I am delighted with Notts County?s promotion back into the EFL and understand fans? disappointment that we weren?t able to put on a civic event this week, but hope people are reassured that the Council is in positive and constructive discussions with Notts County Football Club to organise a celebratory summer event.

A pre-season event gives us more time to look again at funding options, including contributions from partners who are keen to support a city celebration of Notts? fantastic achievement. This will help towards the cost of full event management, security and safety.

We?d like to thank the club for being receptive to our ideas and look forward to providing them with the event they, their fans and players deserve.

Earlier this week, I joined the council?s Chief Executive Mel Barrett and Corporate Director for Growth and City Development, Sajeeda Rose at UKREiiF, a national event in Leeds which brings together thousands of investors, funders and developers looking for new opportunities across the UK. We were there as part of a team of private and public sector partners led by Invest in Nottingham to highlight the ?4bn worth of developments and opportunity sites within the city centre which would create 15,000 jobs and 7,000 new homes.

In Nottingham we support development sites with major improvements to the public realm and transport network. So Broad Marsh has already benefitted from public investment in a brand-new state-of-the-art car park and bus station, while the surrounding streets have been transformed into a thriving multi-activity area featuring a popular new skateable space and major new street art.?

We remain ambitious for our city ? in spite of the current cost-of-living crisis ? and we pride ourselves on the way we work with partners to ensure this important development can continue. Right now we are re-imagining our city centre ? reinventing ways for people to live, work and enjoy the city ? through better connectivity, better sustainability and perhaps most importantly the creativity to be able to see how people want their city centres to evolve ? so that we can offer them a greener, brighter future.

It?s World Bee Day tomorrow. Bees are one of our most important pollinators here in the UK and without them we would not have many of the foods we love to eat including strawberries and tomatoes. They also help to pollinate many of the beautiful flowers in our parks and gardens.

Bee populations all over the world are under pressure from disease, climate change, chemical use and perhaps most significantly habitat loss. At the council, we are taking action to help bees thrive, including planting pollinator-friendly plants and leaving grass to grow a little longer especially during May when bees are becoming more active again. You can do your bit by doing this too in your garden.

Gardens cover more than one million hectares of Britain so if we each do a little bit for bees we can provide huge areas of habitat for them. You can also make a bee house using recycled materials like plastic plant pots and bamboo canes, these are great for solitary bee species.

People are being urged to open their homes to children in care in Nottingham as part of this year?s national Foster Care Fortnight which started on Monday.

Currently, over 700 children are in the care of the city and are in need of stable, nurturing homes. Many are with the city?s dedicated foster carers but there is a pressing need for more people to come forward. In particular, the council is looking for homes for older children and also brothers and sisters sibling groups.

The council has foster carers from a wide variety of ages and backgrounds. People need to be 21 before they can start an application.

The council?s fostering team will be out and about during the fortnight and it?s a great opportunity to chat through what being a foster carer is all about. Find out where the events are here https://bit.ly/FCFevents. The short film ?Out there? provides an insight into the need for foster carers. Follow the link to watch it https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/foster/out-there/

The fostering team can be contacted on 0115 876 3335, email [email protected] or go to www.fosteringnottingham.com and fill in an enquiry form. You can also follow Fostering Nottingham on Facebook @fosteringnottingham

It?s great news that the Government has announced the ?2 fare cap will be extended until 31 October, and that following that a ?2.50 fare cap would come into force from November 2023. We welcome any moves that encourages people to use public transport for their journeys, as we have a fantastic local network and this helps ease traffic congestion and improve air quality.

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