Marketing agency completes web project for new regional authority

Marketing agency Purpose Media is helping the East Midlands’ newly elected mayor and the team she leads communicate with the two million people living in their region.

The Derbyshire firm was chosen by East Midlands Combined County Authority to design and build a website, which will demonstrate how it is delivering the region’s strategic priorities after a historic devolution deal signed with central government.

The body came into being in the spring of this year, taking over responsibility from Westminster in areas such as transport, skills, regeneration and economic development across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

It controls a £1.14 billion investment fund and is responsible for £1.5 billion of transport spending, under the leadership of Claire Ward, who was elected as East Midlands Mayor in May.

Devolution is viewed as a way of uniting the region, giving it a stronger voice nationally and internationally and bringing more local control of decision-making on key issues.

Instrumental to the new authority’s operations is a need to communicate with those it has been set up to represent, and with only a matter of weeks from the devolution deal being ratified to the mayor and her team beginning work, it turned to Purpose Media to design and build a website to explain its role, detail its priorities and encourage interaction.

Tim Lenton, Purpose Media’s digital innovation and strategy director, said: “We are proud to be part of the East Midlands business community and to represent many clients who are also based locally, so it is a thrill to be selected to support the new combined county authority in its work attracting investment, encouraging prosperity and creating opportunity within the area.

“We were able to draw on our 15-year experience of building websites for hundreds of clients and working with government bodies such as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Forestry Commission.”

Richard Dawson, the authority’s interim strategic communications manager, said: “We are really pleased with the look and feel of the new website, which was delivered on time and to our exact specifications.

“It has been a pleasure dealing with the Purpose Media team.”