Nottingham City Council Issues S114 notice

We have all seen the news that Nottingham City Council have in essence declared themselves bankrupt, following on from others elsewhere, notably Birmingham City Council, and Croydon. There are rumours and likelihood that others will follow. Conversations with colleagues in the sector have already indicated many others are seeking voluntary redundancies, early retirement, going part-time / reducing hours and that if that does not work, compulsory redundancies. The chair was interviewed last week for a podcast for Horticulture Week (out in Jan / Feb 2024) if he felt more were to come and the likely impact on our services. Its a no-brainer – huge impact, the further cutting of services and reductions in staff will have a massive impact. We are going to have to lobby hard, fight for every penny and in many cases, fight for survival as the housing crisis deepens, the social care bill increases and the pot decreases. We have seen government renege on some environmental issues already and delays in the roll out of BNG, it is becoming difficult to know where to turn to.

We need to support colleagues in the sector, those immediately affected in authorities going through this. Whilst times are hard, there has to be a light on that horizon and we need to keep reminding ourselves of the excellent work we continue to do and the difference we make to people’s lives – EVERY SINGLE DAY!! #parksmatter