25 May 2017
Thank you to everyone who voted at the County Council election earlier this month.
Whilst I am especially grateful to those of you who put your faith in their Conservative candidate and elected us as the largest group at County Hall, I can reassure you that we will be working hard for all Nottinghamshire residents, businesses and visitors over the next four years.
To provide the strong leadership our county needs, the Conservatives have entered into an alliance with the Mansfield Independent Forum (MIF), which means the group has an overall majority of councillors. This will ensure the Council can operate in the efficient and effective way our residents expect.
MIF Councillors will not be subject to any party whip, staying true to the mandate they were given by voters to remain independent and will adopt the vital role as a critical friend to the wider group. I believe this can be an extremely positive partnership, sharing ideas and working together for the greater good.
As this demonstrates, ours will be a progressive, mature administration which will look to reach out and work constructively with all political groups at County Hall – working together where we can and respecting differences where we cannot - but always in the best interests of Nottinghamshire.
Providing value for money is very important to us and we will deliver on our commitment to keep your Council Tax as low as possible by making existing resources stretch further, whilst ensuring sufficient funding is available for critical services such as social care.
The message we have heard loud and clear from local people and businesses is that improvements are needed to the condition of our pavements and road network, which we will make a top priority. Not only will this benefit pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, it is an investment in our infrastructure which supports job creation and tells the world that Nottinghamshire is open for business.
Providing facilities for young people has also been identified as an area in which the Council could do better. It is our intention to provide first class youth and recreational facilities for all residents – making our county an entertaining and attractive place to live and visit.
Finally, we will place great emphasis on the well-being of our towns and villages, bringing forward plans for a raft of projects which, whilst small in scale and cost compared to many of our services, make a big difference and are highly valued by our residents and businesses.
Councillor Kay Cutts, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council
