The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has confirmed that it has appointed Commissioners to oversee Nottingham City Council.
Extensive powers will be granted to the Commissioners to support improvement within the council. This will include undertaking activities and strategies to secure financial stability in both the medium and long term. Alongside these financial plans, the commissioners will assist with work to transform front-line services within the council.
Tony McArdle OBE has been appointed as the Lead Commissioner, with Margaret Lee taking on the role of Commissioner for Finance. McArdle is currently Chair of the Improvement and Assurance Panel at the London Borough of Croydon, having previously been the lead Commissioner when the government intervened in the former Northamptonshire County Council. A Commissioner for Transformation has not yet been appointed; however, this will be done in due course.
Touching on the appointment of the commissioners, Leader of the Council David Mellen said:
“Our preferred option was to continue to work with the Improvement and Assurance Board which has been overseeing improvements at the council since 2021.
“We feel that significant progress was being made across the council. However, we are committed to working constructively and collaboratively with the Commissioners to tackle Nottingham’s current challenges.”
Following the appointment of the commissioners, it has been highlighted that the council will continue to make the majority of decisions, however the commissioners will ‘uphold proper standards, and due process.’ It is expected that the process of improvement will take around two years, with the process ending when the council can comply with its best value duty in a sustainable way.
Mel Barrett, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council, added:
“The council is committed to working in collaboration with the Commissioners to continue our improvement journey at pace, reshaping the organisation to put the authority on a stable financial footing while delivering essential services for Nottingham residents within the resources that we have.
“Our wider transformation work is already well underway and the expert input and challenge from the Commissioners will be invaluable to our officers and councillors as they look to accelerate that process further.”
Image credit: iStock
