Keep up to date with what the Executive Mayor of Mansfield, Andy Abrahams, is focusing on.
Latest blog post
Team Mansfield – Everyone helping through challenging times
The roller coaster between investment to stimulate our local economy and having the budget to pay for the everyday running of council services continues to be a challenge. I want to thank all those who completed our annual budget consultation, as it gives us important feedback on the difficult choices, we must take to close the £5.4 million deficit over the next three years.
There are pros and cons to every aspect of services we deliver. For example, many people from the survey last year were in favour of reducing council-funded events. Yet, the Full Shebang held on 3 September, featuring street art, acrobatics, and live music, attracted big crowds that support local businesses in the town centre, and the street entertainment gave the town ‘the feel-good factor’. Putting on events, whether they be council-run or third party, costs us money and resources, but they increase the footfall in the town centre, which attracts inward investment and encourages new businesses to open. Since businesses benefit from the events, we believe they should contribute towards their costs. This is one reason why we are putting out the message that the council can't afford to do everything. We all need to pull together because it is our town centre, our district, and everyone can contribute to ‘Team Mansfield’.
One great example of this was the teamwork and partnership that contributed to the Day of Action on 17 September. 150 people from various organisations, such as Mansfield BID, Mansfield and Nottinghamshire Councils, police, local high street businesses, schools, and colleges came together with one aim - to spruce up the town centre. They cleaned, painted, and cleared up moss and rubbish to make the town centre feel friendlier, safer, and more inviting to visitors. This is practical action that shows what we mean by ‘Team Mansfield’ - people and the community coming together to improve our town and district.
The one area of our survey this year where the majority of the public were opposed to cuts was CCTV and community safety. The public’s safety is our number one priority, but running the CCTV service costs us over £250,000 per year. CCTV is instrumental in enabling the police to solve most crimes and helps support town centre businesses by reducing theft. However, neither contribute directly to the costs of operating these facilities, so we will be requesting a contribution from the police and the town centre businesses who benefit, as it is unfair that the council should shoulder this financial burden alone.
One investment where the partnership between West Nottinghamshire College and the council is progressing well is the £8.8 million Future Tech Skills and Knowledge Exchange. This state-of-the-art facility, located at the Chesterfield Road campus, aims to equip local students and businesses with skills in emerging industries, including construction, engineering, and digital technologies. The hub, funded through various sources, including the Towns Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, is set to prepare the local workforce for the future economy by offering qualifications at Level 3 and above, particularly in STEM subjects. Once completed in summer 2025, the facility will also provide opportunities for businesses to collaborate with educational institutions like Nottingham Trent University, enhancing innovation and productivity in the area. Now that is ‘Team Mansfield’ at its best!
9 October 2024
Delivering on sustaining the environment, community wellbeing and public safety
Our election pledges of improving the environment, community wellbeing, and public safety are always at the forefront of our minds when delivering schemes for our residents.
We have installed new CCTV cameras in the town centre, and the night-time support from St John’s Ambulance has been well received from local businesses, contributing to a safer environment for both residents and visitors.
As a result of including energy efficiency in our contract with our excellent leisure centre partners, More Leisure Community Trust, we have installed solar panels at the Water Meadows Leisure Complex. These solar panels are expected to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint by approximately 26 tonnes of CO2 annually, saving energy bills. This is another contribution towards the council's ongoing commitment to climate action and reducing the district’s environmental impact.
What is better for exercise, wellbeing, saving money, and the environment than working on an allotment? Dale Cross, Mansfield’s Allotment Officer, has been the driving force behind making new plots available to rent. This year, the council has transformed former grazing land at its Sandy Lane site into 41 new allotment plots, all of which are now occupied. Now, there are plans to repurpose a former community allotment at the site to create another 12 plots to reduce a waiting list of almost 250 people in the district who have applied for a plot to start growing their own food.
In 2020, the Covid pandemic forced the closure of all the community pitches at Manor Sport & Recreation Centre, which had been the home for North Notts Hockey Club for over 30 years. The local hockey club has been able to return to its roots thanks to collaborative working and intervention from Mansfield District Council and by working in partnership with Two Counties Trust and Nottinghamshire County Council to sort out the legal minefield. It has taken a long time, but with commitment and determination, nine senior teams and a junior section will be training and playing at the complex three times per week again. The council has also helped to bring the facility back up to scratch and secure its future by providing support for new lighting and electrics, as well as the specialist cleaning of the pitch. Sport is another great vehicle for exercise, wellbeing, fun, and community.
Another project that I am proud of is how we have shaped the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund to support our community champions. Working in partnership with Mansfield CVS, we have awarded £148,184 to 22 community and voluntary groups. We designed the scheme to maximise the opportunities for our community champions to access small amounts of funding to either improve people’s satisfaction of where they live, improve health and wellbeing or tackle some of the issues arising from the cost-of-living crisis. Each of these funded projects will make a meaningful difference to residents.
Unfortunately, the cost-of-living crisis continues to be a challenge for everyone, including the council, which anticipates a funding shortfall of circa £3 million by March 2026. Mansfield is not alone with these challenges caused by increases in inflation that are driving up the price of energy, fuel, materials, increases in pay awards, and the cost of recruitment spiralling because of skill shortages. On 16 September, the council will be launching a three-week consultation with residents to understand from the community which services should be prioritised. Your views are important so we can sustain our work to improve the environment, wellbeing and safety of all our residents.
11 September 2024
It has been a busy summer already
It has been a great summer for sports with England nearly winning the Euros and some fantastic achievements in the Olympics. Have you seen the UK athletics poster from (where it started) that features golden girl Keely Hodgkinson racing at the 2017 National Cross County Championships in Mansfield which was organised by Pat Carlin and Mansfield Harriers? It is a great message that if you dream big and have belief in your ability, you can achieve anything. Mansfield Harriers continue to encourage both young and old to enjoy athletics, having put on another really successful (have a go day) at Berry Hill Park.
Behind every successful young person are many dedicated coaches whose selfless commitment needs to be recognised and applauded. Diane Massey, a swimming teacher at the Water Meadows leisure centre, has just celebrated over 30 years of service, highlighting the importance of long-term community engagement and the influence it has on generations of young people. I was so pleased to officially open the £9.1 million Warsop Health Hub which was completed ahead of schedule and under budget despite all the economic challenges which has hit the construction industry particularly hard. Besides the swimming pool and gym, this facility, which is being embraced by the local community, will provide a range of health and wellbeing services in partnership with Vibrant Warsop.
Mental wellbeing is an important part of staying healthy, and there have been numerous events in the town centre for residents to enjoy to support this philosophy; having fun is good for you. Mansfield learning disability pride (OneFest) put on a seven-day festival of music, comedy, theatre, and workshops, followed by three days of the Mansfield Town Film Festival. Jay, our local film maker, brought an incredible, diverse selection of films with a strong focus on working-class talent from across the country and internationally to the Palace Theatre.
We are really pleased that we have now completed the installation of two new changing place facilities at the Museum and the Four Seasons Shopping Centre. It is our priority to be inclusive and provide suitable facilities for visitors with profound or multiple disabilities, as well as people with stoma bags.
Dinosaurs have now taken over the museum, so get your youngsters down to see this amazing exhibition that runs until Saturday 5 October.
We are continuing with our mission to help boost the local economy by including social value actions as part of our procurement policy. In 2023/24, we achieved £18.2 million (37 percent) local spend, and if we include individual contractors in the construction and recruitment categories regionally, this increases to £31.8 million (69 percent).
We have taken another step in the right direction to back up our climate emergency declaration with real action by building up our fleet of electric vehicles while beginning the phasing out of petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles. The five more electric vans will also bring significant fuel savings to the council, with around £1,500 saved in diesel per small van and £3,000 for larger vans. The smaller vans were also considerably cheaper to purchase than their diesel counterparts. It has been a busy summer, but very positive.
7 August 2024
Change is in the air
Even though, at the time of writing, the result of the General Election was unknown, the feeling is that 4 July was a line drawn in the sand for change. Change is something that many people are uncomfortable with, but change is the catalyst for progress and improvement, and if you stand still, you invariably go backwards.
In Mansfield and Warsop, we have many ambitious projects that are very challenging and involve change, but we are confident the changes will be transformational for our communities. Although the Warsop Health Hub official opening ceremony is not until mid-July, it is already being embraced and supported by the local community, with fantastic uptake in membership and employment.
Through great partnership work, despite incredibly difficult market conditions, we have delivered the project within budget and on time.
The wellbeing of our communities and respect for cultural heritage are two of the reasons why we have facilitated the asset transfer of Warsop Town Hall to Lifespring Church. Lifespring will now apply for funding to renovate the Warsop Town Hall and provide more accessible facilities for local residents to participate in social activities and get help in partnership with Vibrant Warsop, Big Warsop and Switch Up.
Nothing is more life-changing for our residents than having good-quality homes. We have just completed a housing project at Fritchley Court, Oak Tree, with local contractor Stobuild. Although a relatively small project, it encompasses the principles we are trying to include in all our construction contracts. This includes using brown field sites, designing energy-efficient homes for life to meet the 2025 building regulations that emit 80 percent less CO2 which contributes to our commitment to the climate emergency, recycling 97 percent of all construction waste, and planting trees.
We are ensuring that local contractors and suppliers get the opportunity to tender, be successful, and include social value. The Chief Executive, Rob Story, has really embraced this philosophy, engaging a trainee by providing work experience, engaging with the local school and Trowell Court, donating to the food share scheme, and contributing labour, plant, and materials to renew a local allotment. We are applying this criteria to larger projects, and another local contractor, Mercer Building Solutions, are making great progress at our Bellamy development. The new build shops are about to be handed over for fitting out, the utility diversions and road works have been completed, and the building is now underway for 22 family homes.
A contactor has now been appointed for our Centenary Road development, which will start on site in September to build 77 affordable council homes. These will be a mix of family apartments, houses and later living bungalows and apartments.
With a view to around £200m being invested in Mansfield and the surrounding areas over the next few years, we will be attending the Construction Fair on Friday 12 July at West Notts College. This event will give many of our small contractors the opportunity to build relationships with the larger multi-national contractors and hopefully win more work.
It is our aspiration to use the winds of change to transform Mansfield and the surrounding districts into a prosperous, highly skilled area with improved opportunities for all.
10 July 2024