New data from Public Health England confirms there are more cases of Covid-19 in our city than we were aware of last week. Our numbers are now significant. Every ward in the city is seeing an increase in cases, matching the rising trend in confirmed cases of Covid-19 nationally. This is very worrying for Nottingham and we are working with Public Health England and with all partners in the city today to urgently consider what next steps need to be taken.

In the meantime, everyone in the city must take this seriously and make sure that they and the people they know are following the rules around social distance, wearing a face covering, washing hands and the Rule of Six. These measures are the only defence we have to keep ourselves safe from Covid-19. There is no vaccine for this virus, so we have to work together to protect each other and to slow the spread of Covid-19 across Nottingham.

The City Council has today agreed ?12.5m of budget savings to balance its 2020/21 budget as unmet Covid costs, along with another year of Government cuts, take their toll. The Council has had to make cumulative budget savings totalling ?271.4m over the last ten years and since the start of the pandemic the financial strain Covid-19 has had on councils across the country has been widely reported in terms of increased expenditure, lost income and the impact on existing budget savings.

In 2013 the Government?s Revenue Support Grant to Nottingham - which used to be one of the main sources of funding for local services - was ?127m for the year, dwindling to just ?25m for the year ahead through the Government?s austerity measures.?On top of that, this year the Government told councils to step up in the fight against Covid and the costs would be reimbursed ? but the Government has paid only around half of the ?78m of the Covid costs to the City Council. This has forced the council to use ?31m of its reserves to plug the gap. Read more here

Libraries week starts today, which is an opportunity to celebrate the nation's much-loved libraries and their vital role in the UK's book culture. As we spend more time at home, one positive of the pandemic is that many people are reading more. We know that our libraries are much valued by local people and we have been really proud to keep supporting the city to read by expanding our online service over this uncertain time.

Over the week the libraries team will be sharing exciting news about new initiatives to discover, including the launch of a brand new online learning platform, and an exclusive author talk from one of our libraries? most requested crime novelist.

Follow Nottingham Libraries on Facebook: @NottinghamLibraries?and Instagram: @nottmlibraries to discover more and take part during the week. In line with Government guidance, a face covering must be worn when visiting the library and we ask all visitors to stay two metres apart where possible. For more information on the Covid-safe measures in place in our libraries please visit Libraries: Welcome back

This annual awareness-raising week aims to encourage children and their families to walk, cycle or scoot to and from school, rather than travelling by car. This will increase children?s daily exercise, reduce the city?s carbon footprint and help to reduce pressure on buses and trams. Find out more about travelling safely to school

To help with congestion, car-free streets are being trialled outside eight city schools during the autumn term. Closing streets that are notorious for congestion should create a safe and welcoming space to encourage more children and parents to walk, scoot and cycle to school, and to ensure enough space is available to meet social distancing requirements. Find out more about Car free streets outside schools.

And finally, congratulations to Notts Outlaws after they became T20 Blast Champions for the second time in three years. It was a skilful and tenacious performance that lit up the competition and we can all be very proud of this fantastic victory. It?s yet another great achievement in Nottingham?s sporting history.

I?m sure we all hope that next year they can return to do it all again, but this time with the Trent Bridge faithful there in full voice ? giving the players that fantastic vocal support we know so well.