Adults who live with primary school, secondary school and college age children can pick up Rapid Lateral Flow Covid Tests from all three asymptomatic testing sites in Nottingham from this Friday (19 March.)

The Government has asked adults in these households to test themselves twice a week for Covid-19 and while they are already available through online delivery, phone order or through some employers, this new arrangement gives people another way of getting hold of the test kits.

From Friday, they will be available for collection from the asymptomatic testing sites at Clifton Community Centre, Djanolgy Community Leisure Centre (Forest Fields) and The Portland Centre (The Meadows) during normal opening hours.

I encourage households across Nottingham to play their part to help stop the spread of infections and take part in regular testing. Around one in three people with Covid-19 don?t have any symptoms, but can still pass it on, which is why it?s so important that people regularly test for Covid-19.

For further information please visit Household tests available from Friday

The roof of the new Broadmarsh Car Park has been covered with 720 solar panels and is expected to generate around 190,000 kWh of electricity a year ? enough to supply energy to over 50 domestic homes all year round. The panels will provide power to the car park, bus station and new Central Library.

We?re matching our ambitions for a carbon neutral city by 2028 with actions across the city, and these solar panels are another element of that. This will be our third largest solar PV system, after Nottingham Tennis Centre and Harvey Hadden Sports Village. Find out more Hundreds of thousands of kilowatt hours of power to be generated at Broadmarsh Car Park

The council has 55 councillors and our main role is to represent the people of Nottingham. We are democratically accountable to the residents in the city?s 22 wards and have a special duty to these constituents, including those who didn?t vote for us. It is important that we listen to the needs of local people and take their views into account when making decisions that affect neighbourhoods or the whole city.

The lockdown has brought many challenges and ensuring that we remain visible and accessible to the citizens of Nottingham has been one of them. Although our monthly surgeries have sadly had to pause over the pandemic and like everyone else we aren?t able to participate in the normal range of?ward activities at the moment, I?d like to?remind you that you can still phone and email councillors and we are still working hard for you. Information on your ward councillors and contact details can be found here Find your councillor

Councillors are residents of this city too and we all want to work with you to make Nottingham the best city it can be.

It is Global Recycling Day tomorrow and we can all take a moment to think about what we throw away. The council runs a Bulky Waste Service to help citizens to dispose of large items of household waste but we are now asking people to consider if the items could be reused first. The Nottinghamshire Furniture Project can reuse many household items such as furniture, textiles, electrical items and kitchen appliances providing they are in a re-usable condition and donate them to people and families in times of need. Before you book your next bulky waste collection please see if the Furniture Project can make use of your items, they will collect free of charge.

Visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/recycleitright? to find out more about recycling in Nottingham.

It?s a year, prior to the first full national lockdown, since the prime minister advised people to avoid all unnecessary social contact and to work from home if possible. We have seen many changes to our normal lives since then and one of the first events to be affected was St Patrick?s Day last year, which was not celebrated in the usual way ? and sadly today is no different.

We will be lighting up the Council House green to mark the occasion this evening and people will doubtless raise a glass, a laugh and a song in the comfort of their homes today. We can only hope that all our efforts with observing daily restrictions in our lives and taking the vaccination will mean that we can celebrate St Patrick?s Day ? and many other things ? as usual next year. In the meantime there are some memories of past St Patrick?s Day celebrations in Nottingham here.