Derby mayor wants to be East Midlands mayor – so he can abolish position

Coun Alan Graves (Ref) will be standing as the Reform UK party candidate in the election, and says his top priority would be getting rid of the new Combined County Authority which is being created.

Both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire will go to the polls on May 2 to elect the first regional mayor, who will have significant powers over transport, regeneration and employment through the new post.

Coun Graves was elected mayor of Derby in May 2023 by a single vote as Reform UK’s first mayor.

He will stand against Coun Ben Bradley (Con), Claire Ward (Lab) and Coun Matt Relf (Ash Ind), who are already in the race.

Coun Graves says a referendum should have been held to ask people whether they wanted devolution for the area in the first place.

He said: “People weren’t given the chance to say whether we need a combined authority, so they will have the chance to show their opposition when they vote.

“There are far too many politicians – everyone agrees with that. I don’t know anyone who’s happy with how many we’ve got.

“I am a very dedicated person and I will take the powers of the position seriously if I am elected mayor.

"However, my top priority is working towards getting the position abolished.

“I will aim to get the people of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire a better deal and save taxpayers’ money.”

Cllr Graves was first elected as a Labour Derby City Councillor in 2002.

He later became an independent, UKIP and Brexit Party representative, before becoming a Reform UK councillor in 2020.

All of the other three candidates are based in Nottinghamshire, but Coun Graves said this wasn’t part of his decision to stand.

He said: “It’s not about the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire divide, people everywhere are just fed up with politicians.

“The four authorities have decided this should happen without asking anyone.”

He plans to participate in debates against other candidates in the run-up to the election.

For the first time, the £1.14bn devolution plan will move some powers from Westminster to an elected leader for the two counties, which have a population of 1.6 million people.