The Lord Mayor -

(a)

Former Councillor, Lord Mayor and Alderman Frederick Johnson

reported that Alderman Johnson had passed away, aged 99 years on 14 March 2015 after a short illness.  The Council stood in silence for one minute, as a mark of respect.

(b)

Her Majesty the Queen’s visit to Plymouth

informed the Council that he had welcomed Her Majesty the Queen to Plymouth on Friday 20 March 2015 before moving on to HMS Ocean for a reception.

(c)

City Council Elections

thanked the Council, particularly Councillors Mrs Nelder, John Smith and Stark who would be standing down in May 2015.

(d)

Councillor Achievement Awards

congratulated the Leader on his prestigious award of the Leader of the Year which was part of the 2015 Councillor Achievement Awards.

(e)

Sustainable Food Cities Bronze Award

presented Darin Halifax, Cities of Service Chief Service Officer, with the Sustainable Food Cities Bronze Award on behalf of the Food Plymouth Partnership.

(f)

iESE Innovation Award (Bronze)

presented Jenny Coles, Low Carbon Officer, with the iESE Innovation Award (Bronze) for the proactive support in the establishment and ongoing development of Plymouth Energy Community and PEC Renewables.

(g)

iESE Working Together Award (Silver)

presented Gareth Hart, chair of the Plymouth Social Enterprise Network, with the iESE Working Together Award (Silver).

(h)

Regional School Chef of the Year

presented Sharon Cundell, Kitchen Manager of St Edwards Church of England Primary School with the award for Regional Chef of the Year.

(i)

Apprenticeships 4 England Award 2015

presented Ken Holder, Senior Apprentice Co-ordinator, Ricky Souch, Apprentice Co-ordinator and Jacob Ellis, Apprentice with the Large Employer of the Year Award which had been given at the Apprenticeships 4 England award 2015.

The Leader –

(j)

Inward Investment

informed the Council that a suite of marketing publications had been produced over the last 12 months as well as attending various events in order to promote Plymouth. The work had been successful in creating links, lines of communication and new jobs.

(k)

Train Announcement

informed the Council that the Secretary of State for Transport had announced extra electric and diesel trains for the south west to increase capacity and provide faster links. A final decision on new trains for the area would be made in June 2015.

(l)

Plymouth Airport

commented on the announcement in the budget by George Osborne (Chancellor of the Exchequer) that there would be a study into whether an airport in Plymouth was viable.  A study had already taken place which had resulted in the land at the airport being protected until 2031.  The Leader appealed to the Chancellor for funding to get the airport up and running.

(m)

Enterprise Zone

advised the Council that South Yard had been announced as an Enterprise Zone which allowed money raised in the yard to be reinvested in the yard and would provide many benefits which would assist the City’s objective for growth.

The Leader thanked all officers and partners for the hard work which had resulted in the successful designation of the area as an Enterprise Zone.

(n)

Cruise Liner Terminal

announced that Associated British Ports supported by the Waterfront Partnership and the Chamber of Commerce would be supporting the Council with £10,000 towards an economic impact study into a cruise liner terminal in the City.

(o)

Construction Apprentice of the Year Award

informed the Council that he had announced the launch of the ‘construction apprentice of the year’ award at a recent Building Plymouth conference and that the family of Alderman Ron Simmonds had agreed to have the trophy named after him.

The Deputy Leader –

(p)

Natural England Higher Stewardship Scheme

announced that Mount Edgcumbe had been accepted onto the Higher Stewardship Scheme which was a land management project that provided capital and revenue funding to restore landscapes of historic value.  Work would now be undertaken to identify the actions required.

(q)

Civic Delegation to Boston

informed the Council that he had led a Civic delegation to Boston and Washington to discuss future celebrations of Mayflower 400 and build lines of communications.  The delegation had attended many valuable meetings during the visit.

Councillor Vincent

(r)

Public Toilet Improvements

announced that further investment had been approved for toilets at Richmond Walk and Devil’s Point which would be refurbished.  The remaining toilets across the Hoe would be refurbished as part of an ongoing programme.

(s)

Growing Plymouth Pledge

announced that under the ‘Growing Plymouth’ pledge, two abandoned allotment sites at Lower Swarthmore in Central Park and land at the back of Channel Park in Efford would be improved to allow the use of another 50 sites for people to grow fruit, vegetables and enjoy gentle exercise. 

Councillor McDonald -

(t)

School Improvement

informed the Council that investments in schools had resulted in an extra 348 places across the city. Two new schools were also being built for St Matthews Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy in Derriford and Knowle Primary School in Honicknowle.   Agreement had also been obtained for funding to expand a further four schools.

Councillor  Tuffin –

(u)

Integration of health and Wellbeing Services

informed the Council that on 10 March 2015, Cabinet approved plans to integrate Health and Wellbeing Services across Plymouth. The plans would radically transform the way health and social care services were planned, purchased and delivered, improving experiences and delivering better value for money. The system was ground breaking delivering one integrated system with one budget and had not been undertaken anywhere else in the country.

Councillor Penberthy -

(v)

highlighted the work that had been ongoing in partnership with Plymouth Energy Community to provide solid wall insulation across the PL5 area He reported that over the last six months, 14,000 properties in this postcode had been targeted with grant offers and that Plymouth was one of the leading cities in terms of delivery of solid wall insulation.

Councillor Murphy -

(w)

Plymouth Armed Forces Covenant

updated the Council on the Plymouth Armed Forces Covenant.  Since signing the covenant on National Armed Forces Day in 2012 much progress had been made to enhance the relationship between the civilian and military residents with particular success with activities for young people.