£2 Bus Fare, Council Repairs, Missing Person & More

Good morning readers and a happy Thursday to you all - its time for some quiet 'you' time - grab a drink and a digestive and enjoy today's newsletter.

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Todays thought for the day ... “The effective leader recognizes that they are more dependent on their people than they are on them. Walk softly. ” – Brian Tracy

Enjoy the read and have a great day wherever you are in Bassetlaw.

Justin Doddy, Editor

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New repairs policy for council tenants on the way

Cllr Lynne Schuller, Cabinet Member for Housing and Estates

A new Housing Repairs Policy, aiming to improve the delivery of repair and maintenance services for tenants, has been backed by Bassetlaw District Council cabinet members.

At a meeting on Tuesday 14th July councillors agreed to the proposal which aims to ensure repairs are completed right first time, enables the council to plan work in a better and more efficient way, and clearly sets out who is responsible for specific repair and maintenance issues.

It follows consultation with tenants and other stakeholders which revealed of the 591 individual responses, they were largely positive in all the proposed areas for change, with 73.43% having no concerns about the proposed responsibilities or revised timescales.

Cllr Lynne Schuller, Cabinet Member for Housing and Estates, said:

“We want to thank our tenants, leaseholders and other stakeholders for having their say on our proposed housing repairs policy to inform our decision making. We also thank those tenants that attended meetings to help us to establish the policy, their help was invaluable in speaking for peers.

“These changes will help improve the delivery of our repairs and maintenance services, with very clear guidelines, while also continuing to ensure the council, as a landlord, meets its statutory and regulatory obligations including the Regulator of Social Housing’s Consumer Standards.”

Under the new policy, non-urgent repairs will be carried out within a maximum of 30 days by appointment, in addition the Policy also links to the council’s Reasonable Adjustment Policy which assist vulnerable tenants who may need support to meet their repairing obligations.

The Cabinets' recommendation to adopt and implement the revised Housing Repairs Policy will now go to Full Council on 17th September 2026 and if approved it will come into force from 1st October 2026.

🖊 OPINION: NCC Leader Mick Barton: 'We're winning the war with roads'

Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Mick Barton, updates readers on progress made on road repairs and outcome of the Local Government Reorganisation initiative...

Winning the War with the Roads

As you can all see the roads are now massively improving. I have been out within the county to see firsthand the various repairs we are carrying out.

We have taken delivery of two new mastic boilers. I knew we had to purchase the boilers following our visit to Roadmender in Rotherham a few months ago. I, along with Cabinet members, were given a demonstration on laying the asphalt, and I could not believe the results. The mastic boiler is ideal for repairing potholes and larger repairs in a quick, efficient way. These repairs are faster to install, greener and are significantly less disruptive than conventional asphalt repairs. A must have part of our toolkit for the ‘right first-time approach’ repairs.

The mastic material is made up of old vehicle tyres and other materials to make the product pliable and long lasting. The boilers are on the roads now, along with the eight hot box teams, the two JCB Pothole Pro’s and further resurfacing gangs. They are out in every part of the county ensuring roads are improving across the county.

We are looking to deliver a winter masterplan that has not been seen before, where repairs will not be halted for bad weather. The crews will now continue working twelve months a year, so we do not have the same emergency situation of last year, with undrivable roads.

LGR (Local Government Reorganisation)

We received the government’s option for LGR, who have gone with the Labour run City Council proposal. To say I am disappointed with their decision is an understatement.

I will not be taking this lying down, I can assure you. I am currently waiting for the Secretary of State to write to me to confirm the decision and their reasoning for it. When that happens, I will decide our stance and our next move. I do not believe this decision has been taken fairly and objectively. I think this is a rushed, Labour looking after Labour decision, on an asset grabbing mission. No way is this decision the fair one for the county and I will be seriously looking at a judicial review. We put in our plan by sticking exactly to the guidelines and legislation given to us. I will be working on this daily to find a solution.

I will get back to you on progress in my columns and on social media.

Out in the Community

I have mentioned before that my Cabinet and I hold bi-monthly meetings out in the community. It would be lovely to hear from any businesses who would like us to come along, have a tour of your premises and understand what you do. If we can assist in any way or offer support, we will. If you would like us to come along, please contact me on cllr.mick.barton@nottscc.gov.uk.

I held a cabinet away day last week, where the cabinet and I looked at the year ahead and all we want to achieve. I look forward to sharing the year ahead with you in my next column.

In the meantime, enjoy the weather and the children’s holidays from school that are about to start.

Take Care, Mick

Family, Community, Country.

Missing - have you seen Caroline? Last seen in Retford

Nottinghamshire Police are concerned for her safety and urgently want to hear from anyone who has seen her.

Caroline was last seen in the Retford area at around 3pm on Wednesday 22 July 2026.

She is described as 5ft 7ins tall, medium build, with short pink hair and was last seen wearing a light coloured t-shirt with Mickey Mouse on the front and black bottoms, as in the photo.

If you have seen Caroline or have any information on her whereabouts, please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 415 of 22 July 2026. Thank you.

Our three interesting facts for today ....

Photocopying was banned in Tibet until 2010

Berlin has a curried-sausage museum

The smell of play-doh is trademarked

The £2 bus fare cap will be reinstated from January in most areas across England, the government has announced this morning (July 22)

The cap will be for a single fare, and last for all of 2027.

More than £500m of funding, will be reallocated from money earmarked for international climate finance as well as existing transport funding to pay for the scheme.

The £2 cap was first imposed in early 2023, before rising to £3 at the start of 2025.

Some areas have kept the £2 cap, including Greater Manchester – which Burnham ran until last month. Single fares in London are £1.75.

The government says the last £2 fare cap led to an extra 30 million journeys taken by bus across 10 months.

“Good, affordable transport links are an essential. No one should be priced out of those and left behind,” the prime minister said. He added:

“But for too long people have said that cheaper transport isn’t an option. I don’t accept that. I’ve done it before and I will do it again now: a £2 cap on bus fares for millions across the country.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the fare cut would help

“keep people connected to work, school, healthcare and their friends and family”.

Yesterday, Burnham told the first meeting of his cabinet they will be a “cost of living government” and urged them all to look at ways they can help with the cost of living in their areas.

Column, Cllr Julie Leigh, Leader of Bassetlaw District Council

The Government has now confirmed its decision on the future of local councils in Nottinghamshire as part of the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) programme.

Under these plans, the current councils across the county, including Bassetlaw District Council, will be replaced by two new unitary councils, each responsible for delivering all local government services within their area.

This means one new council will serve Nottingham City and parts of Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe, while the second will cover Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood, together with the remaining parts of Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe.

I recognise the opportunities that Local Government Reorganisation brings. By reducing duplication, improving efficiency and making it clearer who is responsible for local services, these changes have the potential to deliver long-term benefits for residents and communities. We will continue to work closely and constructively with our partners to help make this transition a success.

Throughout this process, my priority remains unchanged: ensuring that residents and businesses in Bassetlaw continue to receive the high-quality services they rely on every day.

There is still significant work to be done before the new councils are established. The next stage will be the transition period, with elections for the new unitary councils expected to take place in May 2027. Following those elections, two shadow authorities will be created to oversee preparations ahead of the new councils officially coming into operation in April 2028.

In the meantime, I want to reassure everyone that council services will continue as normal. Our teams will remain focused on supporting residents, businesses and communities, while maintaining the high standards of service people expect from us.

While change on this scale inevitably brings challenges, it also presents an opportunity to shape strong, sustainable local government for the future. I am committed to ensuring that Bassetlaw's voice is heard throughout this process, and we will continue to work alongside residents, businesses, councillors and partners to deliver a smooth and successful transition.

The proposals will now move forward for the necessary parliamentary approval before they can be formally implemented.

You can find out more about Local Government Reorganisation in Nottinghamshire by visiting www.lgrnotts.org.

Thanks so much for reading our local newsletter and for supporting us. We’re committed to providing Bassetlaw with the quality local news service it deserves, but sustaining this work may come with some challenges. Our team is currently discussing how to make Bassetlaw Today financially viable in the long term, and one option we’re considering is introducing a subscription model to help cover our costs.

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Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you read our next newsletter.

Justin Doddy, Editor