Commissioners working with Nottingham City Council have highlighted positive progress in developing plans for improvement and “a clear direction on instituting reforms.”
The comments came in the commissioner’s second report since being appointed by the government to oversee improvements at the authority in February 2024.
In a letter about the report to the council’s leader, cllr Neghat Khan, the government’s parliamentary under-secretary of state for housing and local government, baroness Taylor of Stevenage, said: “I am pleased that the leadership team at Nottingham, while still relatively new, are working closely with the Commissioner team to move the Council towards a more sustainable position and improve its service delivery and financial stability.”
In their report, lead commissioner, Tony McArdle; commissioner for finance, Margaret Lee and transformation commissioner, Sharon Kemp say that “over the past year, there has been much positive progress on developing plans, strategies, and programmes for improvement such as the Council Plan, Medium Term Financial Plan, and Improvement Plan along with securing and organising the necessary capacity to deliver.”
The report says that over the coming year, the authority will need to move into the implementation phase for these plans to have the required impact.
Commissioners also commented that although the council continues to operate beyond its means and is dependent upon Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) from the government, “it has adopted clear direction in instituting a wide range of reforms, some of which are bearing fruit but all of which will need to become embedded in order to deliver full benefit.”
They say that the council’s new leadership cohort is “facing up to the challenges that the Council must tackle in full acceptance of the reality of the Council’s difficulties and with a declared resolve to overcome them.”
Cllr Neghat Khan and the council’s chief executive, Sajeeda Rose, said: “We welcome the Commissioner’s second report and the accompanying ministerial statement. The progress made over the past year marks an important step forward in improving how we work and how we serve the people of Nottingham.
“While the report rightly highlights that challenges remain, we are fully committed to continued improvement. Working together, we are laying the foundations for a renewed and accountable Council—one that delivers real results for local people and leads Nottingham with confidence and integrity.”
