(a)

she took this opportunity to thank everyone who took part in Lord Mayor’s Day and the Gala Dinner;

(b)

it was an honour to light the beacon on the citadel wall as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and attending a variety of different events across the city meeting with approximately 2,500 people over 4 days;

(c)

there have been a number of commemorative events for Falkland Veterans, which have all been very well received;

(d)

she took this opportunity to congratulate Alison Botham for her 30 years in Children’s Social Care and thanked her for her work with Plymouth City Council, and wished her well in her retirement;

(e)

she welcomed Sharon Muldoon who has joined the Council as the Director of Children’s Services;

(f)

the honours list has been announced as part of the Platinum Jubilee including Jane Jones MBE, Alexis Bowater OBE, Charlotte Murray BEM and Lieutenant Commander Carol Rashleigh BEM. The Lord Mayor congratulated all.

Councillor Bingley (Leader of the Council) made the following announcements to Council –

(g)

asked that there is a new online hub with signposting to support for the rising cost of living which can be found at www.plymouth.gov.uk/costofliving The services listed will be promoted on Council social media pages;

(h)

the statutory designated tax dates for Plymouth’s Freeport are to go before Parliament shortly;

(i)

asked for a port strategy for Plymouth’s coastline to be put in place by the end of 2022 to create the opportunity for more joined up working in applying for funding and creating jobs in Plymouth’s ocean economy;

(j)

congratulated Professor Paul Fieldsend-Danks and his team on Plymouth College of Art being awarded University status. Bringing Plymouth to now have a total of 3 universities;

(k)

acknowledged that planning has been passed for NHS Devon and Plymouth City Council to develop a health and wellbeing centre in the West End;

(l)

congratulated St Matthews Primary School, Knowle Primary School and Lipson Co-operative Academy for comments made about their schools by Ofsted in recent visits, and Plymouth’s adult education service has improved from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’. Plans will soon be published by Cabinet to improve Ofsted performances;

Councillor Shayer (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Economy) made the following announcements to Council –

(m)

the Mayflower Autonomous Ship arrived in North America on 5 June 2022. Councillor Shayer paid tribute to Brett Phaneuf, his team, IBM and others involved for the success of the project which was a technological first;

(n)

Plymouth was to hold a conference on 21 June 2022 hosted by the Inclusive Growth Group of Plymouth Growth Board – Inclusive 2040, which will explore the current and emerging pressures on key sectors within the city and use existing data to look at where radical approaches are needed to more towards a more inclusive city for 2040;

(o)

two ministerial visits had been hosted in the previous two weeks, firstly the Secretary of State for International Trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan and the Minister of Employment, Mims Davies;

(p)

Plymouth City Council has put in place a series of Freeport support contracts to help firms after the difficulties they have faced through the COVID19 pandemic and has given entrepreneurs the support they need to set up new businesses or to re-launch.

Councillor Drean (Cabinet Member for Transport) made the following announcement to Council –

(q)

progress has been made on the EV charging programme, and a successful levelling up bid will mean that by December 2024 there will be 715 EV charger sites in Plymouth;

Councillor Wakeham (Cabinet Member for Environment & Street Scene) made the following announcements to Council –

(r)

thanked the staff in Environment & Street Scene for the hard work they have been doing. A consultants report from January 2022 states that “we have been impressed with the look and feel of the city, which has been clean and tidy, with a real sense of being cared for. The Council is already getting the basics right in many areas that are challenging and should feel self-confident about its delivery”;

(s)

The cleansing team are particularly busy at this time of year as it is growing season and there are also many events taking place in Plymouth to prepare for and tidy up for afterwards. 60 students and other volunteers supported the clean-up following the Jubilee Weekend events;

(t)

there is an increase in weeds, due in part to climate change, and there are limited options for removal as well as the Council and the main contractor experiencing staff shortages. Several measures are being undertaken to try and improve the situation;

(u)

2022 is the second summer of the revised grass cutting schedule and whilst there is some resistance to this programme, a number of positive messages have been received from residents too;

Councillor Stoneman (Cabinet Member for Climate Change) made the following announcements to Council –

(v)

paid tribute to Councillor Bridgeman and Councillor Dann for their work on the climate change action plans;

(w)

the climate ambassador scheme was launched in October 2021 and the recruitment program to deliver the 2022 commitment to launch the program across the city will be published on Plymouth City Council’s website shortly. In addition Climate advisors, drawn from a wide range of sectors and partners will help drive strategic climate interventions;

(x)

he has authorised the immediate publication of the external Exeter University report on Plymouth’s progress with climate emission reductions, which shows that good progress has been made but more is needed to achieve zero emissions by 2030;

Councillor Patel (Cabinet Member for Customer Services. Culture, Leisure & Sport) made the following announcement to Council –

(y)

Sail GP was a successful event with an expected increase in income generated from the event and in a partnership between Sail GP and Peck, four community groups are going to be provided with solar panels, and the Sail GP legacy program is working to provide sailing opportunities and qualifications for young people.

Councillor Dr Mahony (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care and Planning) made the following announcements to Council –

(z)

a report on the William and Patricia Venton short-term care centre and another on the workforce recruitment and retention fund will be emailed out to all Councillors due to limited time on announcements;

(aa)

paid tribute to the 5000 care staff in Plymouth who have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID19 pandemic and continue to do so moving forward.