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

There were no declarations of interest made.

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 07 July 2025.

The minutes from the meeting held on 07 July 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.

There were no questions from members of the public.

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 (The Leader of the Council) introduced the item to Cabinet and highlighted the following points:

a)    As part of the economic plan, there would be a £4.4 billion investment in defence for the City which would generate 7,000 new jobs for the Dockyard alone. There would be 25,000 more job opportunities in the size of Plymouth’s workforce by 2035;

b)    A new industrial strategy which featured Plymouth as a case study;

c)    2,000 Babcock employees would relocate to the City Centre;

d)    Plymouth was announced as the National Centre for marine autonomy;

e)    New businesses were arriving in the City such as Helsing;

f)     There had been Memorandum of Understanding with Homes England for 10,000 new homes to be built in the City Centre;

g)    The Council received £519 million of investment in strategic transport infrastructure as well as over £300 million of investment in public transport altogether;

h)    There was a £40 million public investment in the Civic Centre, creating a brand-new City College campus focusing on blue and green skills;

i)     There was significant interest in Plymouth’s housing at UKREIIF;

j)     The celebration of the opening of the first phase of the Armada Way scheme;

k)    The development of Plymouth’s health hub with the start of the CDC;

l)     Major upgrades by the Freeport, with £73 million investment;

m)  A £3 billion investment in Plymouth’s NHS, going towards Derriford Hospital;

n)    The Growth Alliance was established to make sure Plymouth maximised the opportunity given by government. It would support all Plymouth businesses to benefit, grow and attract new levels of inward investment. It would become a world-class centre for marine autonomy ensuring Plymouth children got the best jobs with first class education. It would ensure Plymouth was able to attract the very best talent and make sure Plymouth drove social value and good growth. Plymouth would have the very best transport and accessibility as well as promoting the city not only nationally but globally.

o)    The new defence investment was an opportunity to reimagine the city centre and create an amazing destination. Plymouth would create new homes for its new workforce and use this as the catalyst to regenerate the city centre;

p)    There was new investment into shopping and leisure at the Barcode and Drake Circus;

q)    There had been major investment from the university at Inter City Place;

r)    There had been a new City Centre Arts University;

s)     There had been significant investment into high quality public realm which was on-going;

t)     The celebration of The Box museum received one million visitors;

u)    Housing in the city centre would be underpinned by the growing workforce based there over the next 50 years;

v)    Work would begin on detail planning and place making. Technical studies would be done dealing with transport, accessibility, utilities, net zero, repurposing buildings and getting the housing mix right. Plymouth would need public engagement to drive buy-in and civic pride;

w)   The council would work to formalise its partnerships  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)    In 2018 Plymouth signed the collective party’s modern slavery charter. Each year since 2018, a report had been taken to Cabinet to talk about the work done and work to be done;

b)    Modern slavery was a largely hidden crime and Plymouth had relatively low levels of this occurring in the city;

c)    The council would continue to look at its own working practices, procurement and supply chains to continue to combat modern day slavery;

d)    Vigilance within communities was essential to ending modern day slavery and if anyone had any concerns they needed to report to the Police in order for it to be tackled.

Councillor Tudor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) added:

e)    The Safeguarding Assurance Board heard of two harrowing reports of modern slavery and how it manifested itself and how it kept itself hidden.

The Cabinet agreed to:

1.    Note the progress made on the delivery of the modern slavery statement and the next steps required to further tackle modern slavery;

2.    The updated modern slavery statement.

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

a)    From April, May and June, there was a predicted overspend of £2.6 million against an overall approved revenue budget of £253 million. Work would be undertaken by the council to reduce the variance to nil;

b)    Children’s directorate had a pressure of £418,000 due to an increase in the number of placements in the independent sector;

c)    The number of unregistered placements had risen to nine, which was two above the planed figure and had given the council a variance of £697,000, associated with the provision of short breaks;

d)    Customer services and corporate directories are forecasting a variance of £1.557 million. This was largely due to undertaking a number of surveys within the Facilities Management department and additional work needing to be carried out;

e)    The savings for 2025/26 were in the region of approximately £10 million;

f)     The savings for the first three months totalled £4.7 million;

g)    Children, Adults, SEND and homelessness consumed 83% of the Council’s budgets;

h)    The capital programme had seen a net increase of £38.2 million during quarter one due to funds going towards the Civic Centre re-development, with the addition of grant funding from government and Homes England. There has been a £45 million allocation in the capital programme from grants to undertake those works;

i)     £5.5 million from Plymouth and South Devon Freeport was given to the Council as a grant, to undertake the Millbay terminal re-development.

Councillor Tudor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) added:

j)     The cabinet would continue to keep downward pressure on the council spending no matter how challenging it was;

k)    Children’s services was a demand led service that sometimes couldn’t be controlled but the department was working hard to keep the pressure on their budget to a minimum;

l)     The quality of the work done on the ferry terminal in Millbay was to a good standard and was much more welcoming as a departure and arrival zone for Plymouth.

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) provided a net-zero update and highlighted the following points:

m)  Some of the capital programme funds had gone towards freight turnaround, a green way of doing export;

n)    A partnership had been made with Brittany Ferries and Associated British Ports, so that boats were not being reliant on fossil fuels, they could do so on electric energy instead.

The Cabinet agreed to:

1.    Note the forecast revenue monitoring position;

2.    Note the overall capital budget;

3.    Note the performance against credential indicators for quarter one.

Councillor Aspinall (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care), supported by Gill Nicholson (Head of Innovation & Delivery) and Alan Hockings (Commissioning Officer, Integrated Commissioning) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)    That Cabinet recommends awarding a 3.25 year contract to Milbrook Healthcare limited for the delivery of Plymouth community equipment service following the liquidation of the previous provider NRS Healthcare Limited;

b)    NRS Healthcare Limited (NRS) was awarded the contract in 2022 through a competitive tendering process with the agreement intended to run until January 2029 subject to all available contract extensions;

c)    In June 2025, Plymouth City Council was notified along with 40 other contracting authorities, of NRS healthcare’s unstable financial position and the risk of insolvency by the 31^st July 2025;

d)    Although NRS proposed a recovery plan, it required unanimous support from all the contracting authorities, and was not considered viable for a long-term solution;

e)    The NRS contract provided and maintained equipment and minor adaptations that were critical in helping people maintain independence and supporting carers in their valued role;

f)     Council officers began exploring alternative arrangements for the service, including:

I.              Compliant procurement options;

II.            The possibility of an emergency response;

III.           To ensure continuity of care;

IV.           To reduce disruption to local services and individuals.

g)    A short term emergency contract was put in place with Millbrook Healthcare, which provided the supply of essential equipment during a two month period;

h)    The proposed long-term contract with Millbrook Healthcare would restore the service to its intended standards and procure a new contract for February 2029;

i)     The service provided equipment relating to prescribed clinical need to support people within their own homes, and this included equipment such as:

I.              Beds

II.            Mattresses

III.           Mobility Aids

j)     Referrals to the service were made from prescribing organisations such as:

I.              Livewell Southwest

II.            University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

III.           St. Luke’s Hospice

IV.           Practice Plus Group Hospitals

k)    The contract for Plymouth included the delivery and maintenance of equipment, and returned equipment and supported 17,000 people across Plymouth each year;

l)     The key service objectives for CES were:

I.              To provide services that were safe, sustainable, cost efficient and effective for the benefit of all service users;

II.            To contribute to the prevention of inappropriate hospital emissions;

III.           To reduce the use of domiciliary care, care home placements, residential children’s placements through the provision of timely and safe community equipment and minor adaptations;

IV.           To support safe and timely hospital discharge;

V.            To reduce the number of separate visits to individual service users within their homes;

VI.           Offering coordinated holistic services delivered by multi-skilled workforces;

VII.         To support carers and prevent carer breakdown;

VIII.        To support end of life with the individuals, in their chosen environment;

IX.          To provide a service in a manner that meets the principles of best value, including and not limited to the value of money;

X.           The equipment being issued following assessment by the needs of a clinician  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

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

a)    Meadow View was the Council’s new day and respite care service for adults with learning difficulties and complex needs. Once complete, the service would provide a day service for more than 60 adults, as well as overnight respite care in seven bedrooms and seven self-contained apartments;

b)    Construction had now begun on site, which was located at the edge of Central Park, close to main bus services and offering easy access to the park;

c)    The site would offer access to disability bikes, as well as specially designed changing spaces and toilet facilities;

d)    PCC had worked closely with users, families, staff and the public to ensure the design reflected people’s needs, providing a space to build independent skills and connect with others;

e)    The new building would feature a broad range of appropriately designed facilities, including:

                       i.       Art and craft spaces;

                      ii.       Sensory gardens;

                     iii.       Purpose-built sensory rooms;

                     iv.       Accessible cycle hub.

f)     The new building has been designed to support the Council’s ambition to reduce carbon emissions and would incorporate efficiency measures including:

                       i.       Solar wind systems;

                      ii.       Air source heating;

                     iii.       Triple glazing;

                     iv.       Biodiversity of the site.

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) added:

g)    It was challenging to minimise carbon impacts of such buildings due to the complex needs of the residents using the services. To mitigate this, the  building would be comprised of a timber frame, which was fundamental for carbon cutting;

h)     The building would be heated throughout by air source heat pumps, covered with solar PV, and utilise efficient technology throughout, including LED lights and low water sanitary systems;

i)     Due to its central location, the site would make sustainable travel easier for residents, staff and families, enabling electric buses to pass directly outside. The site would also feature new EV charging facilities and a cycle hub, offering accessible bikes;

j)     New planting in the area would include:

                       i.       Native hedgerows

                      ii.       Wild flowers

                     iii.       Ornamental shrubs

                     iv.       Raised beds

                      v.       55 new trees, ranging from Silver Birch to Holm Oak.

Cliff Morgan (Strategic Lead for Provision & Delivery, Adult Social Care) added:

k)    The project was the culmination of six years of design and planning work;

l)     Following engagement with clients, staff and families, it was recognised that existing complex needs facilities required greater accessibility. The new purpose built facility was located in the heart of a community in the city centre, and was specifically designed to maximise accessibility;

m)  Following a £13 million investment, the modern, purpose built facility would provide daytime services and activities for more than 60 people with learning disabilities and complex needs;

n)    Funding had been secured from the Climate Emergency Investment Fund to future proof the building with energy efficient and carbon mitigating materials and technologies;

o)    The building would feature seven self-contained apartments providing planned short breaks and emergency accommodation. The service would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Councillor Laing (Deputy Leader of the Council, and Cabinet Member for Children's Social Care, Culture and Communications), introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)    As part of the Ofsted inspection framework, a visit was made on the 01 and 02 July 2025, to Plymouth’s Children’s Services;

b)    The visit reviewed the Council’s arrangements for care leavers and the progress that had been made since the previous inspection which took place in January 2024;

c)    The Care Leavers team were supporting 286 young people, aged 18 to 24. Each young person had an allocated personal advisor (PA);

d)    The team jointly worked with social workers a further 131 children in care, aged 16 or 17;

e)    The team of personal advisors and social workers supported the young people with all aspects of their lives as they navigated their pathway from childhood to adulthood;

f)     Ofsted reported that Plymouth City Council was an ambitious corporate parent;

g)    Ofsted concluded that Plymouth City Council knew their service well and noted that many improvements had been made for our care experienced young people since the previous inspection;

h)    As part of Ofsted’s visit inspectors spoke to a number of care experienced young people who all told them how much they valued their personal advisors and described them as committed individuals who stayed alongside them no matter what, who were kind, who were responsive and who were tenacious;

i)     The personal advisors were strong advocates for their young people;

j)     Ofsted inspectors highlighted two areas where improvement was needed, they are:

I.              Accommodation pathways: Some young people were living in bed and breakfast accommodation for too long and;

II.            Quality of supervision and management.

k)    The next full inspection will be in the Spring/Summer of 2027.

David Haley (Director of Children’s Services) added:

l)     The commitment of elected members and the whole council to our care experienced young people which was a credit to the outcomes achieved;

m)  Ofsted recognised that despite Plymouth’s geography and some care leavers being in other parts of the country including asylum seeking children, the level of service was equally as good from Plymouth City Council;

n)    Other local authorities were approaching Plymouth in relation to treating care experience as a protected characteristic;

The Cabinet agreed to:

1.    To note the published Ofsted report;

2.    To endorse that all areas for improvement and further development are being incorporated into the Care Leavers Service Plan and monitored through Corporate Parenting Operational Managers Group (monthly) and Corporate Parenting Board (Quarterly).

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

a)     Plymouth had featured in an article in the Financial Times, citing a ‘booming university and revised defence industry puts Plymouth on the map’, ‘a city for the 21st Century’ and referencing ongoing cultural place-making work, including The Box;

b)    Councillors had recently attended a celebratory opening event at Tinside Lido following the improvement works. The scheme had delivered an amazing new event space with some of the best views in Plymouth, alongside a new kitchen and bar facility, a new public sun terrace and coffee pod, a revamped youth hub and learning space with changing facilities, and improved public accessibility;

c)     Guest attendances at the opening event had included representatives from the National Lottery, the Levelling Up Fund (MHCLG) and Youth Investment Fund, as well as Lewis Pugh (UN Ambassador of the Oceans). Councillor Evans OBE had been given the privilege of unveiling two plaques;

d)    The refurbished spaces were previously derelict or unused, and had now been unlocked to celebrate heritage, with generated income supporting the National Marine Park;

e)     All businesses in Plymouth were encouraged to consider the space for their business meetings and events;

f)      Thanks were given to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their investment, and to all participants in the project for their hard work;

g)     Similar heritage works were ongoing at the Mountbatten Centre and the Mount Edgcumbe Garden Battery.

h)    The National Marine Park annual report had been published, highlighting the following statistics from the first year of the project:

                         i.         970 students had visited the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park in its first year;

                       ii.         100% of teachers would ‘Our Sea’ in their school programme;

                      iii.         The equivalent of £116,000 had been contributed through voluntary hours;

                      iv.         328 volunteer hours had been dedicated to beach cleans alone;

                       v.         8,700 people were engaged through the ‘Meet the Marine Park’ events;

                      vi.         25,000 visitors had attended Sea Fest;

                     vii.         340,000 people were reached on social media;

                   viii.         6 million people viewed Country File’s TV episode, showcasing the National Marine Park;

                      ix.         £5 million of match funding had recently been secured.

Councillor Haydon (Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Libraries, Events, Cemeteries and Crematoria) introduced the item and provided the following updates:

a)    The 12 August 2025 would mark the first anniversary of the opening of the Plymouth Park Crematorium;

b)    The Park were now supporting bereaved families across Plymouth, Cornwall and the South Hams. The Park had now delivered just over 2,400 cremations, the function rooms had delivered 380 wakes, and the public cafe had seen steady increase in business;

c)    The British Firework championship would be returning to Plymouth on the 13-14 August 2025. The event would feature entertainment, live music and fireworks displays. Thanks were given to the Association of British Ports who were sponsoring the event for the second consecutive year. Plymouth Citybus would be sponsoring the Young Person’s Choice Award;

d)    Friday the 15 August 2025 was the 80^th anniversary of VJ Day, and would be marked by a parade from St. Andrews Church to the Crowne Plaza. The parade was organised by the Far East Prisoners of War Group;

e)    The West End Carnival would be held on 23 August 2025 offering a full programme of events and free entertainment;

f)     From the 20 August 2025, Santander would be offering a banking service at Plympton Library every Wednesday. This formed part of ongoing partnership work to transform libraries into community hubs;

g)    Libraries continued to work closely with families and wellbeing hubs across the city. At Plymstock Library, a Satellite Family Hub had been launched with support from Bernado’s charity, and progress was ongoing with Estover and North Prospect libraries.

Councillor Briars-Delve (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) provided the following updates:

h)    Plymouth City Council, in partnership with Plymouth and South Devon Community Forrest, Transforming Plymouth Together, and Food Plymouth, had developed a DEFRA Grant funded, multi-faith project, to plant trees in city churchyards. The concept had originated from a city resident, who had identified that city churchyards were well suited for new trees, situated in the heart of communities, with ample green space;

i)     Local churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship were all encouraged to submit suggestions for the planting pipeline for Winter 2025. Thanks were given to all partners involved for their collaboration, with similar projects resulting in over 50,000 new trees planted in recent years across Plymouth;

j)     Poole Farm had recently hosted the ‘Wild and Well’ event, promoting how nature connection could boost children’s wellbeing. Over 300 people attended the event, as well as 24 stalls hosted by local groups including Devon Wildlife Trust, Food Plymouth, the National Marine Park and the Local Devon Moth Group;

k)    Thanks were given to the staff and volunteers who helped organise and run the event. The project encapsulated the work being developed under the Plymouth Plan for Nature and People, demonstrating empowered volunteers, connected communities, and young people learning green skills and boosting their wellbeing;

Councillor Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships) provided the following updates:

l)     The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

Councillor Tudor Evans OBE (The Leader of the Council) delivered the Local Government Reorganisation (LGA) update and discussed:

a)    The Leader was looking forward to the arrival of Councillor Louise Gittins (LGA Chair) to Plymouth shortly, and the opportunity to discuss the LGA’s response to the new Local Government English Devolution Community Empowerment Bill;

b)    The LGA was currently required to balance unitary, county and district councils, whilst simultaneously managing the transition towards unitary authorities, which presented a challenge;

c)    The LGA had made a statement that: “It is critical that the full breadth, diversity and capability of local government is recognised and all councils are enabled to play a meaningful role as partners and, where appropriate, as part of strategic authorities in driving growth, improving services, and improving the lives of our residents”. This was particularly important for Plymouth who were undergoing a journey towards Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and a Strategic Mayoral Authority;

d)    The government had launched an Election Strategy Paper, which aimed to remove barriers to participation, including expanding the franchise to include 16 year olds. The Bill was designed to encourage participation in politics and elections, and redress a climate of hostility which had developed in recent years. This was evidenced by significant abuse directed toward candidates and councillors during the recent Mayoral Campaign;

e)    The rise of hostilities had discouraged many candidates from entering public service and representing their communities. This was concerning, and required action;

f)     The LGA had formed a coalition on grassroots sports funding, designed to ensure that the £400 million announced by the Government for grassroots sports was delivered to vital community facilities provided by local Councils and partners, such as:

I.              Leisure centres;

II.            Swimming pools;

III.           Local gyms.

g)    The LGA were campaigning for recognition of the role of grassroots sports facilities for preventative health, with closures likely to have long-term impacts for the Health Service;

h)    The LGA had published new research on the growing need and funding pressures for home-school transport. The research explored opportunities for future policy change in the context of potential wider reforms to the SEND system. It was important that progress was monitored, and that Plymouth City Council (PCC) fed back evidence of ‘lived experience’;

i)     10 new Reform Councils were considering scrapping home-school transport. Cutting off parent’s and children’s access to school as not the answer, and pressures were instead attributed to market failure and excess costs;

j)     The Mayoral Referendum had now concluded. Councillor Evans OBE thanked Council staff for their work organising and conducting the referendum, despite low public support and challenging legislation;

k)    The legislation applying to local referendums varied significantly to that of local council and national elections. This had resulted in significant intimidation and toxicity, with campaigns not required to formally register, nor file financial accounts. Campaigning had occurred outside of polling stations, and councillors had received unacceptable abuse. It was hoped that councillors would never have to endure a similar event, and the Audit and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

To consider passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972 to exclude the press and the public from the meeting for the following items of business, on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

(There were no items of exempt business)

(This item was discussed under minute 21 and Cabinet did not enter part 2 to have further discussions)