Proposed new ways of carrying out bin collections in Nottingham are supported by three-quarters of respondents to a recent City Council survey.

More than 3,600 responses were received as part of the consultation on a draft Municipal Resources and Waste Strategy between October and December 2022 ? one of the City Council?s top consultation response rates.

76% said they are supportive of the proposals in the strategy. Respondents were also in favour of the introduction of a weekly food waste collection, with 72% believing there were no barriers to them participating.

I would like to thank everyone who shared their views with us ? your views will help to shape a new plan for managing waste in Nottingham. The consultation responses are being analysed in full and a final draft strategy will go forward to the City Council?s Executive Board in March.

Find out more about the initial findings from the consultation here.

Next week, proposals for a balanced 2023/24 City Council budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan through to 2026/27 will be recommended for approval at our Executive Board meeting.

At December?s Executive Board, ?29m of savings proposals were approved, towards an overall budget gap for the next financial year of ?32.2m, with the remaining ?3.2m gap now closed by the council?s financial settlement from Government. This means that no further savings proposals have had to be considered since our five-week consultation into our budget proposals.

Like everyone, our finances have been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis created by soaring inflation on pay, fuel and energy costs. Other pressures, including vastly diminished Government grants over the last 13 years, have also made this another challenging year to set next year?s budget and a four-year financial plan. A range of service changes, as well as increasing Council Tax by 4.99%, form part of the budget.

We are also committed to delivering our transformation programme and strengthening our grip on financial management which are critical to achieving financial sustainability. Over the period of the Medium-term Financial Plan, over ?10m of transformation investment is identified to radically change the way the council operates, helping to achieve almost ?60m of savings.

More here

The council is carrying out major tree works on three key traffic routes in the city over the next three weeks and is warning of potential disruption. The work is vital to the health of the trees and to the safety of road users, pedestrians and residents.

The work on Lenton Boulevard, Castle Boulevard and Derby Road is planned to take place between 20 February and 10 March and will be carried out in off-peak hours to minimise disruption. However, as these are key routes in the city, delays are likely and people who use these routes are advised to find alternatives if possible.

More here

Half-term has arrived and for local families there are plenty of free and low-cost activities to consider. Our libraries, museums, parks and attractions across the city are hosting a wide range of events and activities ? there?s something for everyone this half-term. For example, at Green?s Mill you can find out how flour is made ? and then how to bake biscuits with it. You can find them all at the Ask Lion website. And the Festival of Science and Curiosity, the annual festival of activities to showcase a world of science and curiosity that?s all around us every day, takes place at a number of venues throughout the week.

The parents of pupils eligible for Free School Meals have also been provided with supermarket vouchers for the half term holiday. Using funding from the Government?s Household Support Grant, we have consistently made ?15-per-week vouchers available to the 17,800 children who receive Free School Meals (FSM) over holiday periods.