We know many families in Nottingham are struggling at the moment and we continue to work hard to pay eligible households the Government?s ?150 Council Tax rebate. We have now processed 93,098 applications, with a further 3,300 pending ? equating to 83% of eligible households, whether they pay by direct debit or not. There are some people who don?t pay by direct debit where we are having to manually process applications as there is a mis-match of information in our systems, which unfortunately is causing some delays ? we are making every effort to complete these applications as quickly as possible.

Some households have still not responded to us and we would urge them to do so to claim the rebate they are entitled to. We have set up a helpline to provide support to people wishing to apply ? details are on the letters we are sending to eligible households. Ultimately we will credit their Council Tax account with ?150 if we don?t hear back from them. We are also rolling out further discretionary payments, between ?10 and ?150, for certain households.

There is more advice and information for people with concerns about financial issues at www.asklion.co.uk. More and more people are seeking help and advice. Most people in our city are finding it harder to balance their budgets ? it?s easier to sort if you get to it earlier but it?s never too late either.

I would like to wish good luck to all of our Nottingham A-level students ahead of receiving their results tomorrow, we?re really proud of them all and I hope that students receive the results that they?re expecting.

After a challenging couple of years which saw exams cancelled in 2020 and 2021, this year was the first year since the start of the pandemic that normal exams were held again. Studying for A-levels is not easy at the best of times, so I would like to congratulate pupils for persevering through these tough two years as well as extending a thank you to everyone who has helped to support them, including teachers, school staff and parents.

Sometimes A levels come at the wrong time for people and things don?t go so well. There?s always a second chance or a different path to take ? speaking as someone who never celebrated great A levels!

So, while many young people will be celebrating successful results tomorrow, some may be left disappointed or be unsure of what to do next. There is plenty of support and advice available to help students with their next steps and guide them through what their options are, including through Futures here.

There are lots of opportunities that don?t rely on great A levels, or university and lots of advice and help available.

It?s great to see children already enjoying new play facilities at parks in Wollaton and Aspley, following complete refurbishment that?s taken place as part of a ?350,000 improvement programme.

FCC Communities Foundation and the City Council are funding the scheme which will see play areas in four parks upgraded, including new play equipment, seating, outdoor fitness equipment and improved access. The two completed so far are Seaford Avenue Park and Amesbury Circus ? with Coppice Park in Mapperley and Arkwright Walk also benefitting from new facilities being installed.

I?m delighted that these projects are taking shape, bringing much-improved play facilities to our communities. We are extremely grateful for the ?268,000 of funding FCC Communities Foundation has provided towards these improvements.

Two huge murals celebrating England goalkeeper and Nottingham?s own Mary Earps have been unveiled in the city.

The first mural is a tribute to Mary and the Lionesses and sits alongside Nottingham Tram stop and Nottingham Station near the council?s head offices at Loxley House. It was created by Art of Football and The Nottingham Project, with support from Tramlink.

The second artwork is a 10m-tall installation painted near Lady Bay Bridge. It was designed by an anonymous Instagram artist known as Todd Jerm, and also features the famous Left Lion and an image of fellow legendary local Robin Hood.

These murals are a great way to show the city?s support for the Lionesses and Mary, and I hope everyone who sees them will remember how important it is to have positive role models in sport.

The City Council has prepared a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) setting out how it will involve the local community and other interested parties when consulting on planning applications and producing planning documents, such as the Local Plan.

We have opened a consultation on the draft document for an eight-week period, until 10 October 2022, for people and organisations to have their say. For more information and to make comments please visit: https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/sci