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

a)    The launch of the fourth Mockingbird constellation, replicating an extended family model with a highly experienced hub home carer supporting eight fostering/kinship households, improving resilience and outcomes;

                      i.        The transformative impact of Mockingbird over the last 12 months and its contribution to stabilising placement costs by growing in?city foster care;

                     ii.        The value of Mockingbird was reiterated as a key enabler for foster carer recruitment and retention, complementing an active “Foster for Plymouth” campaign;

                    iii.        The small?home residential model was designed to support step?down to family settings where possible, keeping children close to communities and services in Plymouth;

b)    Acquisition of the Council’s first council?owned, council?run children’s home for decades; a small family home model that would receive minor improvements, provide better value for money, recruit staff, register with Ofsted, and open in summer 2026;

c)    The inaugural kinship Christmas party, generously sponsored by Wales & West Utilities, with 19 kinship families (25 carers; 34 children) attending; the donation also enabled ongoing social activities, including a new kinship youth group at Poole Farm;

d)    Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy exhibition at The Box was opening 24 January 2026; extensive national coverage; free but ticketed entry, with a call for residents to book.

Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Co-operative Development and Communities) highlighted:

e)    North Prospect had won Best Regeneration Project of over 500 homes at the Inside Housing Awards, with judges praising long?term community engagement, partnership delivery and tangible impacts on safety, education and wellbeing, reflecting the strong partnership working of Plymuth City Council (PCC) and Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) over many years;

f)     Stirling House, a veterans’ self?build project, a Plan for Homes project with LiveWest had won Best Development (Less than 50 homes) at the RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute) Awards, recognised for collaborative planning, resilience, benefits to people and nature, and social capital;

g)    The continuing role of Plan for Homes in convening partners and deploying gap funding to maximise delivery of high?quality, affordable homes that met diverse needs;

h)    Expressed thanks to all involved in these projects.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) gave the following updates in Councillors Stephens’ (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport) absence:

i)     The Royal Parade bus improvement scheme was near completion;

                      i.        Overnight closures in January–February 2026 for resurfacing with diversions via Western Approach and Coburg Street;

                     ii.        Courtney Street car park to remain open but motorists might experience delays—drivers were advised to consider parking elsewhere during works;

                    iii.        Project was running to schedule and to budget;

                    iv.        Full re-opening, including bus stops, was expected on Monday 23 February 2026;

                     v.        Safety and accessibility improvements were central to the design;

                    vi.        An official opening was discussed, subject to schedules and weather conditions;

                  vii.        The scheme was contextualised within the wider city?centre improvements (e.g. The Civic, Armada Way), with a further update to follow at the next meeting.