Nottingham Council: Minister names Lead Commissioner
If you live, study or teach in Nottingham, today’s update matters. The UK government has published Alison McGovern MP’s response to the Commissioners’ third report. She welcomes steady progress and confirms that Sharon Kemp will now serve as Lead Commissioner, with Tony McArdle and Margaret Lee continuing to support oversight until February 2026. The letter and updated appointments were released on 21 November 2025 on GOV.UK.
In plain terms, the minister’s letter sets out the next jobs. The Council needs to improve consistency in how councillors and senior officers work together, embed risk management and Internal Audit so they actively guide decisions, deliver budgeted savings on time, speed up service transformation, and prepare a balanced 2026/27 budget by the legal deadline. She notes commissioners haven’t needed to use their formal powers and asks for a final report by 5 December 2025. Any decision to end the intervention on 22 February 2026 will depend on the Council meeting its Best Value Duty.
Think of a ministerial response as a checkpoint. It records what has improved, sets the next tasks, and signals whether tougher action might follow. Here, the tone is cautiously positive: ministers do not extend the scope or length of the intervention at this stage, but they make clear the coming weeks are a test of delivery rather than words.
How we got here is a lesson in local accountability. Government appointed commissioners in February 2024 under the Local Government Act 1999, with six‑monthly reports back to ministers. The third report, dated 29 August 2025, says improvement continues but flags risks around delivering savings and the need for consistently constructive leadership behaviours between members and officers.
Two quick study notes to help you read the official papers. Best Value Duty is the legal requirement for councils to keep improving the way they run services while using resources efficiently and effectively; it’s the test ministers apply before stepping back. A Section 114 notice is a formal report from the chief finance officer that effectively freezes most new non‑essential spending when a lawful budget can’t be set.
What the Commissioners say this time is encouraging but firm. They see early signs of a learning culture, stronger risk management and Internal Audit, and more systematic follow‑up on performance. They also highlight that some planned savings look at risk and that delivery plans vary in quality, with adults’ and children’s services needing quicker change. The report notes Internal Audit recommendations have fallen markedly from over 100 to under 30, which now need to be fully embedded.
Leadership is being rebalanced to keep up momentum. Sharon Kemp, already the Commissioner for Transformation, becomes Lead Commissioner. Expect a sharper focus on service redesign and implementation pace, while Tony McArdle and Margaret Lee remain in post to keep capacity and financial oversight through to February 2026.
What to watch next is clear. The final Commissioners’ letter is due by 5 December 2025. A credible, balanced budget for 2026/27 must follow, alongside evidence that councillors and officers are working together constructively and that risk and audit are guiding real‑world decisions. Only then will ministers be able to let the intervention end on schedule.
For classrooms and study groups, use the minister’s one‑page letter alongside the five‑page Commissioners’ report. Ask students to mark the time‑bound tasks, find the legal hooks (Best Value Duty, balanced budget), and map who holds whom to account-councillors, commissioners, ministers and residents. Then track, week by week, whether those tasks are met.