The Government has expressed its confidence in the progress made by Nottingham City Council over the last two years, resulting in a much-improved financial position and the on-time departure of the Commissioners who had been working with the authority.
Local Government Minister, Alison McGovern, has said that the Council is on a much stronger footing and that she remains optimistic that Council Leader, Councillor Neghat Khan, will deliver the necessary changes, embedding a culture of genuine, continuous improvement for the people of Nottingham.
In letters to the Council Leader and the former Commissioners, the Minister announced that two Ministerial Envoys will provide ongoing expertise to support continuous improvement at the Council. She said that ‘the Council is now on a much stronger footing, which has informed the decision to extend the intervention while reducing its scope.’
Sharon Kemp, previously the Lead Commissioner, is to take up one of the envoy roles providing local government expertise. The other envoy, who the council understands will be confirmed in due course, will have a political background.
The envoys will not have any decision-making powers and the number of days’ support they provide and the cost will be significantly reduced compared to Commissioners.
Council Leader, Councillor Neghat Khan, said: “The Government’s decision last month that Commissioners were no longer needed at the Council showed that we have turned a corner. With a balanced budget, the lowest increase in Council Tax for 18 years and our debt reduced by 64%, we now have the best financial performance of any of the UK’s Core Cities.
“In our discussions with Ministers, we made clear our willingness to seek ongoing external expertise but that this should be light touch with a limited cost to the Council and local taxpayers. I’m pleased that the Government has listened and that the support being offered is proportionate.
“We want to be the most improved council in the country, delivering for local people and moving the city forward, and I believe we are well on the way to being able to say that with confidence.”
As part of the step down of statutory intervention the Council will continue to embed the improvements made and accelerate the pace of change as it sets out its next phase of improvement through the Continuous Service Improvement Plan. The plan will focus on improving key services and delivering improved outcomes for residents.
Chief Executive, Sajeeda Rose, said: “We have come a long way in our improvement journey and significant progress has been made thanks to the hard work and commitment of council staff and councillors.
“We know we have more work to do but we have a clear plan in place for continuous improvement, and we welcome being able to call on external local government expertise to provide guidance.”
More information can be found here.