By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Details of how the first-ever East Midlands mayoral election will be decided have been released as polling day approaches.
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will elect the first mayor of the new Combined County Authority on Thursday, May 2.
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.
An election for Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner will also be held on the same day, with polls open from 7am to 10pm. People will be able to cast their votes for both positions at the same time.
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.
Instead, counting will begin the next day on Friday, May 3 at 9am.
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 12pm, after which the main count for the East Midlands mayor will begin.
The result of the mayoral race could come in anywhere from 1.30pm to 2.30pm if everything goes smoothly.
The PCC count will then begin around 2.30pm, with 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.
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)
The candidates to be Nottinghamshire PCC (in alphabetical order) are:
- Gary Godden (Labour)
- Caroline Henry (Conservative)
- David Watts (Liberal Democrat)
Voters will be asked to show photographic ID at polling stations, such as a passport, driving license, blue badge or an Older Person’s Bus Pass.
If you don’t have this, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by Wednesday, April 24.
