Now more than ever we need more council homes. Locally and nationally, demand for council houses far outstrips supply, with over 8,000 people on our housing register in Nottingham. The housing crisis has been rumbling on for some time now, with little action from the Government to ease it. The Right to Buy policy that began in the 1980s has depleted our housing stock, meaning that it is harder than ever to meet local need. In 1979, my family needed a council house, and the wait was weeks not years.

People in high-cost private rented accommodation are now facing the cost of living crisis too, with higher energy bills and food prices to cover. So I?m really pleased to see work has started in Bestwood to build 129 new council homes. The homes will consist of one, two and three bed houses, flats and wheelchair accessible bungalows. These are all in high demand from local families in the area. They will be energy efficient and low cost to run, while over 50% of the site is being kept for green space for all the community to enjoy.?

They are being built on behalf of the council by Nottingham City Homes and they will go to Nottingham households on the local council house waiting list at affordable rents.??

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I was pleased to see Nottingham Castle?s Land Train make an appearance at the revitalised attraction yesterday to promote the search for a driver and conductor so it can begin taking passengers this summer.

The eco-friendly vehicle will undoubtedly become an attraction in its own right, but importantly it will improve accessibility for all, taking 35 visitors a time from Brewhouse Yard to the Castle Colonnade, including wheelchair users. The driver and conductor will give passengers an insight into the castle?s history and attractions on the trip from the foot of Castle Rock up Castle Road and through to the highest point in the grounds. Find out more

On this day we recognise and thank all those who arrived on Empire Windrush (known as the Windrush Generation), and their descendants, for the enormous contributions they made to Britain and here in Nottingham. They arrived at a time when the country and this city were recovering from the Second World War and they made a huge contribution to rebuilding the country and continue to make a valued contribution.

To mark the occasion we?ve raised the Windrush flag on The Council House, and the Council House has also hosted a Civic reception today which Leader of the Council, Cllr David Mellen and Chief Executive, Mel Barratt, spoke at. Thanks go to community partners, including the Pilgrim Church Charitable Trust, for organising the event.

At the last Full Council the council renewed its support for the Windrush Generation, who have been so badly let down by the Home Office. The council resolved to continue to mark Windrush Day annually as a civic celebration and pledged our ongoing support for members of the Windrush Generation living in Nottingham. Find out more

This week, the Nottingham Green Partnership celebrated its 30^th anniversary with an event hosted at the iconic Newton Building at Nottingham Trent University. Attended by 25 partners from 15 organisations across the city, it was a brilliant opportunity to reflect on the fantastic and vital work that has already taken place to tackle the climate crisis to date, as well as looking to the future to see what some of the next 30 years has in store for the partnership!

Creating solutions to achieve Nottingham?s ambition to be the first carbon neutral city in the UK requires us all to work together to develop the best route forward.? If you would like to get involved but aren?t sure where to start, sign up for the Green Rewards app. It has loads of suggestions for things you can do every day to make a difference, and you will be in with a chance to win prizes every month.

If you would like more information about Nottingham?s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2028, you can email the team with your questions and comments.