A new leader has been chosen for Nottinghamshire County Council.
Cllr Sam Smith was officially confirmed following a vote at December’s full council meeting.
Cllr Smith, who represents Newark East and was previously cabinet member for education, replaces Cllr Ben Bradley who has stepped down earlier this year for family and personal reasons.
The new leader said he was honoured to be elected and spoke about his priorities for the county’s residents.
“I am absolutely delighted to be elected leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, and I am looking forward to working tirelessly to deliver on key priorities for people across the county,” he said.
Cllr Smith highlighted the council’s record of delivering services and spoke of the challenging outlook facing local authorities.
“One of my first priorities will be balancing the budget in February 2025 and we have an excellent record in delivering well-run, efficient services while keeping council tax low,” he said.
‘Flying the flag’
“I am proud that we are one of a few local authorities that have not closed a single library, maintained a thriving youth service and have expanded rural bus services.”
He added: “We have invested more than £100m in our capital programme and have ploughed millions of pounds into improving our roads, as well as delivering on our commitment to build schools and improve the standards of education across the county.”
He said he would be “banging the drum” for Nottinghamshire transport, infrastructure, skills and investment funding.
He continued: “Key infrastructure projects require the backing of the mayor and our local MPs and I will be knocking on their doors regularly to fly the flag for funding across Nottinghamshire.
“For me it’s about delivery, delivery, delivery for Nottinghamshire residents as part of our ongoing drive to make our county a great place to live, work and visit.”
Cllr Smith thanked his predecessor Cllr Bradley for his three-and-a-half years as leader, saying he hopes to build on his legacy.
