Tomorrow sees a set of proposals being considered by the council?s Executive Board which would make ?12.2m of savings towards balancing our 2022/23 budget. It?s a really difficult time but we?re not alone as councils across the country are facing the same financial challenges as us. Year after year of Government cuts leaving us ?100m a year worse off than eight years ago and the need to make more savings ? on top of ?303m cumulative savings since 2010 - means the process gets harder and harder. Even if these proposals are eventually agreed, we will still need to make further savings early next year to plug the financial gap.

There are some really difficult proposals to consider which undoubtedly will have an impact on local people, and a consultation will as always be undertaken - we genuinely want to hear the views of local people and how changes will affect them and their communities. As well as changes to services, the council is considering a 1.99% basic council tax increase as well as implementing the Government?s 1% social care precept towards the rising demand of statutory adult care services, which along with caring for vulnerable children now accounts for nearly two-thirds of the council?s entire budget.

There is more information here and the full report to Executive Board is available here.

From Monday 22 to Friday 26 November 2021, the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, Cllr Cheryl Barnard and I, along with other councillors and officers, will be reading stories to local children in schools, nurseries and libraries across Nottingham ? as well as visiting a few extra-special locations.

We?re aiming to raise more than ?5,000 for the Imagination Library ? an amazing scheme that delivers free books to local children every month from birth to age five.

The Imagination Library is proven to improve children's literacy levels. By getting books, our children are more likely to be ready to start school when they turn five ? and that gives them a real head start in life.

There are more than 5,600 Nottingham children currently registered with the Imagination Library scheme, and we?ve seen over 3,000 children graduate. In total, over 347,000 books have been delivered so far? but we want to do more!

Please support us and the Imagination Library by donating and sharing our Challenge with your friends and family:

http://www.gofundme.com/f/big-reading-challenge-2021

This week is Road Safety Week, an annual initiative created by charity Brake to inspire schools, organisations and communities to take action on road safety, and to share life-saving messages.

The theme this year is ?Road Safety Heroes?, and we?ll be highlighting just some of the work our Road Safety teams do, as well as sharing tips for staying safe when walking, cycling, driving or scooting, especially as winter approaches. Please do check out www.transportnottingham.com/news/ and twitter.com/Transport_Nottm? for road safety tips and news.?

Our Road Safety Education team works closely with schools in Nottingham throughout the year, offering support to carry out cycle training and various activities to promote road safety. Since last year, we?ve also been running our School Streets initiatives, which currently provides safer, car-free spaces outside 14 schools in the city.

In the last 12 months we?ve seen several safety concerns emerge during the electric scooter trial. We?re continuing to work closely with operator Wind Mobility to address these, but we need people to use them responsibly too to keep themselves and others safe, so we?re starting off the week with some tips when riding: https://www.transportnottingham.com/10-safety-tips-for-e-scooters/

Our hearts go out to the people of Liverpool and all those directly affected by the explosion outside the city?s Women?s hospital yesterday which has been declared as a terrorist incident and led to the UK?s terror threat level being raised. We stand together with all our communities here in Nottingham, in Liverpool and across the country against those who seek to spread fear and division.

We opened consultation last week on the location for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Trent. Fully funded by a Government grant from the Transforming Cities Fund, the proposed crossing will connect Trent Basin on the north bank, to the Lady Bay area on the south bank, opening up safer and more direct routes for people walking, cycling and running.

This week, we?re inviting people to a series of drop in events, with the chance to speak to officers, find out more about the plans, and ask any questions. These include on Wednesday (17 November) from 10am until 5.30pm at Loxley House, and on Thursday (18 November) from 11am until 7pm at Rushcliffe Arena in West Bridgford. We?ve also organised a couple of local events in Trent Basin and Lady Bay, aimed primarily at those living or working closest to the proposed location.

Find out more, including a link to the online consultation, at www.transportnottingham.com/watersidebridge

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

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

It is a simple but important action to take ? especially as we are not yet free from the Covid-19 pandemic. Let?s all do all we can to take care of each other.