We await the Government?s announcement tomorrow about which tier of restrictions will be applied locally. We would hope that the efforts of local organisations and people will be recognised and reflected in the tier we are placed in. A month ago, Nottingham had the highest proportion of cases anywhere in the country, with close to 1,000 Covid-19 infections for every 100,000 people. Thanks to collective efforts of sticking to tighter restrictions and limiting social contacts, that figure is down at 236 per 100,000, which is below the national average of 240 and places the city at 121st on the list nationally. In fact we have seen 40 consecutive days of falling Covid cases, meaning Nottingham?s rate is now half of what it was when placed into Tier 3 last month. Council Leader Cllr David Mellen has written to the Prime Minister to ask that this is taken into account when areas are allocated new tiers tomorrow.

Today the Chancellor unveiled his spending plans for the next twelve months and despite some welcome announcements on funding, I am disappointed that the Government has decided to bring in another pay freeze for millions of public sector workers. Despite their work and sacrifices to keep essential services going and keep people safe during the pandemic, many key workers who we have applauded all summer will now see a real-terms cut in their incomes.

The Government continues to leave councils short-changed over the cost of Covid. Earlier this year they promised to cover all the costs of Covid and stand ?shoulder to shoulder? with local authorities. However, ?21m worth of our Covid costs remain unfunded this year and there is set to be a Covid budget gap for the council of ?47m in the next financial year. This follows on from a decade of cuts from Government, totalling a lost income of ?250m.

The Government?s announcement today of 3% council tax precept is not the way to fund adult social care, this places the burden on local council tax payers when it should be nationally funded. This would ultimately leave Nottingham people paying more for the rising costs in care for the elderly and vulnerable children. Expecting big council tax rises to make up for the Government funding gaps is the wrong way to fund these vital services.

I have written to the Minister of State for Universities at the Department of Education to seek clarity on what the Government?s plans are for the return of students in the New Year. As we continue to effectively drive down the number of Covid cases in the city, it?s reasonable that local residents and students themselves will want and need some certainty and guidance over how thousands of students will re-join the local population safely following the Christmas break. We will be working with Nottingham?s two universities on this issue in the coming weeks.

With the ban on the sale of new petrol and electric vehicles brought forward to 2030, we want to support businesses to plan ahead. Electric vehicles are the future, but making the switch is still a big decision. From tomorrow, I?ll be launching a new initiative that will enable local businesses to trial a range of electric vans for up to three months. By using funding from Highways England around 50 vans will be available for any size of business, public or voluntary organisation operating in the city.

This isn?t available through dealerships or manufacturers, so it?s a unique opportunity and key to addressing barriers businesses face with electrifying fleets. Not only will they be able to experience first-hand the cost savings in maintenance and operation, but also the improved driving experience, giving them confidence to go ahead and make their fleets cleaner. This will be good news for our commitment to be a carbon-neutral city by 2028 and for air quality in the city especially on our busier roads and the city centre.

Find out more here

With ?Black Friday? approaching, the council is backing a national campaign Don?t Toy With Children?s Safety to highlight the issue of unsafe toys being sold by third-party online sellers as special deals for Black Friday and Christmas.

With the Covid pandemic and current Government restrictions affecting the whole country, many people will be relying on online shopping in the coming days and weeks. Our Trading Standards team? is urging consumers to be vigilant when buying toys on the internet to make sure they?re safe and suitable for children.

?Find out more about the campaign and safety tips when buying for children