I was pleased to see that our Children?s Services department is continuing to make good progress against an improvement plan.

The council was visited by Ofsted early in 2022 and presented with a report later that year grading the overall service as ?Inadequate?. However, we?ve shown solid improvement at each of the subsequent follow-up inspections ? including the most recent report where inspectors noted:

• Senior leaders have built on the progress of previous inspections amid challenging conditions for the council as a whole. They have invited external scrutiny and worked with staff and care leavers to refocus Children?s Services
• Step changes and service modifications are helping young people and their families as they move out of care ? with especially strong support for vulnerable and disabled individuals
• Personal advisers working with young people build strong, positive relationships to maximise help and support
• Quality assurance and auditing processes have been strengthened

The department is working extremely hard to turn things around in the face of an unprecedented demand, which is currently affecting Children?s Services teams right across the country. I?d like to commend this effort and, while there is clearly more work to be done, I?m heartened that it has been consistently acknowledged by Ofsted in recent months.

You can read more here?

It?s great to see that more than 80,000 journeys have been made on the Lime e-bikes since they launched last spring. You can now also use the Lime e-bikes in Leen Valley and Basford.

Here is some key information:

• Lime e-bikes must be picked up and dropped off at the designated parking bays
• They can only be used within the Nottingham City Boundary
• Lime offers a 50% discount on all e-bike rides to students, keyworkers and jobseekers via Lime Access.

Find out more about the Lime e-bikes here

I hope you?ve had a chance to explore your new Central Library since it opened in November.

Its? close to Nottingham?s main railway station and in the same building as Broad Marsh Bus Station. With the weather being cold, windy or wet, and sometimes all three at the moment, it?s a great option for a family trip out with plenty of things to see and do, including:

• Lego Club ? every Saturday 10am ? 12noon
• Tabletop Wargaming ? every Saturday 10am ? 3pm
• Messy Play ? every Wednesday 10.30am ? 11.30am
• Totstime ? every Thursday 10.30am ? 11am
• Conversation Group ? every Thursday 2pm ? 3pm
• The Listening Chain Audiobook reading group ? every second Wednesday 2pm ? 3pm