A number of changes have come into force today. You can now spend time outdoors, including private gardens and other outdoor spaces, in groups of up to six people, following social distancing guidelines. I urge everyone to proceed with caution and to continue with social distancing to stop a second wave of the virus in Nottingham - we have been very successful so far in keeping infection rates lower than many other cities. Please do stay two metres apart from people outside of your immediate household, avoid busy areas and continue with regular hand washing. For further guidance visit Government Guidelines - Social Distancing

Shielding measures remain in place until 30^th June, but from today people in shielding can start to spend time outdoors if they choose to. However, please be assured that Council services are still available to support vulnerable people. More information is here: http://www.mynottinghamnews.co.uk/changes-from-the-1st-june-2020/#shielding

Today sees the start of national Volunteers? Week and it seems especially important right now to say thank you to Nottingham?s volunteers for all their acts of kindness. Volunteering can be formal through an official organisation or just helping out a neighbour, often people do not always see their good deeds as anything of note. However this pandemic as really shown that in Nottingham when people are in need we come together and help each other out.

To mark Volunteers? Week, in partnership with Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS), we?ve launched the Nottingham Star campaign. The campaign has been designed to shine a spotlight on the kindness and generosity which individuals and groups have shown to people during the pandemic ? and give those that have been supported the chance to say thank you.

To find out more and to download a free e-card to send to someone you would like to thank please visit www.mynottinghamnews.co.uk/nottinghamstar/ #NottinghamStar

Our business support team is here to help local businesses navigate the changing business environment and support available to them in response to the pandemic. As well as supporting businesses with their immediate needs and concerns we are also reshaping our support offering so we can better support local businesses as they emerge from lockdown into a new normal.

We have launched the Nottingham Economic Recovery Unit (NERU) to bring together a number of support services to create a single point of access to the most critical services for businesses. The new unit will link businesses to key teams within the council, such as licensing, property, regeneration and transport strategy, to provide free, flexible support to businesses in the city during and post-pandemic. Visit Nottingham City Council launches Economic Recovery Unit for further information.

Nottingham City Council has been awarded ?3.35m from Central Government for a Discretionary Grant Fund, we have used this to launch the Nottingham Small Business Fund. The grants will support businesses outside of the scope of previous support grants such as charities, market stalls, social enterprises or cooperatives and will offer support with expenses such as ongoing property costs. Find out more Nottingham Small Business Fund

Our teams are ready to utilise Government funding as soon as it becomes available to ensure that we can protect Nottingham?s business and economy. As ready as we are we to ensure that we can access all available funding streams for Nottingham I am very concerned that the Government has not yet committed enough funds for local areas to adequately support their economies. We will keep pushing Government for the funding we need to support local businesses.