The council wants to hear views on proposals to introduce a new five-year Additional Licensing Scheme for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) or shared houses. The current scheme will soon come to an end and we are now consulting on a new scheme covering the whole city, which would run for a further five years from January 2024.

Additional Licensing is a scheme that applies to privately rented HMOs or shared houses and requires landlords to have a licence for rented properties where either three or four people, who are not related, live together and share facilities like bathrooms and kitchens.

The scheme aims to help ensure safe and decent standards in these homes and contribute to raising the standards of private rented homes in the city overall. Poor housing conditions and poor property management can have a serious impact on people?s health and wellbeing, as well causing problems for local neighbourhoods.

I would urge all residents, tenants, landlords and letting agents in Nottingham to have their say on the proposals. The consultation is open until 24 May 2023, here: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/additionalhmosurvey

It?s always wonderful to see the huge variety of book characters that children choose to dress up as for World Book Day. Nottingham?s schools marked the annual event yesterday ? and it is always a great opportunity for pupils to demonstrate their love of books and reading. This is a subject close to my heart. Our council is committed to helping improve childhood literacy. Our work with Dolly Parton?s Imagination Library focuses on reading for children before they start school by providing a free book each month from birth to the age of five. The intention is that children will have a library of 60 books by their fifth birthday. The charity is proven to make a difference to reading levels, but it relies on donations. Last month I held a Big Reading Challenge to raise much-needed funds. So far we have raised around ?3,000 with online donations and sponsorship committed by local businesses. This is enough to provide hundreds of free books to children who are enrolled on the scheme:

• ?2 pays for a child to get a new book
• ?25 pays for a child to get a new book every month
• ?125 pays for a child to a new book every month from 0-5

Your contribution can make a real difference. You can donate at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bigreadingchallenge2023

The popular Open-Air Theatre Season returns to Wollaton Hall & Deer Park and Newstead Abbey & Gardens this summer with a full programme of new and traditional performances. Pack your picnics, camping chairs and blankets to enjoy theatre in the great outdoors from June to September.

Younger audiences will love David Walliams? Bad Dad, where Frank?s father Gilbert has become a get-away driver for the local baddies, and The Secret Garden, the much-loved tale of secrecy and curiosity following Mary Lennox. A new production of Nottingham?s own Robin Hood promises a fun-packed family show.

The classic stories of Sense & Sensibility and The Importance of Being Earnest are performed by Chapterhouse Theatre Company in full period costume. Fans of Shakespeare are invited to join The Lord Chamberlain?s Men for the timeless and classic love story Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare enthusiasts can also take part in a unique experiment, MacHamLear. This piece of new writing from award-winning playwright Michael Davies pits Macbeth, Hamlet and King Lear against each other.

To discover more and book tickets, go to: www.wollatonhall.org.uk/open-air-theatre and www.newsteadabbey.org.uk/open-air-theatre ???

With frost, ice and possibly sleet or snow forecast next week, we?re ready to grit key routes in order to keep Nottingham moving in the cold weather. ?

So far this winter, our gritting teams have:

• Covered over 800 miles
• Done more than 30 gritting runs across the city
• Used over 800 tonnes of salt

Our top priority is to keep the city moving and the roads clear, especially those used by emergency services and public transport.?

Find out more about gritting here