The Place Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss the East Midlands Combined County Authority ¹ (EMCCA) and the transition of transport functions to it. The committee was expected to receive an update on the progress of EMCCA and the transfer of transport responsibilities from Derbyshire County Council.

East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA)

The committee was scheduled to receive a presentation on the EMCCA, a legal entity comprising Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, and Nottingham City Council. The presentation was intended to provide an overview of EMCCA, including its purpose, functions, organisation, and funding.

EMCCA's purpose is to:

drive regeneration, economic prosperity, build more affordable homes, compulsory purchase etc

Some powers and functions are to be devolved from the government (e.g. employment and skills) and some transferred from local authorities (e.g. transport planning, running a key route network, public transport (bus) but not rail). EMCCA has also absorbed the previous D2N2 LEP ² activity e.g. business support and regeneration grants (includes DCC schemes).

EMCCA is intended to be the strategic transport authority responsible for preparing the new, single Local Transport Plan, and will be the public transport authority for the region, with functions transferred by the end of March 2026. It is not the highway authority, and not currently a local planning authority.

The presentation also covered EMCCA's governance structure, decision-making processes, and delivery mechanisms. It noted that an elected mayor would set the vision and regional priorities, and that the four constituent authorities would retain most of their duties separately. The EMCCA Board makes decisions on activity and investment, with district and borough councils, local businesses, universities, colleges and the third sector represented across EMCCA structures.

The presentation outlined the funding streams available to EMCCA, including devolved funding, new money from the government, passported funding previously allocated to local authorities, and re-aligned funding. It also highlighted opportunities and issues related to EMCCA, such as the potential for increased funding and powers for the region, and the need to build capacity and capability within both Derbyshire County Council and EMCCA.

Transfer of Transport Function to EMCCA

The committee was also scheduled to receive a presentation on the transfer of transport functions from Derbyshire County Council to EMCCA. Upon creation, EMCCA became the local transport authority for the region, a legal requirement set out in Transport Regulations. A two-year period (2024 to 2026) was agreed with the Department for Transport ³ (DfT) to support the orderly transfer of transport functions from the four upper tier authorities to EMCCA.

The strategic transport function (e.g. preparation of the statutory local transport plan) transferred on day one of EMCCA being established, with no staff implications. The public transport function remains to be transferred by 31 March 2026. After this date, Derbyshire County Council and the 3 other constituent authorities will no longer have the responsibility for transport functions (with the exception of a small number of concurrent or integrated functions such as home to school transport).

The public functions to be transferred include:

• Local bus provision transport - bus services
• Policy and strategy - e.g. bus service improvements
• Concessionary fares - discounts or free fares to certain residents
• Assets and infrastructure - e.g. bus stops/shelters
• Customer interface and data management - timetables, data, complaints and queries
• Planning - public transport implications of major developments

The report pack indicated that TUPE ⁴ would apply, with 22 posts and budget identified to transfer from Derbyshire County Council to EMCCA.

The presentation also addressed considerations related to the transfer, such as ensuring EMCCA can fully operate from day one, transferring Derbyshire County Council budgets and staff to EMCCA, and harmonising concessionary fare schemes across the four constituent authorities.