6 September 2024

A busy week began with the Cabinet pre-agenda meeting ahead of the full meeting next Thursday. The agenda included updates on the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2024 to 2025 Quarter 1, the consultation relating to Enhanced Mainstream Schools, and the Stockton-on-Tees Youth Justice Plan. There was also an update on the innovative Central Stockton and North Thornaby Blueprint, which you can read more about here.

On Tuesday I joined a meeting to discuss the upcoming Council Plan. I then attended a briefing for Cabinet alongside Mike Greene, Chief Executive, Councillor Lisa Evans, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, and other Cabinet members.

In the afternoon, I met with Councillor Steve Nelson, Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, and Ged Morton, Director of Corporate Services, to discuss the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) Scrutiny Report. I then attended a drop-in session held by the Strategic Waste Management Team about waste and recycling.

Midweek, I welcomed Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, Chair of NHS North East and North Cumbria, and Samantha Allen, Chief Executive of NHS North East and North Cumbria, on their visit to the Council. They visited due to the brilliant work being undertaken to transform Teesdale Business Park and the Marshalling Yards into the Tees Valley Care and Health Innovation Zone (TVCHIZ), and I was pleased to share with them how we are addressing health inequalities by creating a modern health centre for our residents. You can learn more about TVCHIZ here.

Later in the day, I attended an engagement session about kinship care, a form of care where a child is raised by a friend or family member who is not a birth parent. The Department for Education published the first national Kinship Care Strategy last year, so this session was helpful to stay updated regarding children's social care.

Yesterday, I attended the Councillors' Briefing Day held by the Local Government Association (LGA). The day brought together Councillors from local authorities across the UK to discuss topics including community cohesion, housing and planning, and political governance. Such events are a useful way to learn and share how different authorities address key issues.

Today, I am attending an LGA meeting for the National Employer groups.

This weekend I'll be relaxing with my family. Middlesbrough got the win against Cardiff last weekend which puts us in a good position before the international break. England play Ireland on Saturday and Finland on Tuesday for the start of the Nations League - two games we will hope to win under interim boss Lee Carsley. It'll be the team's first match under their new management and I'm keen to see how they perform.