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

a)     This was the final Cabinet meeting for Anthony Payne (Strategic Director of Place) after working for the Council for 15 years to take up new opportunities outside of Local Government. Thanks were given to Anthony and the following achievements were highlighted: overseeing the team that created The Box and The Barcode, delivering many new homes for the city, modernising the Frontline Street Services Team, regenerating the city centre, creating new communities and valuable housing across the city as well as taking the lead in a number of areas including Net Zero;

b)    Thanks were given to Giles Perritt (Assistant Chief Executive) for his 24 years of service to the Council after his decision to retire. His achievements included leading the Elections team, the Communications team, Civil Protection, Legal and Democratic Services;

c)     The National Marine Park (NMP) summer programme was launched and provided over 900 free sessions at Tinside Lido, and Mount Wise pools, including the Swim Safe Programme, trials in scuba diving and snorkelling, lifeguarding and aqua-fit;

d)    There was a four-day Marine Citizenship Activity Programme at the Mount Batton Water Sports Centre for learning all about local wildlife and the importance of our coastline;

e)     Plymouth’s Laureate of Words, Rosemarie Corlett, was inviting people to The Box to join her in her Letters to the Ocean where members of the public could pen heartfelt messages to the sea;

f)      There were volunteer activities such as coastal clean-ups and citizen science events throughout the summer;

g)     The Council had appointed Esther Pearson as the new CEO of the Mount Batten Centre;

h)    Over the past five years, a new vision for the Mount Batten Centre had been developed, with £5 million of Lottery Funding being secured;

i)      The Mount Batten Centre would not only be a gateway for the NMP but also a major drive of inclusion and community engagement, and a centre for international events such as the Cadet World Championships;

j)      The Council had been working closely with the fishing industry since the closure of the fish market in May, and the industry, Plymouth Fishing and Seafood Association and market owners, Sutton Harbour, had been brought together to formally look at options to reopen the market;

k)     A feasibility study and business planning exercise would determine the type and extent of the market and the steps that would be needed to operate a market in the short term, medium term, and to consider longer term sustainability;

l)      The Box recently presented the annual review to Scrutiny and the highlights included:

i) 272,000 visitors in 23/25 which was up 10% from the previous year;

ii) 26,000 school visits and 27,000 free family workshop sessions since opening;

iii) A third of the visitors to The Box were visiting for the first time, and a quarter had not visited a museum before;

iv) The Box won the Best Devon Attraction in the Muddy Stiletto Awards and was now in the national finals;

v) The Box also won a Trip Advisor Travelers Choice Award;

vi) The current show The Time Is Always Now – Artists Reframe the Black Figure had received five star review from national art critics and included work by 22 of the UK and USA’s most important living artists including the woman who painted Michelle Obama’s portrait, and two Turner Prize winners;

m)   Congratulations were given to the Plymouth Olympians who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics.