Councillor Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships) provided the following update:

a)    In the June 2023 OFTED and CQC-led SEND inspection, key areas of focus involved enhancing collaboration among school and college leaders for sharing information, enabling earlier identification of children at risk of increased vulnerability and negative outcomes, and reducing the likelihood of expelling pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan;

b)    Strong partnership working with the Integrated Care Board, University Hospitals Plymouth, and Livewell colleagues facilitated the initiation of the Local Area SEND Action Plan, increasing capacity for Autistic Spectrum Condition assessments and thereby reducing waiting times;

c)    Multi-disciplinary locality work in Family Hubs had initially focused on 0-5 outcomes which involved partners working together to ensure families avoid telling their story twice;

d)    The Education Team opened the first City Attendance Conference at City College in November 2023 where the key theme was ‘belonging’;

e)    The second Skills Summit took place at the New Continental Hotel in November 2023 and focused on the creation of new and innovative placements;

f)     The Skills Launchpad supported nearly 700 young people with personalised action plans, resulting in a 74% success rate in transitioning them into employment;

g)    The number of supported internships within Plymouth had grown from nine to 44 within the past 12 months and a further 20 places would be planned for early 2024;

h)     A SENCo conference would take place in January 2024.

Councillor Coker (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport) provided the following update:

i)     The Council had agreed to bid for the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area scheme (ZEBRA 2), proposing a multi-million pound investment to introduce 50 zero-emission electric double-decker buses and the required charging infrastructure.

Councillor Dann (Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Sport, Leisure and HR & OD) provided the following updates:

j)     Plymouth Active Leisure had partnered up with City College Plymouth to aid students with work placements and opportunities;

k)    Nearly 2000 people had accessed the cost of living hub in the past 4 weeks;

l)     Communication messages would go out in the run up to Christmas including, how to manage your finances and how to avoid loan sharks as well as free things to do as a community.

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities) provided the following updates:

m)  The government had allocated a £4.5 million Household Support Fund, with £1.7 million utilised for school holiday food vouchers, £750,000 provided through Citizen’s Advice Plymouth grants for essential needs, and additional financial aid distributed via Plymouth Energy Community to alleviate fuels bills;

n)    Plymouth City Council, in partnership with Brighton Council and the LGA, co-signed a letter and provided case studies of the positive impact the Household Support Fund had to the government, aiming to prevent funding cuts post-March 2024;

o)    The coastal path at Mount Batten had been fixed; using 175 tonnes of concrete to ensure the path is secure.

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

p)    A letter had been sent to Robbie Moore MP regarding the funding formula for New Burdens Funding;

q)    A recycling engagement campaign would be launched in the lead up to Christmas 2023;

r)    Plymouth City Council received £50,000 to deliver up to six micro-forests from the King’s Coronation Living Heritage Fund;

s)     Plymouth City Council won the Sustainable Infrastructure Grand Prize and the Green Solutions Grand Prize from COP 28, giving global recognition for the work that had been done around climate change;

A video was presented regarding the Council Energy Scheme.

Cabinet agreed to submit this video the LGA and Key Cities

Councillor Laing (Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Culture, Events and Communications) provided the following updates:

t)     Sir John Akomfrah’s Arcadia launched on 29 November 2023 at the Box;

u)    The headline acts for the Live Nation Summer Sessions music festival on The Hoe had been announced to include Sir Tom Jones, Sting, Bryan Adams, Madness, Blondie, Gabrielle, Cassyette and the Lightening Seeds and would take place 13 – 16 June 2024;

v)    Plymouth had hosted the annual You Can Do It awards in September and October for children in care and care experienced young people;

w)   A Care Leaver Employment Pathway was being developed.

Councillor Aspinall (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care) provided the following updates:

x)    A letter would be sent to the Minister for Primary Care and Public Health to intervene with the closure of pharmacies and to take action against vital services being closed down.