‘Difficult day’ for Nottingham as spending cuts voted through

Councillors in Nottingham have voted to approve all but essential spending on services until March 2025.

At a Nottingham City Council meeting held on Monday evening (December 18), members agreed a range of proposals that will see swingeing cuts on services across the board.

The meeting was met by a demonstration outside Nottingham’s Council House, where the meeting was being held.

The move comes after the council’s finance bosses imposed a Section 114 order to try and bridge a £23m gap in its funds for the rest of the financial year.

Last week, the Government said it could send commissioners in to take over the day-to-day running of the City Council.

Inside the meeting, several councillors expressed dismay that the Section 114 order had been imposed too soon. The leader of the council, David Mellen, said it was “a difficult day” for the city. Others said they voted with the motion to accept the spending cuts “reluctantly”.

However, in the end, the motion was passed unanimously by councillors, who will not wait to see if the Government steps in.