Spiralling energy prices have been placing a huge burden on households across the country, with many of us trying to cut back despite financial packages of help introduced by the Government. As it too faces rocketing prices, with the cost of heating one of its three swimming pools now standing at £90,000, Gedling Borough Council's leader has revealed the authority is no different in making tough choices.
Councillor John Clarke MBE has led the Labour-controlled authority since 2011 and as well as the plethora of community events, council meetings and team briefings he attends as part of his role, he said in recent months he has been "running around" the Gedling offices and switching lights off. He said: "We were expecting a projected quarter of a million pound bill for energy, we've now got one for three quarters of a million pound.
"I'm running around like I do at home switching all the lights off and turning the heating down." Cllr Clarke was speaking to Nottinghamshire Live after Gedling Borough Council revealed its plans to increase council tax in a move which would see Band D households paying an extra £5.34 a year.
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Authorities across Nottinghamshire have been releasing plans to increase the council tax they charge to residents, with some hikes having already been approved. Cllr Clarke said he understands the frustration of rising council tax, which he says has become akin to paying a second mortgage.
He said: "It is always difficult, people moan and groan about it and quite rightly so because it's become another mortgage. The thoughts are deep and long, we probably start putting the budget together in September.
"There was very little scope for manoeuvre, for two years on the trot we were the worst provided council in terms of support from the Government. Then we went up the league a bit, and now I think we're back down to second.
"You can go on forever moaning about that, I don't see any point. You've got to look at it and say 'that's what I've got to work with' and trim the cloth."
But rising bills are just one of the issues currently being faced by Cllr Clarke's constituents in Gedling. A Nottinghamshire Police inspector recently condemned the "ridiculous" actions of nuisance bikers in the area, with the force reporting an increase in the number of people riding motorbikes dangerously.
Cllr Clarke also said he continues to receive reports from residents about nuisance bikers, as well as other forms of anti-social behaviour. He said: "The trouble is that some people will not behave.
"The other day I was out with my wife in Carlton and two lads came along on these bikes doing wheelies down the centre line of the road. Nobody seems to care about it because they know that nobody is going to nick them.
"You've got to get absolutely on top of these people and get them through the courts. But it's not just about banging people away, it's looking at what made them like that."
Tackling Gedling's anti-social behaviour is something that Cllr Clarke said will require a lot of partnership work with police. A dedicated scheme to sort out the problem in Beeston has recently reported positive results, with the police and council there now working to find new facilities for the young people they have worked with.
In terms of partnership working, Cllr Clarke said one of the key things he will be looking out for over the coming year will be preparations for a new East Midlands Combined County Authority, which will bring together councils across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The new authority is due to be headed up by a new East Midlands Mayor, with the first one set to be elected in May 2024.
When asked whether this new role is something he would consider, Cllr Clarke said: "I'd like to, but when you get into the politics of it, there are always the favoured ones that tend to get their way through and it's frustrating." But when asked about the broader merits of devolution, Cllr Clarke said he believes it could improve the way in which politicians across the East Midlands work together.
He said: "If you look at the North East and the South, the MPs really gang together to put the lobbying in, but here somehow it doesn't gel. Yet there's so much to offer, we've got the beautiful countryside in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire and the Leicestershire villages, so on your tourism side there's a massive piece there.
"I don't really see them collectively in the Commons belting this forward. There is a time for politics, but there is also a time to get things going."
Despite not particularly enjoying the political side of life as a council leader, it's politics that will be top of the agenda over the coming months as Gedling Borough Council will be one of the authorities across the country where local elections will take place on May 4. Cllr Clarke said he his confident of Labour's chances, with the party currently having 28 seats compared to the Conservatives' eight and the three held by the Liberal Democrats.
The recent opening of the Gedling Access Road and the more historic success of the Gedling Country Park are among the achievements which Cllr Clarke hopes voters will credit his party for when they head to the ballot box. If the party retains the council and he remains as leader, Cllr Clarke said one of his priorities would be to work out how to get more funding into areas like Arnold after the Government recently rejected Gedling's Levelling Up Fund bid.
But when asked how much longer he wanted to remain as council leader, Cllr Clarke added: "I'm not going on after another term, you're never too old but I would like to see what somebody else could do with it. This job absorbs you and I'm getting up to the point where I've got 300 emails a week.
"But you are able to help some of those people who might be frightened to death of authority. You can make a difference to people's lives and that's the real buzz, it's not the politics of it."
As we headed down towards the Gedling Borough Council chamber for a picture, Cllr Clarke spoke eagerly about an upcoming event to celebrate Netherfield's railway heritage, which he cited as an example of politicians from across the divide coming together to deliver a community-focused event. Sure enough, making our way back into the heart of the Civic Centre, Cllr Clarke made sure all the lights in the empty rooms he passed were switched off.
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