Quest for savings, tackling potholes, cash for flags and ban on the Post... six months since Reform took charge of county council

THE county turned another shade of blue six months ago after Nottinghamshire County Council became one of 12 Reform-led authorities in May's local elections.

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN Local democracy reporter

Reform UK took the council from the Conservatives and now has 41 out of 66 seats after summer by-elections, leaving the Tories on 18 as the main opposition.

Reform pledged to find financial efficiencies, particularly from highways and adult social care - two of the biggest drains on finances.

Policy-wise, it has remained relatively quiet for its first few months, but with service and financial reviews beginning to wrap up, here are the notable moves the authority has made in its first six months:

In June, the authority decided to review the county's roads and highway services and the outcomes of this were discussed in early November.

Council leader Councillor Mick Barton said the authority and highway partner Via, "have worked really hard before winter" to fix potholes.

More than 8,800 potholes have been reported since April 1 and Councillor Bert Bingham, cabinet member for transport and environment, said these would be "pretty much [fixed] by December" thanks to work before the colder and wetter months.

Out of the 17 miles of resurfacing work planned for the 2025/26 financial year, around 14.5 miles have already been completed.

The "three-road principle" has also been reintroduced under the Reform authority, meaning each county councillor can put forward three roads in respective wards that require the most attention and these will be seen as priority for fixing.

Councillor Barton said last week that residents would see "massive improvements" in roads after a year of Reform in charge.

In June, the council announced its efficiency review, which aims to find savings. The review is due to conclude around December.

Councillor Barton has shared initial projections of how the authority was planning on saving more than £45 million over three years. It faces a £15.9 million budget shortfall by 2028/29.