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

There were no declarations of interest.

To sign and confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 09 July 2019.

The minutes of the meeting held on 09 July 2019 were confirmed as a true and accurate 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 the public.

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

There was no urgent business from the Chair.

The Leader, Councillor Evans OBE made the following announcements:

·         The contract has been signed for the second phase of Oceansgate. There has been a significant demand generated from phase one and it is anticipated that this latest phase will create 130 jobs in the city.

·         The Council is working with the Music Venue Trust and the ‘fightback Plymouth’ series of events have now been announced across 19 venues with 150 bands and acts. This will showcase the vibrant grassroots music scene in the city. Details will be posted on the council website and across other social media channels.

·         The Leader attended a webinar with other council leaders. The Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government led the event, which discussed preparations for a no deal Brexit only. Of the £2.1bn allocated to Brexit, the minister is still considering how to allocate the £20m reserved for local government who are being asked to help deliver a no deal Brexit. The accumulated impact of austerity and the reductions in the revenue support grant make this a significant challenge. The minister has been invited to the city and talks continue to seek reassurance on border posts.  There is a real concern that a no deal Brexit will have a detrimental impact on the city, especially for small and medium sized enterprises.

·         The Fastnet race came to Plymouth and was a great success with the best public engagement and the best race village we have ever experienced. Thanks were expressed to the events team involved in making the event such a success and it is hoped that more events like these will come to Plymouth in the future.

·         Drakes Circus Leisure development, ‘the Barcode’ is on course to open during half-term in November 2019. The new development at Derry’s is also on course to open part of the facility in October and the Box is due to open in the spring of 2020. November 2019 will commence the Mayflower celebrations with the Illuminate show.

Councillor Sue Dann, Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene made the following announcements:

·         Following the Firework Championships event last year, small plastic pods were found washed up on beaches which had been used by some of the firework companies in the creation of their displays. Work has been ongoing with the firework companies over the past year to eliminate as much of the single use plastic as possible and the display this year will be much more environmentally friendly. At the event this year there will also be free water points on offer to reduce the use of single use plastic bottles.

·         Nearly €4m has been awarded from the European Commission for the ‘Green Minds’ project; working with partners across the city the aim of ‘Green Minds’ is to get people thinking about green urban spaces in a different way. We will have a more diverse green space across the city and whilst we want the city to look well maintained we also need to increase biodiversity in our neighbourhoods.

Councillor Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education. Transformation and Skills made the following announcements:

·         On Course South West staff have transferred back in house to the council and this is welcomed.

·         The council has been requested to participate in two Early Years pilots which aim to improve literacy, language and communication skills. One will work with parents to access videos, advice and games to help children in early years digital development. The other is in professional development to train early years practitioners working in disadvantaged areas in schools and nurseries to help children’s development

·         The Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) conference on 16 July 2019 was very successful and the aspiration is to grow the event to 200 delegates by July 2020. The STEM spectacular is still ongoing and will culminate in a boat race in September which it is hoped will become an annual event. STEM activity continues with ongoing activities and programme development for next year.

·         The expansion of the University Technical College has been agreed from 2020 to take students from Year seven and this will play an important role in helping to meet the demand for STEM skills in Plymouth.

·         Downham House, an overnight short-break provider for children with complex needs, underwent an Ofsted inspection in July and achieved a rating of good which it has maintained since 2015. Congratulations were expressed to the team at Downham House.

Councillor Jemima Laing, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People made the following announcements:

·         A recent visit was made to the Ground Coffee shop at the base of Beckley Point, this is the latest venue to sign up to Plymouth Latch-on Breastfeeding Welcome Kite mark scheme. The scheme enables mothers to identify venues where they can breastfeed with confidence in a welcoming environment.

·         A visit was paid to Devonport library – all libraries are offering a free CATERed lunch for children on a Wednesday during August to help tackle holiday hunger whilst providing free activities.

·         The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Councillor Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report on completed pledges.

Following the completion of the one pledge in July, the total number of pledges completed is 51 of the 100.

The latest pledge completed, pledge 29, follows on from the award winning Nelson project, a pioneering veterans’ (ex-service men and women) self-build project.

This latest project ‘Stirling House’ is the site of an old care home and doctors’ surgery in Honicknowle which have now been demolished and the land cleared for 25 new homes to be built. This will comprise 12 homes for veterans and 13 affordable homes for local people. It is planned for the proposed homes to be self-built by former service personnel in need of housing whilst earning construction qualifications, developing the skills needed to engage with the project and gaining valuable job-based skills. The planning application has been submitted and validated and it is hoped that work will begin in May next year to be completed in August 2021.

Councillor Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report 2019/20 for Quarter One.

Following a short discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note the current revenue monitoring position and action plans in place to reduce/mitigate shortfalls;

·         Approve the non-delegated virements which have occurred since 1st April 2019;

·         Recommend to Council that the Capital Budget 2019-2024 is revised to £753.444m

Councillor Lowry introduced the Capital and Revenue Monitoring Report 2019/20 for Quarter One.

Following a short discussion, Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note the current revenue monitoring position and action plans in place to reduce/mitigate shortfalls;

·         Approve the non-delegated virements which have occurred since 1st April 2019;

·         Recommend to Council that the Capital Budget 2019-2024 is revised to £753.444m

The Leader, Councillor Evans OBE introduced the item on the Annual Report for 2018/19.

Cabinet received a presentation on the new format digital annual report for Plymouth City Council – this covers the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. Based on our Corporate Plan, the report sets out how we can achieve our mission of “making Plymouth a fairer city, where everyone does their bit”.

The report has been fully revised, taking a new, modern approach. It is therefore a fully digital experience and will act as a gateway to access further information on the Council’s website.

Cabinet agreed to endorse the approach of a digital annual report.

Councillor Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education, Transformation and Skills introduced the report.

Following a short debate, Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note the progress of the programme and consider its benefits to the city-wide learning offer for young people aged 14+. The programme adds value to existing plans and strategies (Plan for Education, Plan for Employment and Skills, and STEM plan) as a vehicle for a wider, more connected learning offer across the city.

·         Use of the ‘Cities of Learning’ branding and marketing to complement our existing city brands to ensure visibility and engagement.

·         Ensure the programme is fully aligned with, and complementary to, other ongoing initiatives to ensure maximum visibility and impact of the programme.

Councillor Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education, Transformation and Skills introduced the report.

Following a short debate Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note the progress of the programme and consider its benefits to the city-wide learning offer for young people aged 14+. The programme adds value to existing plans and strategies (Plan for Education, Plan for Employment and Skills, and STEM plan) as a vehicle for a wider, more connected learning offer across the city.

·         Use of the ‘Cities of Learning’ branding and marketing to complement our existing city brands to ensure visibility and engagement.

·         Ensure the programme is fully aligned with and complementary to other ongoing initiatives to ensure maximise visibility and impact of the programme.

Councillor Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education, Transformation and Skills, introduced the report.

Following a short debate, Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note positive progress made against the LGA Peer Challenge recommendations since the peer review report to Cabinet in November 2018

·         Note the work across the Council to improve customer experience as set out in Appendix 1

·         Note the Cabinet working group key outputs document

·         Agree that the Customer Experience Programme will be renamed “The Way we Work” and to support the further development and delivery of enabling projects as described in the report

Councillor Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education, Transformation and Skills, introduced the report.

Following a short debate, Cabinet agreed to:

·         Note positive progress made against the LGA Peer Challenge recommendations since the peer review report to Cabinet in November 2018

·         Note the work across the Council to improve customer experience as set out in Appendix 1 (pack pages 9-14)

·         Note the Cabinet working group key outputs document (pack pages 43-46

·         Agree that the Customer Experience Programme will be renamed “The Way we Work” and to support the further development and delivery of enabling projects as described in the report