Tomorrow?s move to Plan A restrictions for Covid-19 means that we are moving in the right direction out of the pandemic. I?m extremely glad that there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, being in ?Plan A? restrictions means we still have to think about how we should continue to take steps to keep each other safe. We still have high rates of Covid in Nottingham ? we?re certainly not out of the woods yet.

I would ask that everyone in our city continues to remain cautious:

• Get vaccinated: two doses and a booster gives you the best protection. Book your jab here: nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination ?
• Keep testing: take a regular lateral flow test at home to make sure you are Covid-free. Find out where to get tests: nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing
• Take care: please consider continuing to wear face coverings in busy indoor public spaces like shops and public transport to help reduce transmission of the virus

Remember: we have to learn to ?live? with Covid for the foreseeable future. Let?s do all we can to take care of each other.

This week we published our first review of our Carbon Neutral Action Plan and I am delighted that it shows we are on track to achieve our ambition to become the first carbon neutral city in the UK by 2028.

Despite challenges due to the pandemic and pressures on the council?s finances, significant achievements have been made since the city?s Carbon Neutral 2028 Action Plan was published in June 2020. The 251-point plan covers a range of initiatives to cut carbon emissions across transport, the built environment, waste, water, energy generation and consumption.

Over the past 15 years, city-wide carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by over 50% per person, which is a figure we can be extremely proud of. But we need to do more if we are going to reach our goal, and we cannot do it alone. We?re asking everyone in the city to do as much as they can to help us become a carbon neutral. Even changes that seem small can have a big impact. Find out more

If you want to get involved, you can have your say about the carbon neutral plan at the upcoming focus groups that we?re running with Nottingham Trent University in February and March. Book your slot now.

I?m really pleased that we?ve secured additional funding to make another 100 council homes more energy efficient, reducing heating and energy costs for residents. The homes in Radford will get improvements works including insulated wall panels, new windows and solar panels - creating homes that produce almost zero carbon emissions. Not only will these works make homes warmer and reduce energy bills for tenants, but it will help towards Nottingham?s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2028.?

Nottingham was the first place in the UK to pilot the ground-breaking whole-house retrofit approach known as Energiesprong. This pioneering approach from the Netherlands, upgrades a home with innovative energy-saving and energy-generating measures. The end result is homes that are near net zero carbon. Find out more

It is National Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow and in Nottingham we will mark it by lighting up the Council House purple and hosting an online event. It?s right that we remember the Holocaust and other acts of genocide around the world, as a warning from history which must never be repeated. The day is an opportunity to remember the victims and survivors of such atrocities, and reminds us why it is so important to respond to attempts to divide our communities. We know in Nottingham that people get along well and are proud of the diversity in their city, but we can never take this for granted, and we must challenge hate and prejudice wherever it occurs.

Please do join me at this online candlelit memorial event, the event will take place over Zoom between 6-7pm on Thursday you can book a place here. In the evening Nottingham?s Council House will light up purple in memory of all who have lost their lives in genocides. More here