(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.

The Lord Mayor made the following announcements to Members –

a)    Announced with sadness the passing of Alderman Ted Fry, who was a Councillor for Compton Ward from 1992 to 2018, including as Deputy Lord Mayor in the 1995/96 municipal year, had passed away on 29 May 2023. The Lord Mayor added that he was highly regarded by Councillors and Officers, he would be greatly missed and that, on behalf of the Council, he sent his heartfelt condolences to his family. A minutes silence was then held in his memory;

b)    The Plymouth and South Devon Joint Local Plan had won an awarded for the innovative use of digital technology in the ‘My Place, My Views’ consultation at the Planning Awards 2023;

c)    Platinum Parkway, also known as the Forder Valley Link Road, was named the transformation project of the year in the 2023 Chartered Institute of Highways Transportation South West Regional Awards; Sarah McVeigh accepted the award on behalf of the Strategic Transport Team;

d)    Plymouth City Council had worked with RIO and The National Trust on an innovative Plymouth Apprenticeship Scheme, which received recognition at the National Kickstart Awards for proting diversity and inclusion; Chris Avent accepted the reward on behalf of the Plymouth National Grid Apprenticeship Scheme.

The Leader gave the following announcements:

e)    In relation to the Armada Way project:

                      i.        The Leader had overturned the original decision in May 2023 and the original scheme would not be implemented;

                     ii.        The administration has listened to businesses and stakeholders views and concerns and had installed several temporary benches, pushed back fencing to make access to shops better and had created a pathway through close to Oggy Oggy Pasty Shop;

                    iii.        His Cabinet were working with officers on proposals for a new scheme, that would incorporate previous feedback and would consider the existing trees and biodiversity and would include more seating and larger plays for play and enjoyment;

                    iv.        The Council would work with independent external engagement specialists to ensure the people of Plymouth had the opportunity to express their views;

                     v.        The legal injunctions and nesting birds were making it difficult for the clean up to take place, but tree stumps would be removed within two weeks, which would allow some fencing to be pushed back further;

                    vi.        The claimant had been asked to withdraw their legal action the week before, which they agreed to with conditions, which in the opinion of the Council were above and beyond what the court would request itself and despite the Council’s efforts to be reasonable and flexible, an agreement could not be reached and so the court has been asked directly to consider the application to withdraw the JR and injunction;

f)     A £25m investment had been secured for Colin Campbell Court;

g)    The Leader had signed an executive decision to approve a £19m investment in the next phase of the Derriford District Centre from the Property Regeneration Fund and Devon Contractors would be starting work imminently to provide a heart for the North of the City and the Council would derive long term income from the investment;

h)    PWC Good Growth Report had ranked Plymouth’s economy at 5^th highest in the UK for Good Growth with particularly strong performances in income distribution, work-life balance and transport, as well as ranking Plymouth 1^st for most improved city with the highest overall change in the Good Growth score from 2022-2023;

i)     The NMP’s (National Marine Park) capital projects had been funded by the Heritage Lottery and were being submitted to planning, with the projects focusing on what people had told the Council they wanted to see;

j)     The Leader was pleased to have attended his first Freeport Meeting and expressed his excitement that the Freeport would be used to incentivise more green and marine-based companies to be in Plymouth and the Leader had brought up the need to push for improvements to the National Grid across the peninsula which would be key to decarbonisation.

Councillor Jemima Laing (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Culture, Events and Communications) gave the following announcements:

k)    The first four family hubs had opened in Plymouth in a new approach which aimed to give families and their children the very best start in life;

l)     The Box had reached its 500,000^th visitor;

m)  The Box’s Summer Programme – ‘Summer of Colour and Light’ had been announced and would be opened on 24 June 2023 by the President of the Royal Academy, Rebecca Salter, and would include the following three shows:

                      i.        Reframing Reynolds: A Celebration - The 300th anniversary of Joshua Reynolds, who founded the Royal Academy, and the only national show celebrating the anniversary;

                     ii.        Rana Begum: Dappled Light – a 21st century Royal Academician; iii. Solomon Hart: The Execution of Lady Jane Grey - The story of Solomon Hart, which would include a picture that had been lost in the archives for 100 years by the most important 19th century Jewish artist, who was also a Royal Academician;

n)    The LGA Culture, Tourism and Sport Board would be making their first visit to Plymouth on 21 June 2023, hosted at Market Hall, TR2 and The Box to hear more about Plymouth’s cultural journey;

o)    It was Armed Forces week, a flag raising had taken place that morning, the Rehabilitation Triathlon would be taking place on 22 June 2023 at Plymouth Hoe, and Armed Forces Day would be celebrated on Plymouth Hoe on 24 June 2023 in association with Babcock with lots of interactive activities and a fly past by the red arrows.

Councillor Sally Haydon (Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Libraries, Cemeteries & Crematoria) provided the following update:

p)    Plymouth City Council had been granted just over £11,000 from the University of Plymouth Safer Streets from a Home Office bid to make changes to the environment to make it safer including:

                      i.        Taxi marshals at North Hill Taxi Rank from 2am-6am on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 15 July 2023 to 24 September 2023;

                     ii.        Improve the reformed beach on the Hoe as it had often been a hotspot for anti-social behaviour;

                    iii.        Safer Community consultation equipment.

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

q)     Plymouth City Council had committed support to UK 100 which was a network of the most ambitious local authorities in the UK on Net Zero and so Plymouth City Council’s progress against pledges would be actively monitored.