(a)       To receive announcements from the Lord Mayor, Chief Executive, Service Director for Finance or Monitoring Officer;

 

(b)      To receive announcements from the Leader, Cabinet Members or Committee Chairs.

Councillor Ms Watkin (Lord Mayor) made the following announcement:

 

a)    The city’s annual civic ceremony would be held on 27 January 2026 in remembrance of the holocaust and all subsequent genocides. The ceremony would pay particular tribute to the Holodomor in Ukraine, recognising the suffering endured during that tragedy. The commemoration would feature a moving performance from the choir and will focus on the theme of bridging generations, reflecting on how the stories and lessons of the past must be carried forward by each new generation.  

 

Councillor Ms Watkin (Lord Mayor) presented the following awards:

 

b)    Best regeneration project at the Inside Housing Awards was awarded to Neil Mawson (Housing Delivery Manager), Andrew Lawrie and Nick Jackson. The award was given for the work on almost 800 damp and aging homes which were demolished in North Prospect and replaced by more than 1,100 high quality, energy efficient brand new homes. The homes offered a wide variety of house types, sizes and tenures to completely revitalise the community in partnership with Plymouth Community Homes;

 

c)    Plymouth’s crematorium had won building of the year at Devon and Cornwall’s Building Forum, recognising the high quality experience for bereaving families in a beautiful, natural setting. The award was given to Graham Smith (Head of Bereavement, Registrations and Coroners Services);

 

d)    Stirling House had won the best development under 50 homes award at the RTPI awards. Stirling house was a veterans self-build project, a Plan for Homes development of 25 high quality affordable homes (for social rent), including a number of self-build properties for service veterans at risk of homelessness. Delivered in partnership between the Council and Livewest, the project stands out for its collaborative planning and strong partnerships which had produced resilient outcomes that benefited both people and nature, with clear evidence of social capital returned to the economy. Simon Osbourne (Planning Officer) and Neil Mawson (Housing Delivery Manager) received the award;

 

e)    Transport Operation and Vehicle maintenance won best performance at the APSE awards, recognising the team’s outstanding commitment to service improvement and operational excellence from maintaining our vehicle fleet to implementing better systems and processes that keep the council’s services running smoothly. Martin Hoar(Fleet Services Manager), Ali Grant(Fleet Compliance and Policy Manager) and Simon Tongue(Fleet and Data Performance Officer) received the award.

 

The following announcements were made by Cabinet members:

 

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

 

f)     Expressed heartfelt thanks to all those who had sent messages of support and well wishes during his recent ill health. Particular thanks was given to the Cabinet, who had stepped in and ensured stability during his absence;

 

g)    Paid tribute to Councillor Sue Dann following her stepping back from her role as Cabinet Member for Customer Experience, Sport, Leisure, and HR & OD on 01 January 2026. Councillor Dann had served the city for more than two decades, during which she had led on Human Resources, Economic Development, Transport, Street Scene and Environment, and most recently Customer Experience and Leisure. Councillor Dann’s leadership had left a lasting legacy, including:

 

                         i.        The safeguarding of Mount Wise Pools;

                       ii.        Delivery of thousands of activity sessions for children through the Fit and Fed programmes;

                      iii.        Championed digital transformation to improve services.

 

The Leader emphasised that Councillor Dann had always put Plymouth’s people first, demonstrating dedication, vision and compassion throughout her service;

 

h)    Welcomed Councillor Taylor back to the Cabinet, who would be taking on the responsibilities previously held by Councillor Dann. Councillor Taylor would bring significant experience, having served as Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care and played a pivotal leadership role during the COVID?19 pandemic. Councillor Taylor’s proven leadership and commitment to the city would be invaluable as she undertook her cabinet position responsibilities;

 

i)     The annual budget scrutiny panel had taken place and the forthcoming year’s budget was a challenging budget. Plymouth, along with other councils nationally remained under pressure as demand for services continued to rise. The administration’s ambition remained clear that the city must grow and was essential to creating jobs, raising skills, increasing wages, improving housing, expanding opportunities, lifting people out of poverty, improving health, and reducing long?term pressure on services;

 

j)     The budget proposed to:

                     i.         drive economic growth;

                    ii.        ensure Plymouth’s voice was heard nationally;

                   iii.         secure unprecedented levels of investment;

                   iv.         create sustainable income;

                    v.        raise living standards;

                   vi.         reduce long?term demand on services;

 

k)    Highlighted major achievements secured over the previous year, including:

                     i.         A £4.5 billion Defence Deal and a 50?year pipeline for Team Plymouth;

                    ii.        National recognition as the UK centre for Marine Autonomy;

                   iii.         Helsing selecting Plymouth for its UK manufacturing HQ;

                   iv.         Significant new investment commitments from Babcock;

                    v.        A £1 billion city centre investment pipeline through partnership with Homes England, alongside £33.5 million in grants for Bath Street and the Civic Centre;

                   vi.         A new college campus for blue?green skills;

                  vii.        £3.5 billion investment around Derriford;

                 viii.         Strong performance in the City of Culture bid;

                   ix.         Major progress on Local Government Reorganisation proposals;

 

l)     Key milestones delivered in 2025 included:

                       i.       Completion of the £23 million Millbay Port Facilities;

                      ii.       Ongoing work on the £9 million Millbay Shore Power project;

                     iii.       Topping out of the £32.5 million Community Diagnostics Hub;

                     iv.       Approval of CDC2’s outline business case;

                      v.       Completion of the £19 million Derriford District Centre;

                     vi.       £73 million of Freeport investment.

                   vii.       £15 million in direct development at Beaumont Way and Oceansgate;

                  viii.       Major National Marine Park regeneration at Tinside and the Mount Batten Centre; completion of Phase 1 of the £22 million Foulston Park scheme;

                    ix.       Completion of the £100 million Civic Centre strip?out with planning submitted;

 

m)  Major works scheduled for 2026, included Bath Street, Mount Edgcumbe Garden Battery, Civic Centre development, Derriford Hospital projects, new Homes England housing sites, Babcock enhancements, and completion of Foulston Park, the Community Diagnostics Centre, the Mountbatten Centre and the Embankment Road leisure scheme;

 

n)    Income diversification remained a key priority to ensure that the Council was not reliant solely on council tax and business rates. The Economic Development team would generate more than £30 million in 2026 which represented an increase of £21 million annually since 2016;

 

o)    The Economic Development team was delivering £225 million in external grants;

 

p)    Plymouth’s regional and national voice was strengthening as government was listening with real investment and action;

 

q)    Described Plymouth’s position as a once in a generation opportunity, emphasising that the city had spent fifteen years building the foundations for growth;

 

r)    Thanked Council staff and wider partners for their exceptional work during the major incident in Millbay, known as Operation Fengate. The council had considerable experience in responding to complex and fast?moving incidents, and that with each response it became more coordinated, more confident and more effective. It was stressed that despite the positives, it should never diminish the fact that such incidents were challenging, unpredictable and stressful for both residents and those supporting them.

 

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

 

s)     Storms Guretti and Ingrid had caused severe and destructive weather conditions across the South West which had included significant impacts within Plymouth. Experts had been evaluating the damage sustained in Plymouth and assessments included the Council House, West Pier and Tinside. Critical repairs had already been done and other works would be undertaken to remedy damage based on expert advice received.

 

Councillor Taylor (Cabinet Member for Customer Experience, Sport, Leisure and HR and OD) announced the following:

 

t)     Commended the staff of Plymouth Active Leisure who had responded to two major medical incidents at the Life Centre within a month of each other. Paramedics attending both incidents had contacted Plymouth Active Leisure directly to praise the professionalism, rapid response, and decisive actions of the staff involved. The attending Operations Commander Paramedic had formally commended the team members and the quality of the training that had been delivered and effectively put into practice. During the post?incident debrief, medical professionals expressed their gratitude for the exceptionally high standard of care provided.

The Operations Commander Paramedic, himself a member of the Life Centre, had said it gave him pride and reassurance to witness such a high standard of emergency response from the local facility and concluded that the actions of the staff were a credit not only to the individuals involved but to the Plymouth Life Centre as a whole, exemplifying the highest standards of life?saving practice, teamwork, and public service.

 

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

 

u)    Foster for Plymouth had begun the new year with the launch of its fourth Mockingbird constellation. The Mockingbird programme replicated an extended?family model in which hub home carers provided practical help, emotional support, sleepovers, and a sense of community that foster carers described as ‘feeling just like family’. The programme had been transformative over the previous 12 months for children, young people, and carers, and that the service was delighted to continue expanding it;

 

v)    Plymouth held its third annual Foster for Plymouth Summit at Dartmoor Zoo, where more than 60 foster carers had gathered for a morning of celebration, support, and shared learning within the zoo’s unique setting. Councillor Laing expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to praise Plymouth’s foster carers for the stability and love they provided to children across the city;

 

w)   Communications were being issued regarding the Council’s purchase of its first children’s home in many decades, a small home that would offer better value for money and, most importantly, an improved environment for young people through high?quality placements close to Plymouth;

 

x)    The Box had launched the Beryl Cook exhibition with 5,000 visits to The Box since 23 January 2026, including 1,750 to the exhibition itself. There was a 39% increase in retail sales, an 88% increase in kitchen and bar takings, 16,000 tickets booked and £9,000 in donations. Sculptures of Beryl Cook characters were appearing around the city;

 

y)    The Portrait of Mai would arrive in Plymouth on 14 February, believed to depict the first Polynesian person to visit Britain. The portrait would travel to New York, after Plymouth.

 

Councillor Stephens (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport) announced the following:

 

z)    Informed Members that, as ward councillors, they played an important influencing role regarding the city’s bus services. An email on 12 January by Transport officers on behalf of the Plymouth Enhanced Bus Partnership, invited Members to give feedback on bus services within their wards. The Partnership’s vision was of a thriving bus network offering services that were frequent, reliable, fast, affordable, safe and clean contributing to Plymouth’s ambition to reach net zero by 2030. Members were encouraged to complete the online survey, using both their own insight into local bus services and feedback gathered from residents over the previous 12 months;

 

aa)  Public consultation on the Manadon A38 Interchange and the Council’s response had been published on 22 December 2025, as previously committed. Councillor Stephens expressed gratitude to all stakeholders and members of the public who had responded to the survey and contributed feedback. The next phase would be to draw up a revised design and plan which would be subject to further wide?ranging consultation in the Summer 2026.