Councillor Alan Clark has a proud history of service to Nottingham. He was pivotal in establishing Robin Hood Energy, the first council-owned, not-for-profit energy company that aimed to provide the cheapest possible energy to Nottingham residents, and for the fitting of thousands of solar panels to Nottingham homes.

Alan was also instrumental in drawing up the Nottingham Declaration, an agreement signed in 2000 by over 300 councils that signalled a political commitment to tackle climate change – a breakthrough at the time.

Alan’s biggest legacy has been making Nottingham one of the greenest cities in the UK; however the impact he had on his community was far reaching.

At a local level, Alan helped 100’s of his constituents from when he was first elected in 1988. Alan was loved and respected by individuals and community groups in Bulwell, Top Valley, Rise Park, Highbury Vale and the surrounding areas.

He was also particularly committed to ensuring local children had the best start in life and was a governor for 3 local schools; serving as Chair of Governors for Southwold Primary for 30 years.

Leader of the Council and long-time friend Jon Collins said, ‘Alan will be deeply missed and he has worked tirelessly for his local community over the last 29 years.’  Former MP for Nottingham North, Graham Allen said, ‘Alan would always put the people first and to work alongside him has been a privilege.’

The funeral service for Councillor Clark was held at St Mary’s The Virgin Church, Lace Market this morning (14th August) and was very well attended. Council staff, Labour Party colleagues and members of the community joined Alan’s close friends and family for the service.

Our thoughts are with Alan’s family and friends at this time, particularly his wife, Councillor Eunice Campbell. He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and comrades of the Labour Party.

Green Flag Awards

Nottingham’s parks and open spaces have received national recognition by achieving 56 Green Flag Awards.  The awards are given by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy to parks that have the highest possible environmental standards, are beautifully maintained, have excellent visitor facilities and are regarded as one of the best parks in the country.

Three additional parks achieved green flag status this year, making Nottingham the City Council with the highest number in the UK.

18 sites received Green Flag Community Awards and are managed by local community groups; they include the City Hospital Garden, St Ann’s Community Orchard and Meadows Library Garden.

Park Improvements

There has been extensive cuts from central government funding, however 77 play areas have been improved in Nottingham since 2010. £36 million of external funding has been achieved since 2007. Thanks to work from volunteers and parks staff, a massive 96% of residents are satisfied with parks and open spaces.

Labour Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, Dave Trimble said, ‘We’re really pleased with the amount of green flags we have received this year and it’s great that so many sites that are managed by the community have been recognised too.’

‘As Labour Councillors we made a commitment to work with local people and deliver more Green Flag Award winning parks. We have improved the numbers year on year and people are enjoying the benefits.’

To find a Green Flag Park near you click here, or to find out what’s on in Nottingham during the summer holidays, click here.

In the Labour Manifesto that was launched on Tuesday 16^th May, the party outlined the ambition to ‘Support the creation of publicly owned, locally accountable energy companies and co-operatives to rival existing private energy suppliers’.

This commitment follows the launch of Robin Hood Energy in 2015, a not for profit energy company that was brought to fruition by Nottingham Labour Councillors. The company provides a discounted rate of energy for City residents and provides strong competition to the ‘Big 6’.

1000’s of city residents have benefited from switching to Robin Hood Energy and the company has made positive steps in combatting fuel poverty, something that affects one in ten households across the UK.

The Labour manifesto highlights that energy customers in the UK are overcharged by £2 billion per year, however regionally based, accountable and not for profit energy suppliers such as Robin Hood Energy would ensure that residents are not being unfairly and unnecessarily charged.

Leader of Nottingham City Council, Councillor Jon Collins said ‘Robin Hood Energy is an example of how fuel poverty can be tackled and how setting up not for profit energy companies, at a local level, can give people an alternative to the big 6.

A Labour Government could use this model all over the country and stop people being exploited by huge companies.’

The Conservative manifesto does not support locally owned energy companies that are not for profit, instead they are content with people all over the UK being overcharged by huge multi-national corporations. Labour has shown ambition to drive energy prices down and end fuel poverty for people all over the UK, both locally and nationally.