Thousands of our hardest hit families have been helped to get ?3.7million in financial support during the pandemic. Nottingham City Homes (NCH) have been helping and supporting our council house residents to make sure they get the benefits they need to survive. NCH have supported an extra 4,862 residents for the first time last year ? many of these from working households who have been hit by the pandemic.

Covid has had a devastating impact, leaving many people uncertain about their pay and income and now some of the lowest income families are being hit further as the Government?s additional ?20 a week has been removed.? For some people that could be the difference between heating their home or buying food. More than 40,000 Nottingham households will lose out by up to ?1,000 per year without the uplift.

Across the city there has been a surge in people claiming benefits for the first time due to the impact of Covid, with 7,500 extra claimants in the city over the past year. Now more than 28,000 Nottingham households are on Universal Credit and there has also been an increase in people using food banks. Find out how residents have been helped in the city and the impact of the ?20 uplift cut here?-

How to get help

• Benefits advice:?Visit Nottingham City Council's welfare rights page.
• Food Banks & free or cheap food venues:?www.asklion.co.uk
• Support for Job Seekers:?Visit?www.asklion.co.uk/moneyandwork.
• More financial help and support services:?www.asklion.co.uk/money

Perhaps a touch later than some years, households may be starting to reach for the thermostat to keep off the October chill. With energy prices rising, though, we may be looking for ways to keep the costs down. Since March 2020, the Warm Homes Hub has supported over 2,000 homes in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to heat them more affordably. It?s a fantastic schemed delivered by Nottingham Energy Partnership and Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire who have teamed up with energy supplier E.ON and local councils to deliver practical measures and financial support.

Eligible residents benefit from the free install of central heating, connection to the gas network, and in some cases the installation of loft and cavity wall insulation. With only three months left to the end of the scheme, I would urge residents to see if they are entitled to improvements and support. Having had solid wall insulation fitted to my home through a similar scheme this year, I can attest to the noticeable difference it makes. Find out more and eligibility criteria here or call 0115 985 3000.

Council venues are celebrating Black History Month with a range of collaborations at our heritage venue Newstead Abbey and at Nottingham City libraries.

Newstead Abbey?s historic house shows the artwork responses to the museum collection from black artists, poets, academics, photographers, teachers and residents in the community, who have spent time at Newstead Abbey & Gardens, taking inspiration to tell the black history of the place. Discover Black Newstead?s collaborators and artworks, and plan your visit before November 21^st 2021.

Nottingham City Libraries have teamed up with local authors from Nottingham Writers Studio to provide a selection of works from the much celebrated ?Black Lives? collection that was curated and published by the Writers Studio.

The Robin Hood Youth Orchestra have made a recording of Samuel Coleridge Taylor?s dramatic music for Shakespeare?s ?Othello?, as part of the music hub?s contributions to Black History month. The recording can be watched here.

Also throughout the city, as part of Mental Health awareness, local poets in the community will be showcasing their work in Hyson Green, The Meadows and St Ann?s, and you can enjoy some fantastic graffiti art being done live on site. Some hard-hitting subjects will be tackled such as mental health, racism and identity as well as what black culture itself actually means. Find out more about how to get involved with the events here.

We must continue to do all we can to reduce the spread of Covid-19 to protect ourselves and others. One of the steps we are asking people to keep taking is to wear a face covering in busy indoor places where mixing with others is unavoidable. You should wear a mask:

• In all council buildings
• In shops and supermarkets
• On buses, trams and trains
• When moving around in pubs, cafes and restaurants
• In cinemas, theatres and at concerts.

Let?s take action now before the number of cases rises. None of us wants to see a return to the harsh restrictions ? or even lockdowns ? that we had last autumn and winter. Let?s all stay safe and look out for one another.