At a meeting of the Council?s Executive Board yesterday we formally approved ?12.2m of proposed savings towards?balancing our 2022/23 budget ? and now we want to hear your thoughts.

There are some extremely difficult decisions which need to be made as a result of more than a decade of swingeing Government cuts and the ongoing effects of Covid. We are currently nearly ?20m out of pocket for pandemic costs which haven?t been reimbursed by Whitehall as promised.

We?re not alone in this. It?s something affecting councils up and down the country, but especially in towns and cities across the Midlands and North. In Nottingham, the City Council is now receiving more than ?100m less per year in its main Government grant compared with eight years ago.

A number of difficult proposals have been put forward by the council to help deliver savings, including to Children?s Centres, play and youth services and beginning to charge for bulky waste collections. Many of these, while not what we?d ever want to do unless absolutely necessary, would bring us in line with what other councils have been doing for years.

It?s really important that we hear the views of as many people as possible on these proposals over the next eight weeks. You can find more information on this year?s budget here or go direct to the consultation here.

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Nottingham?s Christmas began this week with the Christmas and tree lights in Old Market Square going on and the opening of the Christmas Market and attractions. On Monday the Lord Mayor, Sheriff of Nottingham and local schoolchildren from Top Valley and Basford helped to push down the plunger and switch on the lights. This was shared on social media but if you didn?t catch it then you can see it here.

The Christmas Market is open until 31 December with the giant wheel, helter-skelter, carousel, market stalls and food and drink as well as the lovely new Christmas Village with igloo pods in Trinity Square. Visit www.whatsonnottingham.com to keep up to date withChristmas attractions and events in Nottingham .

I am, along with many others I hope, looking forward to a bit of normality this festive period. Being able to experience the wonderful attractions our city has to offer this Christmas, as well as spending time in restaurants, bars and shops feels like such a treat compared to the uncertainty we faced with Covid-19 last year.

Whilst I am looking forward to being able to visit places and spend time with family and friends, being safe from Covid-19 still remains a priority. And we all must try to follow Covid safe behaviours when we are out and about to keep ourselves and others safe.

If you are out in the city centre you can access our free testing facilities on Lister Gate (Thursday) and Smithy Row at the Christmas Market (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) between 9.30am and 4pm. Regular, rapid Covid-19 testing, even when you don?t have symptoms, is extremely important to keep others safe. If you don?t get the chance to take a test before you go indoors, or even outdoor crowded areas like the Christmas Market, please pop along to the mobile testing sites.?For further information on our city centre testing sites, as well as neighbourhood sites, please visit Get a COVID-19 Test - Nottingham City Council

As well as regular testing, we need to try to remember the other key Covid safe behaviours:

Please take care of yourself and take care of others this winter.

A Best Garden Competition run by Nottingham City Homes for almost 100 years is really coming into its own as people become more aware of the importance of the natural environment. This year there has been a real focus on creating gardens that encourage biodiversity and help the bugs and the bees to thrive. Bees are pollinators and the work they do is vital to our food supply. Residents across Nottingham?s council estates have been helping to transform their gardens to create green spaces for bees to thrive and doing their bit for the natural environment.

I was honoured to help present this year?s awards and congratulate the winning residents and groups. With COP26 fresh in people?s minds, it?s great that the awards celebrate people who have created gardens that encourage growing your own food and biodiversity. They should be proud of all the work they have done to create some amazing gardens, gardens that help towards tackling climate change. More information here

Last week I joined Core Cities at COP26 in signing a declaration by the UK Cities Climate Investment Commission. This is calling for a local approach to the climate crisis and urging the Government to strengthennational - local partnerships and increase investment in demonstrator projects in local areas. Tackling the climate crisis presents opportunities, there are jobs and skills to be created across the green supply chain, presenting significant economic opportunity for the UK and for Nottingham. However, sectors in the UK including local government need financial certainty so we can prepare our communities and organisations to be ready to make the most of net zero opportunities.

One thing COP has shown is the need for everyone to be involved in this journey. In Nottingham we need local communities, businesses, universities, public sector partners, unions, social businesses, voluntary sector and faith groups all committed to making our city carbon neutral and I will continue to work to bring people along with us on that journey. ?