King's Mill Hospital chairman announces East Midlands mayoral bid

Mrs Ward, chairman of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Mansfield Community, Sutton’s Kings Mill and Newark hospitals, has announced she is seeking the Labour Party’s nomination for the top job.

A new regional mayor is set to be elected in May 2024 under a £1.14 billion devolution deal for the East Midlands that was recently announced.

The figurehead would lead a combined mayoral authority stretching across Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby, and Derbyshire.

Mrs Ward is the third prominent voice to announce her bid for the Labour nomination, following former TV news reporter John Hess and current Nottingham Council member Coun Adele Williams, from Mansfield.

In her campaign announcement, Mrs Ward said she “has the experience, ambition, and, most importantly, energy and enthusiasm” to represent the East Midlands and would “make Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire a better place to live, work, and learn”.

She has lived in Nottinghamshire for more than a decade with her husband and two children, having previously been MP for Watford from 1997 to 2010.

As well as leading local hospitals, Mrs Ward works with an independent trade union for pharmacists.

She has also been a school governor and a town councillor in Ollerton, where she set up a Code Club to help local children gain new skills in technology.

Labour’s application process is open now and party members will soon have their say via an online ballot with the winning candidate announced in August.