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

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 09 February 2026.

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.

Decision

1.     Agreed that Plymouth City Council will act as the Accountable Body for the Pride in Place Programme and all of its requirements;

2.     Delegated authority to the Service Director Team Plymouth to sign all associated contracts, funding agreements, where necessary in consultation with relevant officers, including the s151 Officer and the Monitoring Officer, and approve Pride in Place claims;

3.     Agreed to accept and ringfence the capacity funding for Pride in Place and provides delegation to the Service Director Team Plymouth to use the capacity funding in line with government guidance and eligible activities;

4.     Delegated authority to the Strategic Director for Growth, in consultation with the Leader, to undertake the necessary recruitment processes for the selection of the Independent Chair and members of the Neighbourhood Board, working in close collaboration with the MP for the area.

5.     Agreed that the Service Director Team Plymouth shall act as Plymouth City Council’s representative for all matters relating to the Pride in Place Programme.

6.     Delegated authority to the Service Director Team Plymouth, to act as the Council’s representative, completing any associated documentation required as part of the Council’s participation in Pride in Place, excluding for the purposes of signing the Pride in Place Memorandum of PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL Understanding (MoU).

7.     Delegated authority to the Service Director Team Plymouth, working in consultation with the MP and the Chair of the Neighbourhood Board to:

a)     Finalise the boundaries and governance arrangements for the Plymouth Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board;

b)    Ensure appropriate local oversight, community involvement and decision-making structures are established in line with Pride in Place requirements.

8.     Delegated authority to the newly appointed Board, once constituted, in consultation with the Service Director Team Plymouth, to develop the Pride in Place Regeneration Plan on behalf of Plymouth City Council, to include public consultation and to submit to Government in line with the Pride in Place guidance.

9.     Delegated authority to the Service Director Team Plymouth, in consultation relevant officers, including the S151 Officer and the Monitoring Officer, to review and formally accept the Pride in Place full funding allocation and any associated grant conditions;

10.  Delegated authority to the Service Director Team Plymouth to distribute the funding in line with the programme requirements.

Reason

The Pride in Place programme represents an investment of £19.6m in St Budeaux and £19.6m in Devonport, Morice Town and Mount Wise over the next ten years, supporting neighbourhood-led regeneration and delivery of local priorities. To ensure timely and compliant mobilisation of the Pride in Place Programme. Delegating authority to the Service Director Team Plymouth enables Plymouth City Council to meet the demanding programme timetable set by Government, including tight deadlines linked to Board establishment, boundary confirmation and Regeneration Plan development. Government Guidance states that the Local Authority must act as the Accountable Body for the Pride in Place Funding at the start of the programme, with responsibility for ensuring that public funds are distributed fairly and effectively. Therefore, Plymouth City Council must ensure  ...  view the full decision text for item 9.

Decision

Cabinet Agreed:

1.1.          To apply parking charges to all motor vehicles in Council car parks, as set out within section 5.4, ensuring a consistent approach across all chargeable parking bays;

1.2.          To remove cash payments once the On Street payment system upgrades are complete, as set out within section 5.7, improving customer experience through greater payment choice, ensuring consistency across all parking locations, and reducing CO2 emissions linked to cash collection and processing.

Agreed to implement the following changes not less than 21 days following publication of these changes through a Notice of Variation:

2.1.          Increase on-street parking charges, as set out in section 5.2 and Appendix D, to align more closely with other councils and meet rising service delivery costs;

2.2.          Increase off-street parking fees, as set out in section 5.4 and Appendix E, to ensure charges remain comparable with other councils and support rising service costs;

2.3.          Increase parking permit fees, as set out in sections 5.8 and Appendix F, with the exception of the proposed escalating charges in section 5.9, to meet the rising costs of maintaining and operating parking schemes across the city.

Agreed to undertake statutory consultation on the following proposals:

3.1.          Introduce coastal car park charges at Jennycliff, Mountbatten and Strand Street, as set out within section 5.5 and Appendix C, to ensure a more consistent approach while maintaining support for short-stay visitors.

3.2.          Introduce charges for Blue Badge holders on the Hoe Promenade, as set out within section 5.6 and Appendix E, to ensure a fair and consistent charging approach across all car parks.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Not increase fees and charges. The proposals have been considered fully by officers considering benchmarking and the need to achieve cost recovery and maintain levels of income critical to the delivery of key services. Fees are proposed at the level considered appropriate in light of this and the substantial shortfall in resources needed to set a balanced budget for 2026/27. The option of setting no increase has been rejected on the basis it would not achieve cost recovery, and/or may affect the viability of services.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.     Approved the publication of the Plymouth Local Plan timetable;

2.     Approved the publication of the Council’s formal ‘Notice of Intention to Commence’ the Plymouth Local Plan before 30 June 2026;

3.     Delegated authority to approve updates to the Local Plan timetable to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport;

4.     Delegated authority to approve, publish and submit the required documents and statements for statutory Gateways 1, 2 and 3 to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport.

5.     Delegated authority to approve all evidence documents, reports and supporting data and analysis for publication to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport.

6.     Delegated authority to deliver the statutory ‘scoping stage’ consultation to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport;

7.     Instructed Officers to report to Cabinet for approval for the statutory consultation on the proposed local plan content and evidence;

8.     Instructs Officers to report to Cabinet for approval for the statutory consultation on the proposed Plymouth Local Plan;

9.     Instructed officers to report to Cabinet to approve any further changes to the Plymouth Local Plan following the statutory consultation;

10.  Delegated authority to formally submit the proposed Plymouth Local Plan for Independent Examination once Gateway 3 is successfully completed;

11.  Authorised officers to agree a dedicated work programme with the Scrutiny Management Board on the emerging Plymouth Local Plan;

12.  Authorised officers to explore with Devon County Council (and/or successor bodies) the opportunity of fulfilling the City Council’s statutory responsibilities in relation to minerals and waste planning through the preparation of a Joint Minerals and Waste Plan rather than by incorporating waste and minerals policies into the Plymouth Local Plan;

13.  Agreed to the cancellation of the Plymouth and South West Devon Statement of Community Involvement for the purposes of community engagement in planning in Plymouth, with community engagement being undertaken in accordance with the Council’s Engagement and Consultation Framework and the statutory requirements of the Local Plan Regulations.

Alternative options

As the preparation of the new Local Plan is a statutory requirement, the only alternative relates to the timing of when the Local Plan is commenced. The latest which we could formally commence the Local Plan is 6 months later than proposed in the preferred option. This is because the government has set a backstop date for commencement of 31 December 2026, with the first statutory Gateway point being reached by 30 April 2027. From that point is locked into a statutory timetable. Were the plan commencement to be delayed to the latest possible time, the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process and the Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) process would be further advanced. However, this option was rejected for a number of reasons, including:

·       The pressing need for the Local Plan to be in place to  ...  view the full decision text for item 11.