive following a long period of instability.
The seismic 2019 General Election saw Conservative sweep through many of Labour’s previous strongholds.
Tories now control all of Nottinghamshire’s parliamentary seats except for the three Nottingham city constituencies, which were all held by Labour.
However, a lot has happened since then, with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn long gone as leaders of their respective parties, which are now led by Rishi Sunak and Sir Kier Starmer. The Liberal Democrats have shown signs of recovery in some by-elections and local elections, while support for Reform UK has shown small but steady growth in recent opinion polling.
Instead of Brexit, the cost of living crisis and a stalling economy dominate the Westminster jobs list.
In Nottinghamshire, Labour will be hoping a message of change will lead to it clawing back enough ‘Red Wall’ seats – such as in Mansfield, Bassetlaw and Ashfield – to gain a majority in the House of Commons and take back Downing Street after 14 years, while the Conservatives will hope to defend them by doing enough to convince the electorate the country is now on the right course after a rocky period.
Most sitting MPs tend to run for re-election unless the outlook is particularly dire, while opposition parties will be in the process of selecting their challengers.
Expect this to be a particularly fiercely-fought election, whenever it takes place.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Thursday, May 2 will also give Nottinghamshire residents the chance to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner.
This role is intended to hold police forces to account on behalf of the public, and has the power to set budgets and crime-fighting priorities.
Caroline Henry currently fills the role for Nottinghamshire, having won the 2021 election, and will stand again as the Conservative candidate.
Gary Godden, a former police officer who served with Nottinghamshire Police for 15 years, has been chosen as Labour’s candidate.
Commissioners were only elected to a three-year term in the last cycle as elections were delayed due to the pandemic.
Register to vote online to ensure you are eligible to vote in the elections.
