Political Opinion: Chesterfield to keep East Midlands Mayoral office, pledges Green Party candidate.

Lifelong Chesterfield resident, Frank Adlington-Stringer, pledged at an East Midlands Mayoral event at the Winding Wheel to conduct his business from Chesterfield rather than letting Derby and Nottingham take all of the new authority's influence.

The new Northern Gateway development was identified by independent officers as the temporary home for the inaugural East Midlands Mayor, who will be elected by you on 2nd May. There is a six month break clause which will allow the winner of the election to make a choice on the permanent location.

Frank, who is an elected Councillor in Wingerworth, said, "The other candidates have been spending their time in our cities but as the only Derbyshire-based candidate it is really important to me that Chesterfield and our rural communities benefit from this opportunity. It was an easy decision for me to make, Chesterfield has great transport links and proud history, as your new Mayor I will ensure that we link up the region which brings economic prosperity to us all."

It was live on stage that Frank made his commitment yet none of the other candidates - Ben Bradley (Conservative), Claire Ward (Labour) and Matt Relf (Independent) - all failed to make the same pledge.

Whilst the two cities mean a great deal to Frank, his father's family has always lived in Derby City and Frank completed his degree in Nottingham, he recognises the need to spread opportunity across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Frank continued, "This is a fantastic opportunity to link up our patch and I was disappointed that none of the other candidates joined my pledge to ensure that Chesterfield is well represented. This new Mayoral role is all about taking power away from London and into our region, let's not allow all of that power to again fall to the cities."

You can watch what Frank had to say here: WATCH VIDEO