(a)       To receive announcements from the Lord Mayor, Chief Executive, Service Director for Finance or Monitoring Officer;

(b)      To receive announcements from the Leader, Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs.

Councillor Ms Watkin (Lord Mayor) made the following announcement:

a)    The city’s annual civic ceremony would be held on 27 January 2026 in remembrance of the holocaust and all subsequent genocides. The ceremony would pay particular tribute to the Holodomor in Ukraine, recognising the suffering endured during that tragedy. The commemoration would feature a moving performance from the choir and will focus on the theme of bridging generations, reflecting on how the stories and lessons of the past must be carried forward by each new generation.  

Councillor Ms Watkin (Lord Mayor) presented the following awards:

b)    Best regeneration project at the Inside Housing Awards was awarded to Neil Mawson (Housing Delivery Manager), Andrew Lawrie and Nick Jackson. The award was given for the work on almost 800 damp and aging homes which were demolished in North Prospect and replaced by more than 1,100 high quality, energy efficient brand new homes. The homes offered a wide variety of house types, sizes and tenures to completely revitalise the community in partnership with Plymouth Community Homes;

c)    Plymouth’s crematorium had won building of the year at Devon and Cornwall’s Building Forum, recognising the high quality experience for bereaving families in a beautiful, natural setting. The award was given to Graham Smith (Head of Bereavement, Registrations and Coroners Services);

d)    Stirling House had won the best development under 50 homes award at the RTPI awards. Stirling house was a veterans self-build project, a Plan for Homes development of 25 high quality affordable homes (for social rent), including a number of self-build properties for service veterans at risk of homelessness. Delivered in partnership between the Council and Livewest, the project stands out for its collaborative planning and strong partnerships which had produced resilient outcomes that benefited both people and nature, with clear evidence of social capital returned to the economy. Simon Osbourne (Planning Officer) and Neil Mawson (Housing Delivery Manager) received the award;

e)    Transport Operation and Vehicle maintenance won best performance at the APSE awards, recognising the team’s outstanding commitment to service improvement and operational excellence from maintaining our vehicle fleet to implementing better systems and processes that keep the council’s services running smoothly. Martin Hoar(Fleet Services Manager), Ali Grant(Fleet Compliance and Policy Manager) and Simon Tongue(Fleet and Data Performance Officer) received the award.

The following announcements were made by Cabinet members:

Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council), made the following announcements:

f)     Expressed heartfelt thanks to all those who had sent messages of support and well wishes during his recent ill health. Particular thanks was given to the Cabinet, who had stepped in and ensured stability during his absence;

g)    Paid tribute to Councillor Sue Dann following her stepping back from her role as Cabinet Member for Customer Experience, Sport, Leisure, and HR & OD on 01 January 2026. Councillor Dann had served the city for more than two decades, during which she had led on Human Resources, Economic Development, Transport, Street Scene and Environment, and most  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58