'I'm a problem solver', says new council leader

Neghat Khan says she knows she has a "huge task"

The new leader of Nottingham City Council has said she wants to turn the city's fortunes around.

Neghat Khan formally took over as leader of the struggling authority at a meeting on Monday.

She replaces David Mellen, who announced he would be stepping down in March.

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Khan said she recognised she had a "huge task" but that she had "the mentality of being a problem solver".

Ms Khan was first elected to the council, which effectively declared itself bankrupt in November, in 2013 and represents the Dales ward.

The government has since appointed commissioners to help run the struggling authority.

She is a former chair of Robin Hood Energy, the council-owned firm that collapsed in 2020.

Ms Khan says she had a key role in closing the company down, but does not think it was a mistake to set it up in the first place.

"We've got to remember why we started the company; to tackle fuel poverty. There were people struggling, and people today still are struggling," she said.

"I just think it didn't work out the way we had hoped, but unfortunately, sometimes you get that with businesses."

Nottingham City Council issued a section 114 notice in November

Her appointment has caused some unrest among other Labour councillors after they were not given the opportunity to vote.

A Nottingham Labour Group meeting to choose a new leader was scheduled for April, but the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) stepped in to oversee the process.

The NEC interviewed six people for the role, but Ms Khan was deemed the only suitable candidate and was installed as the new leader ahead of the meeting.

Ms Khan says she does not agree with how the process was handled, but "strongly believes" she would have won a vote.

"I've been speaking to my councillors, and they're all behind me now that process is done," she said.

She says one of her first engagements will be to "reach out" to the owner and chairman of Nottingham Forest, after talks over the club's future at the City Ground stalled.

"We don't want them to move. The fans don't want them to move. There's a lot of history at the City Ground," Ms Khan said.

"I will try everything in my power to keep them, but what we've got to be very clear on is the Nottingham taxpayer can't subsidise any club."

She also said she could not guarantee that no libraries in the city would close.

"We've got to find a long-term solution, and it might not be under the council's ownership," Ms Khan added.

"I'm going to explore all options and reach out to groups within the city about how we can do that."

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.