Millions invested and hundreds supported – 2025 was just the beginning

Billions of pounds for transport, unlocking development sites for thousands of homes and launching the biggest listening exercise in a generation are just some of the highlights of 2025 for the Mayor of the East Midlands.

Mayor Claire Ward is celebrating a first full calendar year in office – having been elected as the inaugural Mayor of the East Midlands role in May 2024.

And 2025 has been a year of successes leading the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). Highlights of the past 12 months have included the publication of the Inclusive Growth Commission report, alongside strategies for growth, transport and boosting employment. The Mayor has also secured £2 billion towards improving transport, enjoyed a trade trip to Japan to promote investment, underpinned by Toyota’s existing commitment to the region, and hosted a pavilion at UKREiiF – the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum – showcasing the regeneration and investment opportunities across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

During 2025, Mayor Claire has also welcomed EMCCA’s first permanent chief executive in Amy Harhoff, while signing both the Armed Forces Covenant and Dying to Work Charter on behalf of the authority, pledging to ensure those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly and to uphold best practice in supporting workers facing a terminal diagnosis, respectively.

Mayor Claire said: “I really do have the best job in the world. This last 12 months has not been without its challenges, but we’ve made huge strides forward as EMCCA has become more established.

“I’ve secured £2 billion towards transport improvements, including awarding £75 million to our local councils for road repairs, and helped secure £2.5 billion towards the STEP Fusion project to build the UK’s first prototype fusion power plant at the former West Burton power station site.

“Work has started on building more than 1,400 homes, which should accelerate next year, while I’ve launched my £3m Community Development Fund to support some of our most deprived areas. Just this month, I have been proud to help fund Thrive, Nottingham College’s new programme to support young people aged 18-21 not in employment, education or training, with the first course starting in January.

“I want the East Midlands to be one of the UK’s fastest growing and most inclusive regional economies – a place where people are proud to live, work and build their futures and we are well on the way to achieving it.

“The East Midlands has the people, the ideas and the determination to drive Britain’s growth. Now as we head into 2026, we must start turning our potential into prosperity, unlocking growth while tackling inequality, creating better jobs, fairer pay and new opportunities in every community.”

This year has also seen the Mayor launch her Big Transport Conversation, a 12-week public consultation to shape a Transport Plan for the region, and covered more than half of The Loop, a new walking and cycling route around the region, connecting lesser-known locations and high streets which stand to benefit from increased footfall – The Mayor aims to finish The Loop by the second anniversary of her election in May.

2025 in numbers

• £75 million given to the City and County Councils to fix the roads – over £21million more than the region has had before;
• 10 priority areas to share a pot of £3m thanks to the Mayor’s new community development fund, with projects to be announced in the New Year;
• 574 homes so far benefitting from lower energy bills thanks to the first round of home energy efficiency improvements;
• £25m of funding to improve town centres, support small businesses, create jobs and help communities grow with £10m allocated to 10 projects so far and more to be announced early 2026;
• 16 engagement events hosted by the Mayor, reaching more than 1,250 people in person;

  

• 1 new chief executive – Amy Harhoff assumed the role as the first permanent chief executive of EMCCA in February;
• 155 different places across the East Midlands visited by the Mayor in 2025;
• 154 different events attended by the Mayor in 2025;
• 15 projects exploring innovative, clean energy and advanced manufacturing technologies obtained grant funding through East Midlands Investment Zone programme;
• £5m of funding has been agreed to help young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) to help match them to opportunities in the East Midlands;
  
• 7 areas identified where there are huge opportunities to drive the region forward: The Trent Arc, The Trent Supercluster, Derwent Valley Mill, Canal corridor, Peaks and Dales, Heartlands, and The Loop;
  
• 85 miles of The Loop covered so far, including more than 70 miles on foot;
  

  

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• 100,000 jobs planned to be created by the newly launched Get East Midlands Working Plan, a joint partnership plan which aims to raise the regional employment rate to 80 per cent by 2035;
• 6,500 full-time jobs to be created in and around Bassetlaw, made possible by the 20-year partnership agreed for the Fusion Skills Collaboration to advance fusion energy training and skills development.
• 84,280 people reached by the EMCCA Careers Hub through direct support programmes;
• 894 young people supported into employment, education and training support by the Youth Guarantee since April;
• 593 young people engaged by EMCCA’s Youth Engagement team to build and establish the authority’s youth committee;
• 70,000-plus free bus journeys covered by the High Peak student bus pass across five vital, cross-border bus routes;
• £100,000 per year, the amount Derbyshire County Council will save on their energy bills every year thanks to a new solar farm made possible by funding secured by the Mayor;
• £11bn for the redevelopment of the derelict site of the former Cottam power station into the UK’s first nuclear-powered data centre campus, creating thousands of jobs;
• 2,000 potential houses to be built through the Brownfield Housing Fund, with more to come after the Mayor secured £19.7m for the fund from the Government;
• 100,000 homes planned to be built by 2035 as part of the Local Growth Plan.