Agenda item
Announcements
(a) To receive announcements from the Lord Mayor, Chief Executive, Service Director for Finance or Head of Legal Services;
(b) To receive announcements from the Leader, Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs.
Minutes:
The
Lord Mayor made the following announcements:-
a)
Congratulated the Plymouth Green Estate Management
Solutions Team (Gems) for winning the ‘Best Workforce
Initiative Award’ at the Association for Public Service
Excellence (APSE) Annual Charity Awards;
b)
Congratulated Plymouth Grid, a Kickstart Apprentie
Scheme the Council is in partnership with RIO and The National
Trust on, which won the ‘Promoting Diversity Inclusion
Award’ at the Kickstart
Awards;
c) Both would be recognised at the Staff Star Awards;
Councillor Mark Shayer (Acting Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Economy) made the following announcements:-
d)
Highlighted the achievements of this administration
in the municipal year 2022/23, which were significant achievements
and improvements for the city:-
i.
£21 million inward investment in sport, the
biggest investment in sport since the Life Centre;
ii.
Timeout had rated Plymouth as one of the 14 most
underrated destinations on the globe with a focus on The Box, food
and The Lido with articles in the Telegraph, Daily Mirror and Daily
Mail;
iii.
The Box had received national coverage for its
Spring Arts program;
iv.
Designation of the UK’s first Freeport and
securing the first tenant;
v.
The opening of the Smart Sound control room and 5G
Network in The Sound;
vi.
Added Manufacturing facilities in Plymouth Science
Park;
vii.
The launch of Plymouth Charter, promoting fairer and
greener businesses;
viii.
Urban Splash start work at the previous Civic
Centre;
ix.
Completion of the Melville building at Royal William
Yard;
x.
Major land deals
including a new M&S Food Hall at Derriford, Hilton Hotel on the
Hoe and the appointment of the UK’s CEO of the first National
Marine Park;
xi.
Engagement with 2.3 million people in the National
Marine Park;
xii.
Production of the master plan for Mill
Bay;
xiii. Completion of the direct development at Barrack Courts;
Councillor Pat Patel (Cabinet Member for Customer Services,
Culture, Leisure & Sport) made the
following announcements:-
e)
The King’s coronation in May 2023 would see
people across the UK and Commonwealth come together to celebrate
and Plymouth residents would be able to celebrate over the weekend
by hosting street parties, community events in parks (fees for
which will be waived) and opportunities to volunteer and special
services at St Andrew’s Church. There would also be free
public screening of the coronation and the Windsor concert on the
Barbican thanks to funding from DCMS and the UK Government,
Plymouth was one of only 35 cities to receive funding and
Eurovision would be broadcast from the same funding:
f)
There had been a £21 million investment in
Brickfields in partnership with Argyle Community Trust and
Devonport communities;
Councillor Charlotte Carlyle (Cabinet Member for Education,
Skills and Children and Young People):-
g)
15 high-calibre, experienced social works had been
recruited with four having arrived in March and the other 11 due to
arrive in April as part of overseas recruitment who will be
supported through an induction plan to help make Plymouth their
home;
h)
The Care Leavers
Covenant had been launched, designed to ensure the Council, and the
wider city, offer a wide range of experiences and opportunities to
care experienced young people, and was gathering momentum with
support from employers such as CityBus
and Princess Yachts;
i)
Procurement was about to commence for additional
special needs school places;
j)
Ofsted inspections had taken place across the city
during the year and the overall quality of education was improving
with 77% of schools in the city now ranked good or
outstanding;
k)
The number of internships for young people with
EHCP’s was due to have tripled by April 2023 to support young
people as they move into adulthood;
Councillor Jonathan Drean (Cabinet Member for Transport) made
the following announcements:-
l)
An additional £516,000 have been received from
the Department of Trade for pothole remedial work;
m)
Further trials of the velocity pothole technology
would possibly happen in the Spring and Summer, as previous trials
had been affected by bad weather;
n)
Beryl Bikes had launched the previous week and 900
journeys had been taken over 2800km cycled which averaged at 2.2.
rides per bike and 500 new users;
o)
Following public consultation on introducing charges
at various car parks around the city, plans had been altered until
more information was received;
Councillor Rebecca Smith (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Homes and Communities) gave the following announcements:-
p)
Plymouth City Council had been successful in its bid
for a Government Grant of almost £7.1million to make
significant energy improvements to social housing in Plymouth with
additional funds added in partnership with LiveWest and Plymouth Community Homes;
q)
There were over 70 warm spaces over Winter 2022/23
and a number are continuing as community places as some residents
attended due to loneliness;
r)
Plymouth City Council had committed £688,000
of grant funding from the Plan For Homes Program towards the cost
of acquiring 86 three-bedroom homes at Hillcrest Close in Plymouth
which will be acquired by Plymouth Community Homes from the current
owners meaning they will be able to be refurbished and offered back
to the community in a mixture of affordable homes to rent and some
shared ownership properties. The project will also enable families
living there to continue;
Councillor Bill Wakeham (Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene) gave the following announcements:-
s)
£50,000 had been secured for fly tipping
intervention from DEFRA, which would be used to target rear lane
offences, which made up the majority of fly tipping incidents in
Plymouth;
Councillor Dr John Mahony (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult
Social Care) made the following announcements:-
t)
Whilst the position remained pressured at Derriford
Hospotal, the number of individuals who
were ready to leave hospital, but awaiting social care within the
Plymouth City Council area, were consistently meeting the
nationally agreed targets;
u)
Domicillary
Care waiting lists had seen increases since the
COVID19 pandemic, and although the numbers remain high, they have
been steadily reducing and are close to pre COVID19 pandemic
levels;
v)
Work on the replacement of the services for respite
and day services for people with learning disabilities that had
been provided by Colwell Lodge and The Vines through a new care
facilities on the edge of Central Park, had begun;
Councillor Mrs Mary Aspinall (Chair of the Health
and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee) made the
following announcement:-
w) A motion on notice was passed at City Council in January 2023 on defibrillators that went to a meeting of the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee soon after, and the Committee had discussed the matter but wanted to seek more information and it was due to be looked at again by the Committee at its first meeting in the municipal year 2023/24.