3 November 2023

The week began with an informal meeting with members of Cabinet and the Corporate Management Team in preparation for a Members' Briefing Session the following day.

On Tuesday I attended a briefing with Shona Duncan, Head of Business Solutions at the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA). It was a good opportunity to go over the latest updates across the sector.

Mid-week I joined a pre-meeting to discuss the papers and agenda set for the Tees Valley Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) meeting to be held later this month. I also had a catch-up with Ged Morton, Director of Corporate Services. Our regular catch-ups are always useful to keep updated on areas such as the Council's Democratic Services, and Policy, Development and Public Affairs.

Yesterday morning I had a catch-up with Siobhan McArdle, Chair of the Tees Valley Business Board, to discuss work in the Borough relating to employment and skills. Our Employment and Training Hub recently celebrated getting 500 people into paid employment - a fantastic achievement.

In the afternoon I attended a Local Government Association (LGA) training session about local government finance. It was a good opportunity to refresh myself on responsibilities like stewardship and fiduciary responsibility.

Today I have a quieter day which will allow me to catch up with important paperwork.

I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with my family this weekend. Middlesbrough suffered their first loss in 8 league games last weekend, but bounced back with a thrilling 3-2 win over Exeter in an EFL cup tie mid-week. This weekend we play Plymouth away from home, and I'm hoping we can take the full three points to keep our promotion push on track.