Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) made the following announcements:

a)     

The Council had won three national awards and two regional awards;

b)     

Minister Maria Eagle announced that Plymouth had been made the National Centre for marine autonomy and would place Plymouth on the world stage as the place to invest in new exciting technologies;

c)     

On 18 June 2025, Homes England CEO Eamonn Boylan and Councillor Evans OBE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formally agree a new strategic partnership to build 10,000 homes focused on regenerating Plymouth’s City Centre to make it a national exemplar of urban living for all;

d)     

On the 23 June 2025, Plymouth was set out as a national opportunity in the Government’s brand new industrial strategy scheme;

e)     

The Ministry of Defence was investing £4.4 billion pounds in the dockyard over the next 10 years, highlighting the role that Plymouth played in the UK’s defence and security. The Freeport status meant that the area would continue to benefit from His Majesty’s Governments support and incentives;

f)      

On the 30 June 2025, Babcock announced a defence dividend for Plymouth, including the following commitments: 

      i.        To locate 2,000 workers to the City Centre as part of a new global capability centre;

     ii.        A new integrated logistics hub and advanced manufacturing facility in the Freeport;

    iii.        A new centre for engineering and nuclear skills.

g)     

The National Centre of Marine Autonomy was all about jobs from entry level apprenticeships to some of the most technical and specialist roles anywhere in the world;

h)     

Plymouth had one of the largest clusters of expertise in the world with 7,100 skilled people in marine manufacturing, 21 percent of the national employment in that field;

i)      

This national recognition was attracting new investment with three large global companies talking to the council’s inward investment team since the announcement;

j)      

The Industrial Strategy would guide future government investments in Research & Development, business, and skills. And Plymouth businesses would be at the very heart of that investment;

k)     

The MOU with Homes England was about building houses, a national mission for government. Homes England had chosen Plymouth amongst a handful of priority areas to co-invest;

l)      

The Council’s new partnership would focus on the city centre and was all about accelerating housing starting with the Civic Centre then Armada Way North and then the West End;

m)   

Babcock’s had committed to a new logistics and manufacturing hub in the Freeport and was the culmination of years of hard work by the Economic Development and Freeport team. This would not only create hundreds of new jobs, but it would also support a massive supply chain of constructions workers, professional services and drivers;

n)     

Babcock had committed to a new Nuclear and Engineering skills academy which would ensure that those opportunities were accessed by kids, our adults and perhaps most importantly those not in work or able to work. This whole project was about making sure that the benefits of this unprecedented investment in the city created good growth for all our citizens.