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

No declarations of interest were made.

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.

No questions from the public had been received.

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 Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)     Decision being taken was important to ensure the survival of Plymouth City Council;

b)    Plymouth was the powerhouse of the South West and was in a unique position to drive growth because of nationally significant defence assets and track record of delivery large scale regeneration and housing projects;

c)     As the anchor for growth in the South West, Plymouth had to embrace opportunities for Local Government Reorganisation;

d)    This was a pivotal moment for Plymouth and presented a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure the future of the city and improve quality of life for all residents;

e)     This was a chance to embrace the communities that surrounded the city so that they could share in the prosperity;

f)      The Government published the White Paper on devolution on 16 December 2024 setting out two separate but related processes: Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and Devolution;

g)     Devolution related to a strategic layer of authority over all Council’s within a region in order to provide representation for geographical locations;

h)    The South West had not had its fair share in the past and had also not had one clear voice, when other regions have been successful in this;

i)      Conversations with neighbours on Devolution would take place after May 2025 local elections that were happening in surrounding Councils;

j)      Plymouth was already working with Torbay and Devon on Devolution plans and continued to leave the door open for Cornwall as it was important for the South West to work together;

k)     There had been a cross-party vote of support for the interim plan at City Council on 17 March 2025;

l)      Adjustments would be made to the interim plan before it was submitted on Friday 21 March 2025, but the fundamentals of what was agreed at City Council would not change:

                         i.         Need to highlight the role of the voluntary and community sector across Plymouth and proposed expanded area, many of whom had their headquarters in Plymouth;

                       ii.         Update to the community empowerment section;

                      iii.         Inclusion of explicit recognition of the need to collaborate with neighbouring authorities to share data to enable details proposals;

                      iv.         Make a commitment that staff and unions across authorities would be regularly engaged as it was a time of change and opportunity, but staff would be concerned;

m)   Government would not be making final decisions until later in the year, giving Councils time to make plans and ensure they were in the best interest of the city;

n)    There was a commitment to undertake a comprehensive engagement programme leading up to submission of plans in November 2025;

o)    Important to reflect the regions balance of urban centres and rural communities;

p)    Desire to create a resilient local Council that was aware and responsive to local needs and demands;

q)    Need to send a clear message to areas outside of the city that were proposed to become part of Plymouth Council,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.