Councillor Neghat Khan looks back on a year of progress and improvement at Nottingham City Council since becoming Leader in May 2024.
“This week I have been reflecting on my first year serving as Leader of Nottingham City Council. I feel the same sense of pride and determination that I felt when I was first elected – and yet so much has happened in Nottingham, local government and across the country. The former Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously said, “a week is a long time in politics” and that certainly feels the case.
“When I was first elected in May 2024 to lead this great city, it is no exaggeration to say that we were at a critical point in our Council’s history. It wasn’t going to be an easy task.
“I went into this with my eyes open knowing the pressures facing our city, but Nottingham deserves a council that wants to make our city an even better place – who will continue to set an ambitious vision for our city and find innovative ways of delivering it.
“I have remained undeterred, and hugely ambitious for Nottingham and for all who live, work and visit here. Facing challenges doesn’t mean we can’t be ambitious. They mean we can’t afford not to be.
“My commitment from day one has been to get our house in order so we can get back to delivering for residents, enabling and empowering our communities, providing safe and affordable housing, enhancing education and skills and working with partners across our city to put Nottingham first.
“That has required tough decisions, but what the last twelve months has demonstrated to me, is that not only have we recognised the need to change, but we have started to embrace it – for the better.
“We have made good progress in getting our house in order. We’ve developed a Strategic Council Plan, Medium-Term Financial Plan and Improvement Plan, all of which demonstrates our commitment to setting strong foundations upon which to renew our Council for the benefit of Nottingham people.”
