I?m concerned to see that we now have more cases of Covid-19 in our city. The best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated against the virus. You are much more likely to get sick from Covid if you have not had the vaccine. Please get yourself to the Forest Rec vaccination centre and grab your jab.

The Forest Rec vaccination centre is open most days from 8.30am to 7.30pm (it closes at 3pm on Mondays and Wednesdays). You can go there for:

• Your first jab ? there are staff who can talk to you about any concerns you might have
• Your second jab ? if it?s eight weeks since you had your first jab
• Your booster jab ? it it?s six months and one week after your second jab

For booster jabs, you don?t need to wait for your GP letter. If you are over-50 or clinically vulnerable, you can get your booster at Forest Rec if your second jab was before 25 April.

You can get to Forest Rec by car (there?s free parking), by bus and by tram. You can turn up without an appointment, but the centre is seeing higher demand and some longer waits at the moment so you also have the option to book a time slot. Click here to make an appointment: Book your Coronavirus Vaccination

While vaccination is undoubtedly the best protection, it does not mean that other measures like wearing face coverings are no longer needed. I support my colleague Cllr Adele Williams, Portfolio Holder for Adults & Health, who last week wrote to the Health Secretary Sajid Javid to call for decisive action on face coverings for indoor and crowded settings.

COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, is finally underway and comes at a time when it?s widely accepted that significant change needs to happen now at a global level if we are to avert climate disasters around the world.

Our Deputy Leader Cllr Sally Longford will be attending the conference along with the City Council?s Director of Carbon Reduction, Energy and Sustainability Wayne Bexton, where they will be sharing best practice from Nottingham, looking to create stronger links with other cities and lever further investment into the city. Nottingham has plenty to showcase, from our green public transport system and extensive retrofitting of hard-to-heat homes to a large network of electric vehicle charging points and an increasingly green council vehicle fleet.

While we strive to do as much as possible in Nottingham, none of us have yet done enough to address this most serious of issues. We must hope that good progress is made by world leaders at COP26 and we will return with fresh ideas and renewed impetus to do even more at a local level that will help to make a difference. Find out more Nottingham at COP26

Four years after the old one started to be demolished, it?s great to see the new Broad Marsh Car Park open to customers for the first time today. For the first fortnight, motorists can benefit from a special ?5 all day offer. The facilities are second-to-none, with a smart traffic light parking system guiding people to spaces and a light, airy environment where people will feel safe. I was impressed when I visited last week with the option of contactless payments taken at the barriers, removing the hassle of buying tickets.

We have produced an ?all you need to know? page of information here for anyone planning to use the new car park, including how to use any of the 81 electric vehicle charging points and maps and videos showing new routes to access the car park.

Last week was the Government?s spending review and while I am pleased Nottingham City Council has received funding to improve our streets and transport, making them safer and more environmentally friendly, it is a massive shame the Government has neglected Broad Marsh Shopping Centre and the Island Quarter. As I stated on BBC East Midlands Today last week,?the opportunities presented by these two projects are significant for the city and I am disappointed the Government has not taken it up. They have the potential to create jobs and boost the local economy in Nottingham and we are again being overlooked by Government.

There are still more details we are awaiting around wider local Government funding but I remain concerned the Government seems to again be putting the burden on local people with more Council tax. This is a problem for cities and towns all over the country with local services nationally expected to cost at least ?8 billion more by? 2024/25 according to the Local Government Association. Council tax is both inadequate and unfair to meet that demand, particularly at a time when the Government is raising other taxes and the cost of living is rising.

As I and many other council colleagues have consistently said, we need a fair long term funding settlement for local government. ?