Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Transport (NCT) have submitted a business case as part of a funding bid to the Government?s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas fund (ZEBRA).

The bid asks for ?15million towards the cost of 78 new electric buses, which would result in the full electrification of NCT?s single decker fleet ? and support the company?s ambition to become the UK?s first carbon neutral bus operators.

Funding will be used to fully electrify NCT?s Trent Bridge depot ? where the single deck fleet is based. The new buses will replace all of NCT?s existing single decker fleet and serve on 18 bus routes across the city and into the county. More here

I?m pleased we are extending our scheme to provide extra financial support to residents for food and energy bills this winter through the Government?s Household Support Grant. Everyone is worried about the rising cost of living and soaring energy bills ? but these hard times are felt most keenly by those who are already struggling to cope.

Of course, while temporary support grants are welcome, a more sustainable solution must be found to tackle inequality in the longer term to give people opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty and keep pace with the rising cost of living.

However, in the meantime people can find out if they are eligible and how to apply for supermarket e-vouchers (one ?50 voucher), energy bill e-vouchers (two ?49 vouchers worth ?98) and free School Meal holiday e-vouchers (worth ?15 per pupil per week) here.

Don?t forget you can contact our energy related support line for energy saving advice, support with boiler repairs and replacements and benefits advice at https://warmhomeshub.com/ or by calling 0115 985 3000.

All young people aged 12-15 can now get their Covid jab ? and there are lots of opportunities during the half-term holiday to do this. The vaccination centre at the Forest Recreation Ground is open next week for young people to walk in without appointment on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 3pm-7.30pm as well as Sunday from 8.20am-1.40pm. Why not make plans now to pop in? Get vaccinated remains the best thing you can do to protect yourself against the virus, significantly reducing the risk of becoming severely ill or dying. If you are yet to have the vaccine, it is not too late. Please do everything you can to stay safe from Covid-19.

We?ve been running a Government-backed rental e-scooter trial since October 2020, with the aim of finding out whether this new mode of transport could offer a greener, more affordable and convenient way of getting around.

Now we?re working with Nottingham Trent University to carry out further monitoring and evaluation, looking at how the e-scooters are being used, how the trial can be improved, and the impact on people and businesses in the city. If you regularly use the e-scooters, you?ll be able to take part in a questionnaire through the Link app, but we also really want to know what you think if you don?t use the scooters. There will also be an opportunity to take part in focus groups for anyone who would like to provide more information.

Share your feedback, views and experiences at https://online1.snapsurveys.com/escooternonuser before 5 March.