Today the council has approved a balanced budget for 2023/24 and Medium-Term Financial Plan through to 2026/27. Like many other councils, we face significant financial pressures and needed to close an overall budget gap for the next financial year of ?32.2m. This has meant we have had to make a number of changes affecting services.

As well as agreeing the budget, today?s meeting of the Full Council also formally noted the Instructions issued by the Improvement and Assurance Board to bring about change at an increased pace in a number of key areas. ?The budget supports our commitment to delivering our transformation programme and investing to improve financial management.? Over the period of the Medium-term Financial Plan, over ?10m of transformation investment is identified to radically change the way the council operates.

Making sure you?re staying warm is important during cold snaps like this week.

One way to make your home more energy efficient and lower your energy bills at the same time is with measures like insulation and air source heat pumps. Connected For Warmth is offering free cavity wall and loft insulation and heat pumps to households nationwide. Read more about the scheme and apply online here.

If you?re not able to make significant changes to your home, here are some top tips to help you lower your bills:

• Turn the thermostat down by 1^oC ? the Energy Saving Trust recommends heating your home to 18-21^oC
• Draught-proof gaps around doors and windows to keep heat in
• Keep furniture away from radiators to avoid them blocking the heat
• Bleed your radiators to keep them working efficiently
• Close your internal doors to reduce the amount of heat moving to colder areas of your house like hallways

The UK Government also launched the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding last week. Most households will have received this support directly from their energy provider, but those who live in park homes, care homes or off the electricity grid, may be eligible. Visit the Government website here to find out more and to make your application.?

During cold weather, it?s also really important that you take care of yourself and that we take care of each other.

High energy bills are a worry to everyone this winter, but it?s important to wear extra layers of clothing whether you are inside or outside, have plenty of warm drinks and keep moving by staying as active as possible.

Icy pavements, roads and cold weather can prevent older and more vulnerable people from going outside, so as well as taking care of yourself, please try to help vulnerable neighbours or relatives by checking if they?re warm enough and have enough food and medicine, especially if they?re struggling to get out of the house.

A little can go a long way ? checking in on elderly or vulnerable neighbours can really give them a boost and sometimes it?s a few minutes? company they need as much as picking up things from the shops.

For more information on how to keep warm and well during the winter months visit NHS/keep-warm

We launched our food-waste collection trial in Berridge ward on Friday and I?m delighted that close to a tonne of waste was collected.

It has been taken to Biodynamic, in Colwick, where it is converted into green energy which fuels our NCT transport network and provides fertiliser for farming ? an exciting ?circular? approach for the disposal of the waste within the city.?

Local councillors have received a huge positive response, with people saying they are encouraged to see something finally happening to deal with the excess waste in the ward. We await confirmation from Central Government about the statutory implementation of food-waste collections so the service will cover all areas soon.

Our meal-production project with FareShare UK and Sainsbury?s is proving successful and saving food from going to becoming waste by producing meals.

FareShare Midlands is using the commercial kitchen at our Loxley House headquarters to prepare meals from surplus food that would otherwise be thrown away. These are delivered to local charitable and not-for-profit organisations who are tackling hunger, poverty, isolation and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.

By the end of December 2022, the kitchen had:

• Saved eight tonnes of surplus food going to waste, equivalent to 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide?
• Distributed 6.8 tonnes of food, equivalent to nearly 19,500 meals
• Cooked, frozen and delivered around 1,000 meals per week
• Registered 19 Nottingham charitable groups to receive the meals

The project aims to increase its services to cook and distribute 2,000 meals a week to around 40 local charities within the next six months.