Today is National Windrush Day, a day where we celebrate the contributions of the Windrush generation and their descendants to the country and to Nottingham. The event marks the 72nd anniversary of the landing of SS Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in 1948 carrying passengers from the Caribbean, who were invited to Britain to assist with post-war reconstruction.

The Windrush generation has enriched the fabric of Nottingham culture and their contribution to life in our city has been incredibly significant. Later tonight, the Council House will be lit up green as part of the Windrush celebrations. I?m looking forward to joining in with a special celebration that is being held tonight on the steps of the Council House for guests from the African Caribbean community and civic leaders.

It?s good to see that the plea from local authorities up and down the county to reverse Governments cuts and to support councils with their COVID expenditure has been gaining coverage in the media both locally and nationally.

The Nottingham Post has recently covered our warnings that Nottingham and its 'great institutions' are at risk of severe economic harm if the Government does not come good on its promise to compensate councils for COVID losses: Whole city at risk of economic harm over broken Government promises.

On Saturday, the Guardian published its latest findings that reveal that not only has austerity hit councils hard but cities like Nottingham have been hit harder than wealthier areas: Labour councils in England hit harder by austerity than Tory areas. This is something we have been saying for a while now, we know that since 2011 Nottingham has lost ?529 spending power per household compared to wealthier areas like Surrey which have actually gained ?19 per household.

Like most councils, we are having to tackle a significant shortfall in Government funding for our coronavirus expenditure when we are already bearing the brunt of Government cuts due to austerity. We will continue to lobby ministers in Government for a fair and proportionate amount of funding and to utilise our networks to draw attention to this issue.

Taking place in classrooms and homes through online distance learning this Thursday, Relationships and Sex Educational Day will feature online creative workshops exploring healthy relationships. This will include poetry, visual arts, music and dance online lessons, creative challenges and short story and picture book readings. Visit RSE Day - 25 June 2020 for a multitude of resources to inspire parents / carers and schools to support the day and get involved.

The day will also feature a takeover of the council?s YouTube channel to livestream events and activities across the city. It will also be available to livestream from www.challengenottingham.co.uk and Facebook. Among the people reading books during the day will be Sid Sloane from Cbeebies, who will appear from 2.45pm on the ChalleNGe/YouTube takeover and I will be making an appearance too!

I?m really proud that RSE Day was pioneered in Nottingham?s schools and has now become a national event. RSE Day aims to celebrate positive work around relationships and sex education in schools and the wider community. It is a day for everyone to think about their role in promoting healthy relationships and positive sexual health.