Councillor Nick Kelly, the Leader of the Council highlighted the following announcements:

The San Sebastian fountain, just across from the Council House, was now back up and working. This was after many years of neglect and was the next step the administration had taken to restore civic pride in Plymouth.

The launch event of Songlines at the Box held in the presence of His Excellency the Australian High Commissioner George Brandis. The exhibition told the Story of First Nation Australians through the work of 100 Aboriginal artists. The Show was a smash hit in Australia and this was the only place in the UK when you would be able to see the show. After Plymouth it travels to Berlin and Paris.

We had many connections to Australia starting from Cooks Voyages of empire that left from Plymouth to the thousands of emigrants that left for a new life from Millbay. This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a global show of this quality and I want to remind you all that city residents are entitled to one free visit. The press coverage had been out of this world and has included BBC2, Radio 3, Radio 4, BBC World Service The FT, Guardian the IPaper and Country life to name a few.

Plymouth had been awarded over £1.2m for 2 brilliant projects – one of the biggest allocations in the UK. The National Marine park had been awarded £655k to support businesses to make the journey to net Zero. And Stonehouse Union had been awarded £542k to help bring the Millennium back to life. Well done in particular to the Councils Economy an Enterprise team who administered the process on behalf of the Government.

The Council had secured a major new inward investment from Marks and Spencer on our land on the former Seaton Barracks site. The new M&S foods store will be double the size of the existing store at 20,000ft2. Alongside M&S we have secured a new Aldi, café and gym. The scheme was now open for public consultation and we want to hear your views.  It was hoped that it will create 100 new jobs and 120 constructions jobs.

Work to revive Old Town Street and New George Street which was part of a multi-million pound investment by the Council. The dated landscaping was going and the new features were designed to make it look a lot brighter, including: Islands of greenery; a new play area; a small performance area and new tree planting. We had consulted with shop owners and traders and agreed that the bulk of the work would not get underway until after the crucial Christmas shopping period.

This year’s Remembrance Service on Plymouth Hoe would be held this coming Sunday 14 November. The service would begin with a two-minute silence at the Royal Naval Memorial at 11am. Members of the public and local organisations would be invited to pay their respects and can lay their wreaths at the end of the service.

This was one of the most important dates of the year and brings Plymouth together to commemorate the services and sacrifices of those who bravely gave their lives for us and our country. The service this year would also be streamed on our Council YouTube channel.