As Nottingham City Council faces the challenging Section 114 process, and painful cuts, a coalition of local voices have launched a petition they hope the “whole city can get behind"...
As Nottingham City Council faces the challenging Section 114 process and daunting cuts, a group coming together as Resolve - whose open letter to the Council gained support from over 140 local organisations - have launched a petition they hope the “whole city can get behind.” The petition is addressed to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The Resolve group introduces itself as "a group of local people and organisations who care about Nottingham” who are campaigning “for proper funding of vital services and calling for transparency, listening, and collaboration with local people in the government of the city.”
Shifting Your Mindset are a community organisation working to improve the lives of men, fathers, children, young people, and disadvantaged families in Nottingham. Founder Mutsa Makaka, who is supporting the petition, highlighted the impact the proposed cuts will have on such frontline services:
"The direct engagement and essential services provided by Nottingham's grassroots organisations are crucial. Cutting off support for these organisations would be disastrous, jeopardising the huge contributions they make to the well-being of our community. Instead of being handed cuts, the focus should be collaboration and rebuilding. The Government should listen to local people and organisations".
Resolve organiser and LeftLion Partnerships Manager Adam Pickering said “after pulling together such a broad coalition of Nottingham people standing up for our local democracy and those who’ll be hit hardest by cuts, we’ve tried to make this a unity message that the whole city can get behind. Facing the threat of unelected commissioners running our city, we call on the Government to properly fund our services and listen to local people.”
Nottingham, ranked as one of the most deprived and least healthy local authority areas in the UK, is at a critical juncture. The proposed cuts to Nottingham City Council services, part of the ongoing Section 114 process, raise profound concerns for many in the community. The petition highlights that the financial losses from failed council ventures “pale in comparison” to previous cuts. “None of this is the fault of the people of Nottingham, who will suffer most,” it adds.
Here’s the full text of the petition:
"Nottingham is ranked as one of the most deprived, least healthy local authority areas in the UK. We are deeply concerned at the proposed cuts to Nottingham City Council services, which disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in our community, as part of the ongoing Section 114 process.
“Financial losses from failed Council ventures pale in comparison to £1bn in central budget reductions, reduced spending power due to inflation, and the increased demand for statutory services. None of this is the fault of the people of Nottingham, who will suffer most.
“Despite the 5,000+ responses to the budget consultation, we understand it is likely that the Government will hand down these service cuts as a condition of any financial assistance, undermining our local democratic processes. We call on the Government to provide immediate no-strings financial assistance to enable the Council, in partnership with local people and organisations, to find a sustainable way forward."
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