Residents fearful of cuts at 'bankrupt' Nottingham City Council

Nottingham City Council is frantically trying to balance its books after declaring itself effectively bankrupt last month.

The authority did this through the issuing of a section 114 notice, which stopped all spending on services it was not legally required to provide.

On Monday night, councillors met to discuss the Labour-run authority's dire financial position, with sweeping cuts and job losses expected.

Potential cuts include reviews of library provisions, the reduction of public transport and up to 550 full-time jobs.

Residents have expressed concern over what this may mean for the city in the future.

Nicola Weaver, 33, who lives in the St Ann's area of the city, said cuts would cause "a lot of stress on the public".

When asked what her biggest concern was, she said: "Probably the bus cuts, because I do use public transport a lot.

"We went in there earlier and we use the library, the children use it sometimes, and it would be a shame to miss out on that."

The authority has cited years of underfunding from central government, but also admitted previous failures - including the collapse of council-run Robin Hood Energy - had contributed to the situation it finds itself in.

Adrian Blagden, 75, is retired and lives in Aslockton. He previously lived in Nottingham and still visits the city centre frequently.

When asked for his thoughts on the city council's financial woes, he said: "Absolute rubbish. They wasted all that money. They've just not done anything with this place, it's a wreck."

Joyce Howell, 66, a retiree who lives in St Ann's, aired concerns about how the cuts would affect repairs to people's homes.

She said: "Especially in this weather with leaks and anything like that.

"They've just done that new library in town that, unfortunately, I haven't been down to see, that's cost quite a bit of penny too, it would be a shame if they've got to close that down.

"The government need to get their backsides into gear, I think.

"I just wish the council would sort themselves out and hopefully get back on the board and get things sorted."

Fellow retiree Coleen Voce, also from St Ann's, added: "There's nothing here now, you can't get any repairs done, anything. Honestly, it's just a shame."

When asked if the financial crisis concerned her, the 71-year-old said: "It does, when you're getting older, it's quite scary, to see everything just going from St Ann's when you've always lived in it.

"For old people, they've got to get a bus to the city centre and some can't always walk far. It's absolutely disgusting."

Iraseelma Da Silva, 35, from New Basford in the city, said: "As a resident, I'm really concerned because it's not just about the services, it's about everything surrounding the services.

"Because without the buses, elderly people cannot go into town and do their chores, they cannot go and see their families.

"Things were already going wrong and now a lot of things are going to get closed down, so that means less for the kids, less for our teenagers, where are they going to go? Who are they going to spend time with?"

David Hails, a retired Nottingham resident, said: "The Labour Party have been in local government for too long. They just haven't done their job."

The 75-year-old also described the city's new £10m library as a "white elephant".

David Mellen, leader of the authority, previously said the Nottingham Central Library would not shut, despite the section 114 notice.

But it appears it will be one of the few services that will avoid heavy scrutiny, with the authority's executive board set to meet later as it seeks to plug a shortfall of £53.7m for the 2024-25 financial year.

And Adrian Croll, a 57-year-old carer from St Ann's, said the situation felt desperate from all sides.

He said: "I'm not happy about it, but [there is] not a lot we can do, is there?

"There's not a lot the council can do, all they can do is spend what they're given."

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