Mansfield MP Ben Bradley chosen as new council leader

The Conservative MP for Mansfield has been selected as the new leader of Nottinghamshire County Council.

Ben Bradley, who has represented his constituency since 2017, was elected to his council seat last week.

Labour MPs in the area have criticised the move and questioned whether he would be "claiming a full-time salary for doing the job part-time".

However Mr Bradley said he "intends to earn every single penny" of the salaries for both positions.

"I think the two jobs are really beneficial," he told the BBC.

"One of the huge opportunities we have at the county council, that no other county council in the country has, is the ability to now take our issues in Mansfield and across Nottinghamshire down to Westminster and knock on the doors of those ministers directly."

He admitted he would be busy and "hopes to do both jobs well" but said it was "not unprecedented" for MPs to hold more than one role.

"All I'm doing here is instead of trying to climb the career ladder in Westminster and spend my time down there, my commitment is to residents in Nottinghamshire and I will spend that time trying to work here as a county councillor and to deliver better services," he added.

The local elections saw the Tories take control of Nottinghamshire County Council for the first time in 12 years.

Previous leader Kay Cutts announced last year she would not be standing for re-election.

Former Broxtowe Borough Council leader Richard Jackson and ex-Rushcliffe Borough Council leader Neil Clarke had also stood to be elected county council leader.

Nottingham Labour MPs Lilian Greenwood and Nadia Whittome used Twitter to criticise Mr Bradley's new role.

Ms Whittome said Mr Bradley's new job "comes with potential conflicts of interest".

While Ms Greenwood, MP for Nottingham South, wrote: "Surely he won't be claiming the full-time salary/allowance for doing the job part-time?"

Mr Bradley also faced criticism from Labour's leader of Nottingham City Council, David Mellen, who tweeted: "Being a council leader is very much a full-time job, as is being a Member of Parliament."

Responding to the comments, Mr Bradley said: "I obviously feel it is possible or I wouldn't be here doing it.

"The Prime Minister is also a constituency MP - clearly he has to manage both jobs and he has an incredibly busy job alongside being a constituency MP, so as I say, I don't think it's as unprecedented in terms of splitting that time as people might suggest."

He added: "I'm at the mercy here of my group here at County Hall - if I'm proved wrong and if I can't manage these things, then they will no doubt pick somebody else.

"This particular arrangement is untried and untested and I think we should take that opportunity and see what it can bring."

When Mr Bradley was elected as MP he became the first non-Labour politician for Mansfield in 94 years.

Last year the 31-year-old stepped down from his role as a Parliamentary Private Secretary after 10 months as he said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

He is expected be confirmed in his new role on 27 May.

Ben Bradley stood down from his role as a Parliamentary Private Secretary, the first rung on the ministerial ladder, last summer because he wanted to spend more time in his constituency, and has just helped engineer election success there in the county council elections.

In an email to constituents today, he says the results are "a massive opportunity for us to work together across different levels of government, to get everything pulling in the same direction and to deliver more for our area over the next four years".

When he takes up the reins in Nottinghamshire after formalities later this month, he will be literally working across different levels of government - and opposition politicians are questioning how he can do both jobs properly.

Jason Zadrozny, who leads the Ashfield Independents, said Mr Bradley "cannot possibly give everything the attention it deserves".

It's not unprecedented for an MP to have two roles - for example Dan Jarvis, the Barnsley Labour MP, is also the Mayor of the Sheffield City Region.

Mr Jarvis has also set a precedent in another way - he donates the £79,500 salary from his mayoral role to local good causes.

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