Council vows to make city safer and cleaner as financial crisis eases

MORE CASH FROM GOVERNMENT HELPS AUTHORITY

- By JOE LOCKER Local democracy reporter

THE number of neighbourhood safety officers patrolling Nottingham will be boosted after years of cuts as the city council’s financial situation continues to improve.

Nottingham City Council reduced the number of frontline community protection officers from 100 full-time posts to 76 in 2020.

Their name has since changed to neighbourhood safety officers, and they now number just 36.

Officers typically patrol between 8am and 10pm and are supported by an antisocial behaviour response car and new high-visibility patrol officers funded by the police and crime commissioner.

The council's leadership now says it plans to increase the number of officers by four as part of a near-£2m investment into services in the city between now and next April.

The investment comes as the council's fortunes continue to improve, with more money from the Labour Government and a better-than-anticipated financial situation.

Councillor Ethan Radford (Lab), deputy leader of the council and executive member for finance, said: “It's about delivering the services Nottingham people want to see and providing value for money.