“Early signs of a shift toward continuous improvement thinking.” That’s the line Alison McGovern chose as she backed steady progress at Nottingham City Council and set a clear finish line for Whitehall oversight. In a letter published on GOV.UK on 21 November 2025, the Local Government and Homelessness Minister confirmed Sharon Kemp as Lead Commissioner and said the intervention is scheduled to conclude when Directions expire on 22 February 2026, subject to performance.

The Commissioners’ third report, dated 29 August 2025, tells a familiar story: governance and performance grip are stronger, but relationships at the very top still need to settle into consistent, collegiate habits. The council is edging toward a learning culture with better risk practice, yet it must embed those behaviours and handle setbacks without blame if progress is to last.

Kemp’s elevation matters for delivery. She remains Chief Executive at Rotherham Council and was brought in during that authority’s own intervention, which later saw powers returned and children’s services rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Her brief in Nottingham is to keep reforms moving alongside Tony McArdle and Margaret Lee as the council takes back more day‑to‑day control.

Money remains the pinch point. The August report says £39m of savings are built into Nottingham’s 2025/26 budget, with roughly £10m at risk or undeliverable on original timelines. Commissioners also warn vacancy underspends are masking shortfalls in savings delivery-useful in the short term, but no substitute for transformation. General Fund reserves are about £60m after review, open Internal Audit recommendations have fallen from over 100 to fewer than 30, and formal powers haven’t been needed so far.

For councils across the North, the message lands: delivery plans must be real, not theoretical; leadership behaviour sets the tone; and a learning culture beats blame when problems surface. Recovery rarely runs in a straight line, and getting from ‘steady progress’ to something durable takes grip on services, not just neat spreadsheets.

Nottingham’s current path has roots in a rough spell. The council issued a Section 114 notice on 29 November 2023. Ministers followed by replacing the Improvement and Assurance Board with commissioners-naming McArdle, Lee and Kemp-to steady the ship.

McGovern’s letter sets the immediate tests: agree a lawful, balanced 2026/27 budget on time; keep improving service quality and the pace of transformation; and maintain work on local government reorganisation. She expects a final report from commissioners by 5 December and says ending the intervention depends on Nottingham meeting its Best Value duty, with the coming months “critical”.

For residents and businesses in and around the city-and for town halls in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield watching closely-the next steps are clear: real traction on adult social care savings, better‑quality delivery plans, and member–officer working that swaps friction for trust. Deliver those, and a clean handover in early 2026 is within reach.