Cabinet Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items on this agenda. 

Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) welcomed two work experience students who were observing the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest made. 

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 09 June 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on 09 June 2025 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive questions from the public in accordance with the Constitution.

Questions, of no longer than 50 words, can be submitted to the Democratic Support Unit, Plymouth City Council, Ballard House, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ, or email to democraticsupport@plymouth.gov.uk. Any questions must be received at least five clear working days before the date of the meeting.

To receive reports on business which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

There were no items of Chair’s urgent business.

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) introduced the item to Cabinet and highlighted the following point:

a)    Feedback was welcomed on water quality issues;

b)    In Lipson Vale, the works are ongoing at Trefusis Park Suds to improve flooding resilience during mass rainfall.

Cabinet agreed to:

1.    Thank the Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny Panel for scrutinising this issue;

2.    Support the proposed responses to the recommendations made in the report.

Councillor Aspinall (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care)introduced the item and highlighted the following key points: 

a)    There was a clear focus on continuous improvement with efforts directed at addressing challenges relating to wait times for assessments, reviews, service accessibility and sustainability of the workforce; 

b)    The improvement work built upon the Council’s self-assessment and findings from the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Adult Social Care Peer Review in January 2025, which identifiedboth strengths and areas for development; 

c)    Plymouth underwent a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectionand the experience was described as positive, with inspectors engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including staff, partners, service users and carers. Formal feedback was expected within two to three months which would further inform the Council’s improvement journey; 
 

d)    Expressed thanks to all staff across Plymouth City Council, Livewell Southwest, and care and support providers for their dedication and professionalism, particularly during the peer review and CQC inspection processes. 

Stephen Beet (Head of Adult Social Care and Retained Functions) added: 
 

e)    The improvement plan was progressing well and outlined the priority areas with targets, time scales for delivery and trajectories, monitoring of progress and management of risk. 

Andy Williams (Lead for Adult Social Care, Livewell Southwest) and Ian Lightly (Senior Manager at Livewell Southwest) added: 

f)     There had been a focus on reducing the wait times and the longest wait time for Care Assessments reduced from 500+ days to 300+ days;

                      i.        A sustainable waiting list position would be reached by 30 October 2025, with full compliance expected by 31 January 2026; 

g)    The Care Act guidance recommended reviews every 12 months,  as a minimum, and performance against this had improved by 22%, with 58.5% of individuals getting reviews within the 12 months;

                      i.        The regional benchmark was 60.7% and Plymouth was aiming to meet this by 01 November 2025;

                     ii.        A central dedicated team has been established to manage reviews; 
 

h)    Occupational Therapy (OT) OT demand was identified as a key issue in the self-assessment, peer review, and CQC inspection;

                      i.        Demand exceeded current resource capacity, prompting a review of the wider front door offer;

                     ii.        Improvements in performance data visibility have been made using System One, with reporting now available;

                    iii.        A rounded plan to address OT performance was expected by end of September 2025; 
  

i)     Waiting Well Policy  had been developed to ensure individuals on waiting lists remained safe;

                      i.        All individuals were risk assessed and prioritised accordingly;

                     ii.        Team managers maintained proactive contact with those waiting;

                    iii.        An automatic text reminder system had been implemented; 

                    iv.        Individuals were informed of how to escalate their needs if circumstances change;

                     v.        Crisis response options were available through Livewell;
  

j)     During the last 18 months, a practice improvement model had been developed which collated information to understand Adult Social Care (ASC) practice within Livewell and key elements included:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Councillor Stephens introduced the item.

Having considered all of the information including the information at item 15Cabinet:

1. Approved the Business Case attached to the report;

2. Allocated £12,808,832 for the project into the Capital Programme funded by:

·         £8,897,042 ringfenced Department for Transport grant funding allocated specifically for this scheme.

·         £3,911,790 un-ringfenced Integrated Transport Block grant funding that PCC is able to use to fund its transport priorities.

3. Authorised the procurement process set out in the report.

4. Delegated contract award decisions to the Service Director for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure where they do not already have authority to do so.

5. Instructs officers to work with the Cabinet Members for Planning and Infrastructure and Environment and Climate Change, in addition to relevant specialists from PCC’s Net Zero and Environmental Planning teams, to develop a comprehensive Climate Impact Assessment following the first consultation process to be reported to Cabinet prior to the next phase of consultation.

Councillor Stephens (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport)introduced the item and highlighted the following points: 

a)    60,000 vehicles a day passed through the A38 ManadonInterchange and it was the busiest junction in the City and was a pinch point on the city’s road network; 
 

                              i.        It was where the A386 connecting the city north to south, met the A38, connecting the city east to west; 
 

                             ii.        The A38 was the only road on the strategic road network managed by National Highways; 
 

                            iii.        It was a three-tier interchange, with the A38 running underneath, a roundabout in the middle and a flyover carrying the A386 across the top; 
 

                            iv.        The junction was at the confluence of the city’s growth areas as set out within the joint local plan (JLP), and without additional capacity at Manadon, future growth would be constrained; 

b)    Derriford Hospital was undergoing a major redevelopment with a £140 million pound investment into its healthcare estate, with plans for future investment; 

c)    The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had announced a£4.4 billion investment at Devonport, demonstrating Plymouth’s importance in defence of the country; 
 

d)    The improvements to this interchange would complement other network improvements such as the Forder Valley Link Road, Derriford Hospital improvements and the Woolwell to the George transport scheme; 

e)    The interchange was part of the adopted statutory planning framework, the JLP identified the northern corridor as one of three priority growth areas to deliver regionally significant number of homes and jobs; 

f)     The scheme would also include extensive walking and cycling provisions, including; 
 

                              i.        A new cycle bridge across the A38; 
 

                             ii.        A continuous 2-way north/south cycle route; 
 

                            iii.        Improved pedestrian bridges; 
 

                            iv.        Enhanced pedestrian links to local areas of green space; 
 

                             v.        New bus priority on Mannamead Road and at Crownhill; 

g)    The impact of reducing congestion on Manadonwould see an overall reduction in carbon emissions long-term;

h)    The government’s large local majors program provided 85% of the funding for the Manadoninterchange; 

i)     The scheme had program entry status, meaning that it was within the Department for Transport’s national program of capital investments that it was committed to; 

j)     The decision for Cabinet was to consider the remainder of the development funding, which was £12.8 million pound, into the capital program to progress the scheme to final business case, as set out in the report; 

k)    Although the decision would provide authorisation to prepare the final business case, it did not provide authorisation to construct the scheme at this stage; 

l)     Delivering the final schemehad an estimated cost of £156.4 million; 

m)  Anticipated start for the scheme was considered to be Winter 2028; 

n)    If Cabinet decided to proceed, the project team would produce a detailed scheme design, progress the submission of a planning application and refine the land and buildings that need to be acquired  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities)introduced the report and highlighted the following points about Plan for Homes 4: 

a)     Since its launch in November 2013, more than 1,100 new homes had been built on Council-owned sites, under Plan for Homes; 

b)    Over 64% of the 1,100 new homes had been affordable; 

c)     The ambition was to deliver a minimum of 5,000 new homes in Plymouth over 5 years; 

d)    Increased housing supply, with a focus on both social and affordable home ownership; 
 

e)     Improved the private rented sector to ensure homes were decent, safe, and secure; 
 

f)      Bringing empty homes back into use to maximise existing stock; 
 

g)     Enhanced the condition and energy efficiency of homes across all tenures, retrofitting and delivering low-carbon new homes; 
 

h)    Supported estate regeneration and renewal to replace obsolete housing; 
 

i)      Reduced homelessness and reliance on temporary accommodation and expanded supported and specialist housing options; 
 

j)      Maximised inward investment through partnership working, including with Homes England; 
 

k)     Maintained flexibility and innovation in response to emerging housing challenges; 

l)      There were more than 8,000 households in Plymouth awaiting homes for rent at an affordable price; 

m)   Plan for Homes 4 had: 
 

                                  i.         Delivered 96 new affordable homes, including 42 for social rent; 
 

                                ii.         Returned 41 long-term empty homes to occupation; 
 

                               iii.         Worked with Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) to refurbish and occupy 86 ex-MOD family homes; 
 

                               iv.         Completed 25 veteran self-build homes at Stirling House, with a third project underway; 
 

                                v.         Secured £18.44 million in government funding for 144 homes and a new skills hub at the former Civic Centre; 
 

                               vi.         Formed a long-term partnership with Homes England to deliver 10,000 new homes in the city centre; 
 

                              vii.         Achieved a 66% reduction in families in bed and breakfast accommodation; 
 

                            viii.         Improved 1,029 dwellings and resolved 216 Category 1 hazards, issued 101 formal notices and 11 civil penalties to non-compliant landlords; 
 

                               ix.         Delivered 424 home adaptations and supported 280 residents to live independently; 
 

                                x.         Completed energy efficiency improvements on 234 existing homes; 
 

                               xi.         Engaged with developers to unblock 4,517 homes with planning permission; 
 

                             xii.         Developed a pipeline of future housing sites and a new market recovery plan; 
 

                            xiii.         Identified new surplus Council-owned sites for housing; 
 

                            xiv.         Working with investors and developers to establish a build-to-rent offer in Plymouth, that would capitalise the long-term investment in the dockyard and for people coming into Plymouth for dockyard employment; 
 

                             xv.         Preparing for the Renters’ Rights Bill; 
 

                            xvi.         Participated in the rollout of the advanced zoning pilot for the new heat network, focusing on Plymouth City Centre; 

n)    The action plan reported across all 10 of the Plan for Homes 4 initiatives and was RAG-rated with commentary; 

o)    The report would be presented to the Natural Infrastructure and Growth Scrutiny Panel, and every 6 month a detailed report on homelessness was presented to the Housing and Community Services Scrutiny Panel; 

p)    Continued  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Councillor Dann (Cabinet Member for Customer Experience, Sport, Leisure & HR, and OD) supported by Rhys Jones (Chief Executive Officer, Plymouth Active Leisure) and Louise Kelley (Sports Development Manager, Plymouth Active Leisure) introduced the report and highlighted the following points;

a)    Plymouth Active Leisure (PAL) worked across the city to get more people active;

b)    PAL had provided £2 million pounds worth of social value to the Plymouth in the first quarter of 2025/26;

c)    PAL linked in with several different teams across the Council to deliver a variety of services including bike and baby rides, and bike-ability, to drive shared priorities and objectives;

d)    The Active Health Program which launched in 2024, had been a huge success with referrals into the programme from health professionals to assist people who would benefit from exercise, but also for those who might not be able to afford a gym membership;

a.     YMCA and Argyle Trust sponsored sessions for up to eight weeks, at the end of which there was an opportunity for people to get a reduced price membership for a further year, whilst still supported;

b.    296 people had been referred so far and had had positive reported health benefits including a significant loss in reported back pain and shoulder pain;

e)    In a recent Quest Assessment, which was an external body that assessed sport and leisure services, PAL had scored excellent within the tackling inequalities module;

f)     It was important not to underestimate the ripple effect of support from PAL’s various programmes had;

g)    Some people found the social side of exercise to also be very beneficial;

h)    A video was played at this point in the meeting providing an update on the Adapt programme which supported children with SEND, getting them active, as well as providing a great social opportunity, and the chance to try new sports and activities.

In response to questions the following was discussed:

i)     The Adapt programme was being expanded and there would be more inclusive SEND opportunities provided throughout facilities, including short break family breaks which were very popular and had a wait list;

j)     There was a Sport England grant available for new adaptive climbing equipment;

k)    The team worked in partnership with various organisations to connect people to the programme, but were open to other opportunities and connections to increase access;

l)     The team worked with home-educated children in a variety of projects such as the ‘Fit and Fed’ project, and offering diving and climbing facility activites at the Life Centre. There were a vast array of facilities and resources available in Plymouth, which the team worked to promote;

m)  Access to sporting facilities had been identified as a barrier, particularly travel time and cost. The Life Centre was centrally located, and had good transport links, with free public parking. Work was ongoing with Wellbeing Hubs and transport providers to reduce access barriers;

n)    The pilot of the ‘Adapt’ project had highlighted several barriers which had not been initially predicted, and the team  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) supported by Ian Trisk-Grove (Service Director for Finance) introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

a)    Two consultations had been announced on 20 June 2025 by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government;

b)    The ‘Fairer Funding’ review aimed to create a simpler, fairer and more transparent funding that better reflected the current needs, costs and resources of the local area. This was initiated to address an imbalance in  funding allocations created under the previous government; 

c)    Plymouth had a low Council Tax base, with a large proportion of houses in the A, B or C bracket. Other areas had higher bases, attracting higher revenue. It was hoped that the consultation would lead to a fairer allocation of the funds to help meet the needs of the city and its residents;

d)    The consultation ran for a period of eight weeks, up until 15 August 2025;

e)    Plymouth City Council’s response to the consultation would be brought to Cabinet for awareness;

f)     The second consultation related to Council Tax, and ran for twelve weeks, from 12 September 2025;

g)    The second consultation aimed to improve the ease of paying Council Tax. This included proposals to move payments from 10 to 12 month cycles by default, enabling people to pay over a longer period of time, and improving transparency of how the monies were spent. Proposals also included changing entitlements to increase eligibility for Council Tax discounts, improving the ability for residents to challenge their Council Tax banding, and enabling the application of fairer and more flexible repayment systems;

h)    The consultations were welcomed, and were hoped to bring long-overdue reform;

i)     Cumulatively, the Council had lost approximately three quarters of £1 billion since 2010;

j)     It was important that funding allocations reflected Council Tax bases, and recognised issues such as deprivation, inequality and service demand. The new formula would take account of residents who required services but did not pay Council Tax, including students and service personnel;

k)    It was important to properly consider the proposals to ensure there were no unintended implications, and for Plymouth to feed back their support and reservations where required;

l)     Plymouth City Council were working with experts to model the proposed funding formulas prior to feeding back on the consultation;

m)  The multi-year settlement had now been confirmed (3 year). Transitional arrangements would be required in the interim period;

n)    The Government had announced plans to consolidate grants, aiming to increase transparency and streamline the process; Each year the local authority received nearly 300 separate grants;

o)    The plan set out 4 grants for initial consolidation: Homelessness, Public Health, Crisis Resilience and Children’s Services;

p)    Post Local Government Reorganisation, there would be a smaller number of Unitary Authorities driving economic growth however, economic growth was not a statutory function. Combined Authorities alone could not drive economic growth;

q)    The Leader requested that the Service Director and Cabinet Member for Finance utilise their networks to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Councillor Laing (Cabinet Member for Children's Social Care, Culture and Communications) provided the following announcements: 

a)    David Cottrell, a filmmaker and artist, was creating the first commission for Plymouth as part of Sea for Yourself programme, a collaboration between cultural partners and the National Marine Park ‘Horizons Program’ helping reconnects residents to the ocean through a series of creative digital interventions. David would create the first commission for Plymouth as part of Sea for Yourself; 

                      i.        David, recognised for his visionary public realm and digital work would develop exciting new work that would unfold across multiple site and digital platforms throughout the city; 

b)    Hello Sailorwould take place at Tinside Lido, celebrating the National Gallery’s 200^th Anniversary; 

c)    Sir Gabriele Finaldi, the Director of the National Gallery, was hosted in Plymouth for a day on 26 June 2025and unveiled a plaque for Sir Charles Eastlake, who was the first director of the National Gallery and was born in Plymouth, and then visited Tinside Lido, Council house and The Box;

d)    An event at Trafalgar Square on the 26 July 2025, named ‘The Triumph of Art’ organised by Turner prizewinning artist Jeremy Deller, The Box was the selected venue for England, (Made up of four parts: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) having so much history in Plymouth. 

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities) provided the following announcements: 

e)    The North Prospect Regeneration Project won two awards at the South WestRoyal Town Planning Institute. It won the: 

              i.        The Best Project Award;

             ii.        The Overall Best in Region Award;

f)     Councillor Penberthy attended the Mitchelmores Property Awards and Broadland Gardens won Project of the Year, the ‘35 Homes and Under Award’;

g)    Concerning the plot of land up for auction outside Gables Dogs & Cats on Merafield Road, Plymstock. National Highways chose not to sell the land on the open market, but to sell to the Council and then for that land to be sold back to Gables Dogs & Cats Home at the same price. This meant that Gables would maintain the land as a wildlife space at no cost to the Public;

Councillor Stephens (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport) provided the following announcements: 

h)    The Royal Improvement Scheme had commenced; 

i)     The Plymotion team had been engaging with bus user to help explain the relocation of bus stops;  

j)     On the morning of 07 July 2025, a Citybus driver drove the City’s first electric bus, for the number 21 service from to Plympton;

k)    Councillor Stephens accompanied ward councillors and school leaders outside Pennycross, Manadon Vale, Compton and Montpelier schools, to discuss road safety concerns during school runs; 

l)     Thanked Plymouth City Council’s Road Safety Team led by Suzanne Keith for their work with thousands of children in pedestrian and road safety training programmes across  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Councillor Evans OBE (The Leader of the Council) introduced the item and provided the following announcements: 

a)    His visit to the Local Government Association Annual Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool alongside Councillor Laing (Deputy Leader) and Tracey Lee (Chief Executive). At the Conference subjects of discussion included; 

                      i.        Children’s Services; 

                     ii.        Support for SEND; 

                    iii.        Renewed commitment to affordable homes programme; 

                    iv.        Long-term announcements; 

                     v.        Multi-year funding settlement statement was reinforced; 

                    vi.        Concerns of funding for adult social care;

b)    A powerful speech was given by Angela Rayner (Deputy Prime Minister) at the conference of her experience of local government; 

c)    Wes Streeting (Secretary of State for Health and Social Care) attended the conference, discussing the vision of rebuilding the NHS, recruiting more GPs, protecting NHS staff and shifting care to communities; 

d)    Various positive meeting with Plymouth neighbours including Cornwall, Torbay and South Hams to talk about next steps of Local Government Re-organisation; 

e)    The rise of AI was a hot topic at the conference.