It has been an interesting time to be a chief executive in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire; the joint working to submit both an application for a combined authority and a prospectus for devolution has been stimulating, challenging and rewarding.

My district chief executive colleagues have been important in supporting the democratic debate and process to ensure we have been able to reach consensus regarding the contents of the documents. The debate has been conducted with the backdrop of the Manchester, South and West Yorkshire announcements, all of which involve purely unitary authorities.

Along with our county and city colleagues we have found ourselves trailblazing to establish how an inclusive approach to redefining the localised delivery of services can be achieved within a two-tier area.