Concerns have been raised over whether a major city bridge is getting enough investment as Nottingham Forest presses ahead with City Ground expansion plans.
Trent Bridge is currently maintained by the Bridge Estate charity, for which Nottingham City Council is the sole trustee.
The charity has three primary goals.
The first is to maintain and repair Trent Bridge and the approaches, the second is to provide a contingency fund for the possible construction of a new bridge, or bridges, over the River Trent as may be found necessary or desirable, and the third is to give any residue of any income to the improvement of the city and the public benefit of its inhabitants, via a grant to the council.
City councillor and Nottingham Forest fan, Steve Battlemuch, has long been campaigning to turn the bridge into a tourist attraction featuring a walk of fame.
He says the bridge, which carries 50,000 vehicles every day and thousands of cricket and football sports fans on matchdays, is in need of some “love and attention”, while the anti-terror barriers installed in 2017 are an eyesore.
This is more so the case now that the Reds are in the Premier League, with plans to expand the City Ground now pressing ahead following approval at a Rushcliffe Borough Council planning meeting in September.
However, Cllr Battlemuch has raised concern over how much money has been given to the city council compared to the charity’s other two objectives; to maintain the current bridge and provide contingency for a new one.
“My primary concern is understanding exactly what is available from the [Bridge Estate] to be used on bridge repairs and/or to contribute to a new bridge,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
“I’m fairly sure it won’t be a massive amount but maybe it could be a contribution towards an overall project which could include new pavements and a walk of fame.”
The Bridge Estate charity’s income largely comes from the letting of property across the city, with many of its properties based in Lister Gate.
According to the charity’s latest accounts, seen by the LDRS, more than £2.1 million has been allocated as grant money to go to the city council between 2022/23 and 2025/26.
Comparatively over the same period £437,349 was spent on property maintenance, which includes Trent Bridge.
After all expenditure, the accounts show a significant amount of reserve cash was also left over in each of the four years, including £268,100 in 2022/23, £316,118 in 2023/24, £326,810 in 2024/25 and £293,156 in 2025/26.
Over these four years, a total of £361,804 of this reserve cash was transferred to a repairs fund.
This includes £67,293 in 2022/23, £94,511 in 2023/24, and £100,000 across both 2024/25 and 2025/26.
The accounts were discussed at a Trust’s and Charities Committee meeting on Monday (September 28).
Councillors on the committee said they were unable to endorse the accounts, on the basis that the council’s officers could not answer questions over how the distribution of money to the council, reserves and a repairs fund is calculated.
“It looks to me like the [Bridge Estate] has made provision – both has given and will potentially give – a grant to the council across those four years of £2 million,” Cllr Battlemuch said.
“But the contribution to reserves and to the repairs fund is about £350,000.
“I can speak from personal experience of going over the bridge there is work needed.
“If we don’t have enough money in the fund to allocate to that, some people would say well, how come you’ve not got money available for that but you’ve given £2 million back to the council in a grant over the past four years?
“That’s the question that needs answering.”
Candice Goold, strategic director of finance (operations) replied to say: “I do completely appreciate your concerns.
“I don’t believe it would cause any particular concern with the Charity Commission, but I do believe for good financial governance we need to get ahead of this ready for the December committee, and also to do the budget for the next financial year, with sight to how that reserve methodology is calculated. If we don’t have a reserves policy we will bring one.”
Cllr Battlemuch told the LDRS he does not dispute the grant to the council would have gone on essential projects, but he said he wanted clarity on whether the charity believes maintenance of Trent Bridge – or a new bridge – is as high a priority as giving the authority grant money.
It comes as both Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council have suggested the Nottingham Forest should fund a new bridge over the River Trent to accommodate the extra 20,000 fans who could flock to an expanded City Ground.
By Joe Locker (Local Democracy Reporter)
