Hucknall county council trio confirm committee appointments for the coming year

Coun Dave Shaw, Coun Lee Waters and Coun John Wilmott (Ash Ind), all members of the Independent Alliance at County Hall, will sit on the children and young people’s issues committee, the pensions committee and the health and wellbeing board respectively.

Coun Shaw, who represents Hucknall West, has worked in youth services for more than 30 years and says he will use his position to campaign for more resources for Hucknall’s schools and more youth facilities across the town.

He said: “I am pleased to be leading the campaign to improve life chances for our young people.

"Over the last six years, Hucknall’s schools have seen significant funding cuts under the Tories.

"I will continue to fight to deliver extra resources to Hucknall’s schools and to invest more in youth services across our town.”

Coun Wilmott ,who represents Hucknall North, said he was pleased to be sitting on the influential health and wellbeing board..

He continued: “I will use it (my seat) to help end the health crisis that exists in Hucknall.

"We have already ensured that Ashfield District Council puts £1million into the pot for a new super health centre and I will be fighting to make sure the county council more than matches this.

"At the moment the Conservatives’ only commitment is to move library services into it – which we obviously oppose.

"We want to fill any new health centre with doctors and other clinicians, not books.”

Meanwhile, Coun Waters, who represents Hucknall South, retains his place on the pension committee that he has been a member of since 2021.

Nottinghamshire’s pension fund is valued at approximately £6.1 billion, with around 300 contributing employers and around 44,000 contributing members.

The fund has been criticised in recent months over the companies it has invested into, particularly companies involving fossil fuels, which has led to protests at the council by groups like Extinction Rebellion.

Coun Waters said he would ‘fight to clean up’ what he called a number of ‘scandalous investments’.