Calls for Nottinghamshire County Council to move back to old HQ
"In comparison, Oak House is a costly and unsuitable replacement as the civic centre of Nottinghamshire, located remotely and without sufficient transport links," it says.
The motion, tabled by Labour group leader Penny Gowland, would commit the council to exploring how County Hall could be maintained as the headquarters.If passed, the authority would also look at options to dispose of Oak House or lease some of the space, "the proceeds of which can be used to fund other areas of council business".Speaking earlier this week, incoming council leader Mick Barton said he had asked if next week's meeting could be held "at this magnificent council chamber" [County Hall], but was told the microphone system had already been moved to Oak House."I shall be looking at the whole raft moving forward of where we feel we need to be based," he added.Conservative group leader and former council leader Sam Smith said it would cost about £50m to keep County Hall functional."When proposing the motion next week, Labour will have to set out what libraries they propose to close, which waste recycling centres they'll close, what roads and pavements they will not resurface and what schools they will not build in order to fund the £50m renovation," he said.Plans for the future of County Hall have never been confirmed, but it has previously been suggested it could be turned into housing, restaurants and bars.The 22 May meeting, due to be held at Oak House, will also see Barton formally confirmed as the authority's new leader.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Pound calm after Starmer backs Reeves, following bond sell-off
Update: Date: 2025-07-03T06:24:50.000Z Title: Introduction: Bonds and sterling in spotlight after Wednesday wobble Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. All eyes are on UK bonds, and the pound, after both fell sharply yesterday amid speculation over the future of chancellor Rachel Reeves. Wednesday was a turbulent day for the UK bond market; prices of British government debt fell heavily as investors were gripped by concerns of change at the top of the Treasury. The selloff highlights anxiety that the government's u-turn on welfare reform has blown a multi-billion pound black hole in the chancellor's budget plans. Bonds slumped, driving up borrowing costs, after Keir Starmer failed initially to give his full backing to Reeves at prime minister's questions, with a tearful chancellor alongside him. The pound also suffered, falling by a cent against the US dollar as it slid from $1.3745 to $1.3636, making it the worst-performing major currency in the world. Starmer has now defended Reeves, saying her tears were due to a 'personal matter' and insisted she will remain chancellor 'for a very long time to come'. The bond selloff may actually have reinforced Reeves's position as chancellor, highlighting that the markets would not welcome a replacement who might be less devoted to fiscal discipline. Andrew Wishart, economist at Berenberg Bank argues that 'Investors probably saved the Chancellor', saying: By selling sterling assets investors have probably kept UK chancellor Rachel Reeves in her post. Financial markets initially reacted little to the government failing to get approval for savings in the disability benefit budget from its own parliamentary faction. But when the Prime Minister failed to say that a visibly upset Reeves would remain in her job during Prime Ministers Questions, UK assets sold off. The Chancellor has become synonymous with a fiscal rule of covering day-to-day spending with tax revenue. UK selloff signals that fiscal rules are not just for show #reeves #fiscal #gilts #macro #ukeconomy #ukmacro That fiscal rule may dictate tax rises in the autumn budget, as spending cuts could be too much of a political headache, judging by the massive rebellion against the welfare bill that has created a £5bn hole in the chancellor's plans. America's economy may take the market spotlight off Reeves this afternoon, when the latest US jobs report is released. It will show whether trade war tensions have hit hiring at US businesses. 9.30am BST: UK service sector PMI for June 10am BST: OECD Economic Survey of the European Union and Euro Area 1.30pm BST: US non farm payrolls employment report for June
South Wales Guardian
23 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Starmer faces Labour turmoil and global volatility as he marks year in Number 10
The Prime Minister led his party back into power with more than 400 MPs on July 4 last year – clinching a majority just short of Sir Tony Blair's landslide in 1997. But with a daunting in-tray of problems including a stuttering economy, creaking public services and global volatility, his political honeymoon period was short-lived. His personal popularity is now the lowest of any British premier after their first 12 months in office, political scientist and polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said. 'There were pretty clear potential weaknesses before they even started, and most of those weaknesses have basically just been exposed over the course of the last 12 months,' he told the PA news agency. Sir John said part of the problem lay in what he described as a failure of narrative in setting out the Government's vision for change to the public. 'They're portraying themselves as a repair gang rather than the builders of a new Jerusalem. Pessimism doesn't necessarily go down very well,' he told PA. 'The thing with Starmer is, he's a brilliant prosecution lawyer… But prosecution lawyers present cases that have been (put together) by someone else. The problem is that as a political leader you've got to prosecute your own case. 'Maybe he needs new personnel? Either he's got to learn to do it himself or get someone in to do it for him.' That verdict was echoed by some dissenting voices within Labour ranks, where there is lingering discontent among rebels over the Government's Welfare Bill despite Number 10 offering major concessions on the legislation. The Government saw off the threat of a major Commons defeat over the legislation on Tuesday after shelving plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England. 'I think he really needs to think about why he wants to be a Labour Prime Minister and what is it he actually cares about,' one long-serving Labour MP said. They said Tuesday had marked 'the lowest point' in Sir Keir's premiership so far and raised questions about his authority, warning that backbenchers may now feel emboldened to demand further U-turns elsewhere. Sir John said that the Government's challenges in passing legislation were unsurprising with the broad but fragile coalition of support on which Labour built its election victory, securing 412 seats on just 35% of the vote. That means many MPs defending narrow majorities and raises the prospect of 'a large body of people who are nervous about their political futures,' he said. The Government's original welfare proposals had been part of a package that ministers expected to save up to £5 billion a year, leaving Chancellor Rachel Reeves needing to look for the money elsewhere. The fallout threatens to cause lasting damage to morale in Labour ranks, with some rebels calling for a reset in relations between the parliamentary party and the leadership before fractures widen. Images of the Chancellor crying in the Commons on Wednesday have also led to questions about her future, although a Treasury spokesman cited a 'personal matter' as the cause of her distress and Number 10 said she would remain in post. Asked whether it was time for a course correction, Downing Street has said the Prime Minister will 'plough on' with the 'very busy agenda' of Government. But the MP quoted above said: 'The idea that they can keep carrying on as they've been carrying on is suicidal. 'They have no real sense of how the party thinks and feels.' Others had a more optimistic view of the year ahead, with a Starmer loyalist who supported the Bill suggesting the upset could be salvaged with a 'measured but solid response' from the Government. 'The worst they can do is nothing,' the backbencher added. The Prime Minister used a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to defend his record in office, telling ministers the welfare Bill was 'to help those who can work into employment and ensure dignity and security for those who can't work.' He said they could all 'rightly look back with a real sense of pride and achievement' on the last 12 months, pointing to a reduction in NHS waiting lists and a series of economic agreements struck with the US, EU and India. Abroad, the Prime Minister faces a tricky diplomatic balancing act as he seeks to strengthen ties with both Europe and Washington amid global instability from the Ukraine war and Middle East crisis. At home, Labour is staring down a threat from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which turned opinion poll momentum into widespread gains at the ballot box during the local elections in May. Sir John said that parties such as Reform and the Greens offer more choice to voters wanting to express their discontent with Labour while the Tories continue to flounder in the polls. 'The character of the challenge is different from what it has been historically,' he said. Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University, said people had been expecting bold change on areas such as workers' rights and growth, and the Government's achievements so far were 'pretty small beer' by comparison. Critics say the first year has instead been marked by a series of U-turns, including a partial reversal of cuts to the winter fuel payment and the move to launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs after months of resisting opposition pressure to do so. The Government disputes that framing, pointing out for example that ministers had never explicitly ruled out a statutory probe into child sexual exploitation but waited for a review to be carried out before making a decision. Prof Bale said he believed the first year had gone 'worse than most people imagined' and warned 'it's difficult for a leader who starts badly to persuade people that he or she is what they need.' But he said the problems were not necessarily fatal, adding that setbacks early on in a premiership have an upside in allowing for more time to 'turn it round'. 'If you look back to Margaret Thatcher, she was able to do that, so it's not a foregone conclusion that all is lost, even for Keir Starmer himself,' he said. Arguing that the Government could recover in the polls if its plans for the economy and public services pay off, he added: 'I think you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a very long tunnel.' Sir Keir has pledged to lead a 'decade of national renewal' through a phased approach to Government, the first year of which he said would involve 'cleaning up the mess' his administration had inherited. In a speech last week seeking to set the tone for the future, he said: 'We've wiped the state clean, we've stabilised the economy, and now we can go on to the next phase of government, building on that foundation.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We were elected with a commitment to deliver change and security for working people – and we are getting on with the job. 'We are delivering our Plan for Change – wages are rising faster than prices, interest rates have been cut four times, immigration has come down with 30,000 people with no right to be here removed and over four million NHS appointments have been delivered. 'Progress has been made, but we know people are impatient for change – and we are too – so we will continue to govern in the national interest for British people and deliver a decade of national renewal.'
Telegraph
23 minutes ago
- Telegraph
We've just had the first ominous taste of what the Blob will do to a Reform government
It would be easy to dismiss the story about a council chief executive in Warwickshire defying its new Reform leadership by refusing to take down a Pride flag. After all, it's only a flag, isn't it? How much can it really matter? Surely not enough to justify the rather wild response by Reform's Zia Yusuf, who claimed that 'unelected bureaucrats' have 'seized control of the country', and 'a coup d'etat is under way in Britain'. Well, perhaps. All the same, I do think Reform's supporters are right to take the story seriously. Because I suspect we've just had the first ominous taste of what the Blob will do to a Reform government. Imagine if Nigel Farage actually does win the next election. In his party's manifesto, he will doubtless have promised to deliver radical change. And, whatever that change entails, it will presumably be a good deal more far-reaching than removing a flag from a council building. Bearing that in mind: how eager do we think Whitehall will be to help him enact this radical change? Any more eager than the council chief executive in Warwickshire, who loftily informed Reform councillors that 'I will not be taking the action that you are requesting', because 'the Pride flag has been flown annually during Pride month for many years and I see no reason to diverge from this approach'? I hope no one will think I'm casting doubt on the scrupulous impartiality of our Rolls-Royce Civil Service. All the same, I'm sure Reform will have taken note of the lecture delivered in Oxford last month by a man with extensive experience of how Whitehall really works: Dominic Cummings. Behind closed doors, claimed the former No 10 chief adviser, civil servants are rather more influential than mere politicians. Or, in Mr Cummings's words: we have 'a system where the political ministers are essentially non-player characters in a video game, and the characters with real power are the unelected officials'. The result of this, he said, is that 'for a very long time, the government has not controlled the government'. Mr Farage will already be familiar with these views, because, a few months ago, he and Mr Cummings secretly met for dinner, and one topic of conversation, the latter has since revealed, was 'we have a broken Whitehall'. When Mr Cummings was in No 10, he didn't get far with his own plans to fix it, as he was derailed by the pandemic, and then fell out with Boris Johnson. I wonder whether he might be interested, one day, in having another crack. And whether the same thought has occurred to Mr Farage.
