East Midlands Combined County Authority | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Show location with authorities Show location in England | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unicameral |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 27 February 2024 |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Directly elected mayor | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 4 May 2028 |
| Meeting place | |
| Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre,Chesterfield[1] | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Constitution | |
| www | |
TheEast Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) is acombined county authority in England. The authority covers theceremonial counties ofDerbyshire andNottinghamshire. Despite its name, the combined county authority covers only two of the six ceremonial counties that make up theEast Midlands region as a whole.
A North Midlands combined authority was proposed byDerbyshire andNottinghamshire in 2016.South Derbyshire District Council,High Peak Borough Council,Amber Valley Borough Council andErewash Borough Council all voted to reject the proposal, andChesterfield Borough Council decided to join theSouth Yorkshire Combined Authority instead.[2] In July 2016, it was reported that theNorth Midlands devolution deal had collapsed.[3] There has been support from several council leaders for anEast Midlands combined authority (in response to theWest Midlands) with discussions to follow on whether a directly elected mayor would be implemented, and on the future of the existing boroughs.[4] The scope of the devolution deal has involved the counties ofDerbyshire,Leicestershire,Lincolnshire andNottinghamshire, as well as their cities.[5] The leaders of seven Leicestershire councils wrote in 2020 to theSecretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who gave support.[6][7]
In 2022, leaders of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire county councils, and Nottingham and Derby city councils, stated that discussions had taken place for a deal, and that they were open to a mayoral deal.[8] A proposal was made by Government and signed by the four councils on 30 August 2022, to form the first Mayoral Combined County Authority.[9]
The deal was criticised for side-lining neighbouringLeicestershire and some politicians in Leicestershire expressed regret at being left out of the devolution deal, which had been opposed byLeicester City Council. TheCentre for Cities said that even combining Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire was "a mistake" as "they are two different counties with distinct local economic needs".[10]
The combined authority was formally established by the East Midlands Combined County Authority Regulations 2024 which were made on 27 February 2024.[11][12]
The mayor of the East Midlands became a member of theMayoral Council for England and theCouncil of the Nations and Regions when those bodies were established in October 2024.
The area covered by the combined authority corresponds with the territory that makes up the constituent councils i.e.Derby,Derbyshire,Nottingham andNottinghamshire and covers 4,790 square kilometres (1,850 sq mi) with over 2 million residents. It includes the districts ofAmber Valley,Ashfield,Bassetlaw,Bolsover,Broxtowe,Chesterfield,Derbyshire Dales,Erewash,Gedling,High Peak,Mansfield,Newark and Sherwood,North East Derbyshire,Rushcliffe andSouth Derbyshire.
EMCCA is governed and guided by several statutory and advisory boards, committees, and panels in accordance with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government's (MHCLG)statutory guidance for combined authorites[13]. The first meeting of the combined authority took place on 20 March 2023 atChesterfield Town Hall and was chaired by Barry Lewis, the Leader of Derbyshire County Council.[14]
On 13 October 2025 the EMCCA board agreed toseek the status of Established Mayoral Strategic Authority from MHCLG which would allow for anintegrated settlement enabling greater spending freedoms.On 10 November 2025 the Mayor formally wrote to MHCLG to seek this status.
The EMCCA Board is made up of the Mayor of the East Midlands and the leaders and deputy leaders ofDerbyshire County Council,Derby City Council,Nottinghamshire County Council andNottingham City Council.[15][16]
As of June 2025[update], the board comprises:[17]
| Name | Membership | Position within nominating authority | Nominating authority | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claire Ward | Constituent | Mayor of the East Midlands | Direct election | |
| Alan Graves | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Derbyshire County Council | |
| Nadine Peatfield | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Derby City Council | |
| Mick Barton | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Nottinghamshire County Council | |
| Neghat Khan | Constituent | Leader of the Council | Nottingham City Council | |
| Rob Reaney | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Derbyshire County Council | |
| Paul Hezelgrave | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Derby City Council | |
| John Doddy | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Nottinghamshire County Council | |
| Ethan Radford | Constituent | Deputy Leader of the Council | Nottingham City Council | |
| Tricia Gilby | Non-constituent | D2 Strategic Leadership Board | ||
| Anthony McKeown | Non-constituent | D2 Strategic Leadership Board | ||
| Julie Leigh | Non-constituent | N2 Economic Prosperity Committee | ||
| Paul Peacock | Non-constituent | N2 Economic Prosperity Committee | ||
As of October 2025, the Investment Committeecomprises:
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Councillor Neghat Khan | Chair |
| Councillor Robert Reaney | Vice-Chair |
| Mayor Claire Ward | Constituent Member |
| Councillor Sue Bonser | Constituent Member |
| Councillor Martin Rawson | Constituent Member |
| Councillor John Lawson | Constituent Member |
| Councillor Linda Woodings | Constituent Member |
| Councillor Stuart Matthews | Constituent Member |
| Councillor James Rawson | Constituent Member |
| Councillor Jane Yates | Non-Constituent Member |
| Councillor Chris Emmas-Williams | Non-Constituent Member |
| Councillor Neil Clarke MBE | Non-Constituent Member |
| Councillor John Clarke | Non-Constituent Member |
| Nora Senior | Associate Member |
| Councillor Jenny Hollingsworth | Reserve |
| Councillor Sulcan Mahmood | Reserve |
| Councillor Peter Smith | Committee Member |
| Councillor Audra Wynter | Committee Member |
| Councillor Andre Camilleri | Committee Member |
| Cllr David Muller | Committee Member |