Nottinghamshire County Council Budget Consultation, Asbestos Disposal, National Rope Rescue Challenge & More
Happy Friday readers, the weekend is in sight !
I hope you have something nice planned for the weekend but until then .... grab a brew and a hobnob and have a read of today's newsletter covering all things Bassetlaw and surrounding areas.
Today's Quote of the Day - "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." — Mark Twain
you may think it would be of use to - perhaps people not on social media 24/7 or just people who like a summary read in the morning.
Enjoy the read and have a great weekend wherever you are reading this.
Justin Doddy, Editor
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Bassetlaw District Council is asking residents and businesses to make sure asbestos is disposed of safely and legally, after four serious fly-tipping incidents were reported in the district over the summer.
Industrial amounts of asbestos of around 13.5 tonnes were discovered flytipped at locations in Babworth, Retford, and Barnby Moor between the end of July and the beginning of August 2026.
The council paid for private contractors to clear the asbestos as it is classed as a hazardous waste and requires specialist handling, transportation and disposal.
Since 1 April 2026, the Council’s Waste Management service has spent around £30k dealing with asbestos removal.
Cllr Darrell Pulk, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods said:
“Fly-tipping asbestos is dangerous, irresponsible and costly to clear with money which could be used for other services.
"We want to remind everyone that asbestos must be dealt with by trained specialists and disposed of safely. If you are unsure what to do, please check the guidance on our website before arranging any work.”
Residents can choose to use a registered waste carrier to remove and dispose of asbestos from domestic properties. Those who arrange this have a duty of care to make sure their waste is handled by a registered waste carrier.
More information about how to remove and dispose of asbestos safely is available at the Council’s website https://www.bassetlaw.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-waste/asbestos-waste/
Anyone who sees fly-tipping, or has information about who may be responsible, should report it straight away through the council’s website.
‘Have Your Say’ on council’s budget consultation
Nottinghamshire County Council’s annual budget consultation is underway, with residents and local businesses encouraged to give their feedback about the services they use and value.
Whether its highways or adult social care, trading standards or wedding venues, the county council provides around 400 statutory services to the people of Nottinghamshire and our message is: ‘Have Your Say’ about the services we provide.
The consultation is a key part of the council’s annual budget-setting process which concludes in March 2027. It underpins the council’s ambitious strategy which is centred around three key outcomes: ‘Stronger families, thriving communities and creating a connected county.’
The online consultation is open until Wednesday 30 October.
Councillor Stuart Matthews, Cabinet Member for Finances and Resources, explained:
“The county council is legally charged with spending around £1.3 billion a year and it’s critical we obtain value for money – both so we can keep council tax as low as possible, as well as discharging our responsibility for delivering 400 statutory services.
“We employ 7,000 people as well as indirectly employing many thousands of other workers and supporting a range of local businesses through our supply chain. We have a huge impact on the local economy and we want to ensure that the council’s spending does as much good for the people of Nottinghamshire as possible.”
He added:
“This consultation will help us reflect the priorities of Nottinghamshire people. We are committed to a balanced budget, investing in first-class public services for the people we represent, but also bearing down on costs to ensure we are always focused getting value for money for the people of Nottinghamshire.”
Complete the online budget survey at: https://consult.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/budget/budget-survey-2026/
Nottinghamshire To Host National Rope Rescue Challenge
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service is preparing to welcome fire and rescue teams from across the UK and overseas as it hosts the UKRO National Rope Rescue Challenge next weekend.
Taking place from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 October, the three-day event will see 14 teams come together in Nottingham to test their technical rope rescue skills in a series of realistic scenarios.
The challenge is organised alongside the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation (UKRO), and this year marks 20 years of rope rescue as a UKRO challenge discipline. The event gives specialist rescue teams the opportunity to test their skills, learn from one another and share good practice that can be taken back to their respective fire and rescue services.
The event will begin at the National Ice Centre on Thursday 1 October, where teams will register and take part in a Technical Skills Challenge before an Opening Ceremony in the afternoon.
On Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, teams will take on eight different rope rescue scenarios across Nottingham.
The venues being used are:
- Crowne Plaza Hotel Car Park
- Theatre Royal
- Nottingham Trent University, City Campus
- County Hall
- Wilford Suspension Bridge
- National Justice Museum
- Notts County Football Club, Meadow Lane
The scenarios have been designed to challenge teams in a range of environments and will see firefighters using specialist rope rescue equipment and techniques at some prominent locations across the city.
Members of the public should not be concerned if they see firefighters, specialist equipment or rescue activity at any of the venues on Friday or Saturday. These will be planned competition scenarios and not real-life emergencies. Where scenarios take place in areas accessible to the public, arrangements will be in place to allow the competition to run safely while minimising disruption.
Group Manager at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Leigh Holmes, said:
"We're really proud to be hosting the UKRO National Rope Rescue Challenge here in Nottinghamshire next weekend.
"This is a fantastic opportunity to bring fire and rescue services together to showcase their skills, learn from each other and ultimately take that learning back into their everyday work.
"People across Nottingham may see firefighters carrying out what look like rescue operations at a number of locations on the Friday and Saturday. We'd like to reassure everyone that these are planned scenarios as part of the competition, so there is no need to be concerned.
"We're looking forward to welcoming all 14 teams to Nottingham and wish everyone taking part the very best of luck."
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service will also enter a team into the competition, alongside services including London Fire Brigade, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, West Midlands Fire Service, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and an international team from Portugal.
The challenge will conclude on Saturday evening with a Closing Ceremony and awards at Meadow Lane.
More drivers are putting Midlands roadworkers’ lives at risk to cut queues
A worrying trend of drivers ignoring roadwork closures to skip queues is putting lives at risk in the Midlands, according to new analysis from National Highways.
• 74 drivers deliberately entered closed-off roadwork areas in the Midlands between January and July this year, putting lives at risk.
• 58% of incursions recorded in the Midlands involved drivers trying to avoid queues, closures or diversions.
• Unsafe driver behaviour has led to full motorway closures and significant delays for road users.
There is growing concern across the road transport sector around incursions - the name given to incidents where a vehicle enters a closed-off section of roadworks because of the danger to roadworkers.
At 58% in the Midlands, the figure is above the national average of 53%.
National Highways data shows that 58% of incursions recorded in the Midlands between January and July this year involved drivers trying to avoid queues, closures or diversions.
Across all regions in England, a total of 1,633 incursions were recorded across England's motorways and major A roads last year. While the majority were linked to drivers deliberately entering restricted roadwork areas to gain a benefit, other incidents involved factors such as breakdowns or unintentional incursions.
In some cases, these incidents are leading to roads being completely closed, to avoid workers being put in danger. This is adding time onto journeys.
Recently, following a series of particularly close calls, a section of the M1 in Hertfordshire was closed completely to keep workers safe, which meant drivers had a 10-mile diversion.
Melanie Clarke OBE, Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing at National Highways, said:
“These figures show a worrying number of drivers wilfully ignoring roadworks to save time, putting roadworkers and other people at risk.
“Our roadworkers have the right to carry out repairs and improvements safely and we ask all drivers to follow signed routes and never enter restricted areas.”
Sinead Ryan, a Traffic Management Foreman for HW Martin, said:
“People don't always realise how dangerous our job can be. We work close to live traffic and, while we can do everything possible to keep ourselves safe, we can't control the actions of drivers.
“When someone ignores a closure or drives into a work area, it only takes a second for someone to get hurt. There are real people working behind those cones and all we're trying to do is get home safely at the end of the day.”
Content courtesy of National Highways
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Have a great day and I look forward to seeing you read our next newsletter.
Justin Doddy, Editor
Bassetlaw Today
P.S. Your feedback about this newsletter is important to me. You can email me your feedback to news@bassettlawtoday.co.uk
