Changes that still need to be made before officials can leave city council

COMMISSIONERS ARE PAID MORE THAN £1,000 A DAY TO OVERSEE FINANCIAL IMPROVEMENTS

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

THE government says there are still “key challenges” to be addressed at Nottingham City Council before officials being paid over £1,000 a day by taxpayers can leave.

A “danger” of complacency when it comes to making savings and an “unhealthy” culture at the council have both been mentioned in the third report by commissioners overseeing the authority.

The team, first appointed in February 2024 shortly after the council’s effective declaration of bankruptcy, say there continues to be improvements across the board at Nottingham City Council.

In their latest report, written in August and just published, the commissioners outline some of the major issues that still need resolving if they are to leave as planned in February 2026.

Unhealthy amount of ‘ill-tempered’ behaviour

The commissioners say in their most recent report that the relationship between elected councillors and senior council employees was not of the kind “found in successful councils” when they arrived.

The officials say that developing good working relationships between top councillors and council officers remains “an area of work in progress” and that there is still a lack of consistency. The report says: “This council still makes mistakes and it will not suddenly cease doing so.

“Rather, these will lessen in scale and impact as the council steadily rebuilds itself around sound operating principles.

“Political impatience at progressing this, and the frustration displayed when things go wrong, still too often leads to a tendency to apportion blame, and for that blame to be disproportionately applied.

“This in turn is too often characterised by intemperate and sometimes ill-tempered engagement.