Welcome to Nottingham City Council
Welcome to Nottingham City Council’s transformational journey.
Thank you for your interest in joining Nottingham City Council at this defining moment in our history. Nottingham is successfully delivering profound transformation, one that reflects both our resilience and our commitment to building a brighter, more sustainable future for our community. We are steadfast in our resolve to overcome the challenges of recent years, and with a bold, forward-thinking vision, we are charting a course to elevate the city to new heights - a city in the ascendency.
A city in motion: Progress and ambition
Nottingham is a city characterised by progress, resilience, and ambition. Over the last year, the Council has made substantial strides in bringing in new leadership skills and experience to support the Chief Executive and Members to deliver Our Council Plan 2025-2029. This plan has been designed not to restrict our ambitions, but to amplify them, positioning Nottingham for prosperity and success on the national and international stage. The step down from Commissioner‑led intervention within the minimum period represents real progress and the beginning of a new phase of continuous improvement, supported by government‑appointed Envoys.
While we face a challenging financial landscape, we remain resolute in our determination to turn these challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation. These financial constraints only serve to sharpen our focus, urging us to act decisively in delivering improved outcomes for our residents. The path forward is clear: we will continue to transform, adapting with agility and foresight to meet the needs of the future. This is where you come in.
The focus now shifts to modernising our operations, streamlining our processes, and improving our strategic and operational finance functions so that we can plan ahead with confidence and clarity. Nottingham has already achieved the best financial performance of any UK Core City with expected General Fund underspend of approximately £24m in 2025/26. We are also setting a marginal surplus general fund budget for 2026/27 including a 3.5 per cent tax rise from April - the first time in 18 years it has increased it by less than the maximum and our General fund debt has been reduced from £827 million in 2020 to £292 million as of the start of 2026.Impressive results but we are not complacent.
Like many Councils we still have challenges in areas such as social care and housing and so need to ensure that the two Directors work alongside Service Directors and Members to provide the insight and expertise needed to design robust and sustainable services for the future through real transformational change.
These two new leadership positions arrive at an extraordinary moment for Nottingham—a moment not merely focussed on meeting our obligations but also to rethink how we operate, setting the foundation for lasting, success. Join me in this journey towards the City being recognised as an exemplar in financial management within the years that lie ahead along with our dynamic and innovative finance team.
Stuart Fair
Corporate Director of Finance & Resources and S151 Officer
