By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
The Nottingham Independents group have endorsed Conservative MP Ben Bradley’s bid to become the first East Midlands mayor.
The group said Councillor Bradley – also the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council – had the most impressive financial track record.
The new mayor will be in charge of the East Midlands Combined County Authority, which was formally created last week ahead of the election in May.
The Nottingham Independents are the main opposition on Nottingham City Council, with three members. The group is not fielding a candidate in the election.
Ashfield Independent Councillor Matt Relf is also standing in the mayoral race as an Independent, however the separate Nottingham Independent group chose to publicly back the Conservative candidate and current Mansfield MP instead.
They gave their endorsement to Cllr Bradley as campaigners protesting Nottingham City Council cuts gathered for the Labour authority’s annual budget meeting, which approved sweeping savings due to its effectively-bankrupt status.
Group leader Councillor Kevin Clarke said: “Cllr Bradley is the sensible solution. He has a track record which speaks for itself.
“He has held the county council’s budget together without things going wrong, in contrary to what has happened here with Labour.
“The city council’s mistakes with Robin Hood Energy, the Housing Revenue Account and big spending are coming home to roost.
“We will feel the knock-on effect of that in this budget.”
Nottingham City Council say their precarious financial position is due to years of government underfunding and rising care costs.
However, they admit financial mistakes have been made, including the collapse of council-run Robin Hood Energy and the unlawful misspending of large sums meant for housing improvements.
Cllr Bradley said: “It’s really important we get the right person for the job, regardless of politics. We’re building a complicated organisation from scratch.
“We can see what happens when the wrong people are in charge and mistakes happen.
“It would have been easy for the Independent group to back an Independent candidate, and the fact that they didn’t speaks volumes.
“This election is the first time in many years where residents in Nottingham could genuinely make a change in local leadership.”
Cllr Bradley is standing against former MP Claire Ward (Lab), Councillor Matt Relf (Ind), Derby Mayor Alan Graves (Reform UK) and Councillor Frank Adlington-Stringer (Green).
Ms Ward responded: “From the countless Conservative voters who say they’re voting for me, to the Independent councillors privately lending me their support, I’ve been really encouraged by the breadth of support for my campaign.
“The new mayor will have to work across political boundaries, building consensus with people who wouldn’t normally vote the same way.”
The first-ever election for the mayor of the East Midlands Combined County will be held on Thursday, May 2.
The new authority will cover Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire.
The mayor will have devolved powers to make more major decisions locally, like West Midlands mayor Andy Street or Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham.
The combined authority will receive £38m annually for 30 years and have greater controls over how money is spent on transport, education, housing, and the environment.
