?? Your weekly Nottingham News update – 31 January 2025



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A message from Council Leader, Councillor Neghat Khan

Earlier this week, I announced that the Council is set to keep an increase in Council Tax from April in line with the Government’s national cap of 4.99%.

Up until now, we had not been able to rule out an increase in Council Tax by 10% due to our challenging financial situation. However, our Improvement Plan which is putting in place a series of changes to the way services are delivered, including large-scale transformation, and an improving financial position, in part due to a better-than-expected financial settlement from the new Labour Government, means the Council is looking to limit the increase to 4.99%. This is made up of a 2.99% General Fund increase and a 2% Adult Social Care Precept. Eight councils around the country are reported to be considering increasing Council Tax by between 10 and 25%.

The Council’s Executive Board will meet on 11 February to make a recommendation on the Council Tax increase as part of the authority’s Budget to go forward for final approval at a meeting of the Full Council on 3 March.

Since I became Leader in May 2024 and Chief Executive, Sajeeda Rose, was appointed in September 2024, we have overseen a series of changes and improvements, including a firmer grip on finances following key changes to the Corporate Leadership Team, with the overall budget gap over the next four years reducing from £172m to £56m.

We remain absolutely committed to delivering major improvements right across the Council and getting our house in order. This means making fundamental changes to how we deliver services and putting the Council on a solid financial footing for the future. Being able to move away from a 10% increase to an increase of 4.99%, in line with the Government-set cap, is a clear signal that although we are not out of the woods, we are on the path to financial sustainability.

New savings and transformational changes are to be delivered over the next four years to ensure that the Council continues to operate within a sustainable funding model, but the improving financial position has meant we are able to avoid increasing Council Tax in excess of the cap and continue our plan to become a renewed Council that delivers for local people and leads Nottingham forward.

*Council Tax Support Scheme*

At Full Council this week, the Council approved a decision to continue to provide a maximum amount of 80% support to help working age claimants on low incomes with Council Tax. This will ensure that eligible low income households continue to get the level of support they need. Administrative changes are being made which will provide a more efficient scheme.

*Station footbridge closure*

East Midlands Railway’s decision to close the footbridge at Nottingham station is frustrating. They have has chosen to ignore the serious concerns raised by the City Council and many members of the public around this closure. I am disappointed that a meeting to review feedback from the previous closure and discuss a future decision did not happen before this decision was made. I will be meeting with EMR, but I am disappointed that it comes after a decision has been made yet again.

The closure of the footbridge will cause inconvenience to honest, paying passengers, while fare dodgers will simply find other ways to avoid paying.  I will continue pushing for answers and urge EMR to engage more openly with stakeholders

Top Stories
Primal Future

Light Night sneak peek

See the city glow after dark for Nottingham Light Night on Friday 28 February and Saturday 1 March! Explore landmarks, streets and hidden corners at this free, family-friendly event.

Whether you’re an arts and culture enthusiast, seeking a fun family outing, or hunting for that perfect Instagram-worthy moment, there’s something to illuminate everyone’s imagination.

More than 35 immersive and interactive light-based installations, performances and activities will be taking place over the two nights. Here's a sneak peek of what to expect:


* "Primal Future" is a mesmerising projection on the Council House, bringing together dynamic dance, cutting-edge technology, and motion graphics, all set to a specially commissioned electronic soundtrack.
* Nottingham Castle will also be bathed with a stunning visual projection, "Orbit", taking audiences from the birth of the universe to humanity’s ventures into space.
* Outside the Castle, visitors can discover a captivating "Firefly Field" at the Robin Hood Statue.
* "Continuum" is a mirrored, immersive artwork, which will be arranged in a geometric maze at Sneinton Market Square.

Read more [ [link removed] ]

Light Night is produced by Nottingham City Council and It’s in Nottingham – the city’s business improvement district. The event is funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, It's in Nottingham, and Nottingham City Council. Cultural organisations across the city also support the event.

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taxi

Council set to trial new taxi rank close to the front of Nottingham Station

Nottingham City Council is beginning an 18-month trial to understand if a new location could be a permanent safe option for additional taxi ranks serving residents and visitors using Nottingham Railway Station. 

Carrington Street is being trialled as a location for a rank of eight wheelchair accessible taxis adding additional taxi capacity close to the front of Nottingham Railway Station, with a ‘feeder’ rank on Arkwright Street, holding a further eight wheelchair accessible taxis.

Two experimental traffic orders will operate for 18 months from February 2025 – August 2026, with the first six months until August 2025 the ‘objection period’.  

During this period, Nottingham City Council would like feedback on how the new arrangements are working, whether people are travelling through the area on foot, by bike, bus, or using a taxi.

Find out more [ [link removed] ]

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Standing in this place

Statue to be unveiled on Green Heart site

We’re delighted to have helped facilitate the unveiling of a new statue on our fantastic Green Heart site.

"Standing In This Place" is the work of sculptor Rachel Carter and community history group the Legacy Makers. It has been commissioned by the National Justice Museum in Nottingham.

The statue depicts two women in period costume – an enslaved black woman working in the American cotton fields and a white woman working in the East Midlands’s textile mills.

"Standing In This Place" will be the UK’s first sculpture to recognise this transatlantic story, as well as addressing the imbalance that fewer than five per cent of Britain’s sculptures portray non-royal women.

It will be unveiled on Thursday 6 February at 12.15pm.

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LGBT+ History Month 2025

What's on for LGBT+ History Month in Nottingham

* 8 Feb 2pm:
Screening of "Beautiful Thing (1996)" and Talk on LGBT+ Notts in the 90’s - See more info and tickets Here [ [link removed] ]
* 9 Feb 3pm:
LGBT+ Evensong at St. Peter’s Church." "An afternoon of readings and hymns to welcome and celebrate the LGBT+ community in Nottingham.
* 18 Feb 11am:
Punching Above its Weight - Nottingham in the Context of Britain's Queer History. Tickets Here [ [link removed] ]
* 18 Feb 8:30pm:
Screening of "Nowhere (1997)." More info and Tickets Here [ [link removed] ]
* 22 Feb 10am - 3 May 4pm:
Exhibition ''THE LOVERS BY SUNIL GUPTA & CHARAN SINGH'' at NAE. Tickets and Info Here [ [link removed] ]
* 26 Feb 7pm:
Nottingham Rainbow Heritage Awards at the Council House, Annual Celebration and awards ceremony for LGBTQ+ activism and local hero's in the Nottingham. (all are welcome, no tickets needed)

For on-going Local Events check out the events calendar on the Nottingham LGBT+ Networks Website [ [link removed] ]

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new year
Happy Lunar New Year! ??

Gong Xi Fa Cai! 

Happy Lunar New Year as we enter the Year of the Snake!

See what's on for Lunar New Year [ [link removed] ]

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More Nottingham news

* Tales from the caves is a FREE exhibition on at Nottingham Lakeside Arts until March 2025 [ [link removed] ]
* Tickets are now on sale for the new beer festival at Nottingham Castle - Friday 4 & Saturday 5 April  [ [link removed] ]
* Reminder: the single bus cap is now set at £3 nationally - check with your operator to see if they're taking part [ [link removed] ]

* See what's on at Nottingham Family Early Help hubs [ [link removed] ]
*

Did you know Nottingham Central Library offers British Sign Language sessions of some of their regular events? Events with BSL sessions take place on these days:


* *Totstime [ [link removed] ] *- First Thursday of every month
* *Story Time* [ [link removed] ] - Third Monday of every month 
* *Work Clubs [ [link removed] ]* - First and Third Tuesday of every month

See everything on at Nottingham Central Library here [ [link removed] ].

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