We are now one week away from Step Four of the roadmap out of Covid-19 ? when all restrictions will be lifted and our city opens up for people to get back to pubs, restaurants, indoor events and other activities.

The Prime Minister confirmed this evening that when we move to Step Four on 19 July, we will also no longer be required to continue with the precautions that have kept us safe over the last 18 months: Hands, Face, Space. However, I am somewhat reassured that he has at least acknowledged the importance of continuing to wear face coverings in crowded areas, such as busy public transport.

This is important: rates of Covid-19 continue to rise in our city as well as nationally. More people are also being admitted to hospital. The vaccine offers great protection from the virus, but many people in Nottingham still remain unvaccinated.

For now, as a city, we must look out for each other. I?m asking everyone in Nottingham to be cautious as we move to the next step. Please, let?s be careful: we are strongly encouraging people to wear a face covering in crowded indoor spaces, public transport, and council buildings.

Wearing a face covering can also make others feel more confident and comfortable? and enable more vulnerable people to go about their normal lives.

Let?s continue to move forward safely.

This week I wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport to urge the Government to press ahead with the Eastern Leg of HS2 in full, including the HS2/conventional Rail Hub Station at Toton, HS2 connectivity to Chesterfield and the Infrastructure Maintenance Depot at Staveley.

The City Council has been a strong advocate for HS2 over many years and played a leading role in the development of the East Midlands HS2 proposition. This has also included the publication of the East Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy in 2017 which estimated the development could create 10,000 highly skilled jobs for the region.

Only Toton and the full Eastern Leg can provide the extra rail capacity necessary to deliver the efficient and resilient rail network the East Midlands needs, transforming connectivity to Leeds, Sheffield and the North East, with the possibility of further extending the network to Newcastle and Edinburgh in the future. Only Toton can support the new and better jobs our people need and the kind of local public transport networks other regions take for granted.

Congratulations to Active Nottingham which has been judged to have one of the best health and safety standards in the country. If you?re visiting one of our seven leisure centres this summer it?s great to know you?re in the hands of a Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Gold award winning team.

When you are ready to get back to fitness then you?ll be pleased to know we have been able to extend our centre opening hours and added more gym and swimming sessions at some of centres too. Swim School is up and running from ages six months up to adult, and if Wimbledon has inspired you, tennis coaching is available for adults and juniors. You can also enjoy instructor-led fitness classes, including aqua and group cycling, plus over 300 virtual classes.

All the latest updates can be found at www.activenottingham.com

The City Council is looking to introduce maternity and paternity allowances for its councillors, in a bid to make holding public office more attractive to a wider range of people.

I am proud of the fact that we have a young and diverse group of councillors who truly reflect our vibrant, diverse and ambitious city. In 2019, a new cohort of councillors saw the number of women increase to 29 out of 55, with eight out of the ten executive councillors being women. Twenty-two councillors and four of the executive assistants are from a black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

There is currently no legal right to parental leave of any kind for people in elected public office but I think it?s right that we make it possible for councillors who become parents to continue in their roles and that we have arrangements in place which remove any potential obstacles for anyone who would otherwise want to contribute to public life as a local councillor.

Find out more here.

I am disappointed by the result of the Euros final last night but proud of everything Gareth Southgate and the England squad have achieved over the last few weeks. They have been brilliant representatives for our country and it is clear there is so much potential there for the future. I hope they get some well-earned rest and wish them all the best going forward.

There is no doubt that many people will have been inspired by England?s performance. In Nottingham there are lots?of opportunities for all ages to get playing Football. ?If you or anyone you know is interested you can find local Football Clubs on the Active Notts website here.

I?d also like to give my thanks once more to our hard-working street cleansing teams who got our city looking spick and span again in the early hours of this morning ? we really appreciate your efforts.