Leader's blog

Friday 7 February 2025

A busy week began with a training session about conflict of interest for members of the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA). It's important for myself and other members from all five councils in the area to keep as up to date as possible on the latest training and guidance.

In the afternoon, I caught up on the agenda items for the forthcoming Cabinet.

Midweek, I met with senior colleagues across the Borough for the Education, Employment and Skills Advisory Group (EESAG), for which I am Chair. The agenda included the Forward Plan looking at skills across the whole region and the role of EESAG, an update on Adult Skills Procurement 2025 to 2026, and a Connect to Work update.

Later in the day, I attended a portfolio briefing from Garry Cummings, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance, Transformation and Performance, for an update on his Council areas.

Yesterday, Mike Greene, Chief Executive, and I welcomed Siobhan McArdle, Chair of the Tees Valley Business Board, to Dunedin House for a catch-up.

In the afternoon, I met with Neil Mitchell, Head of Environment, Leisure and Green Infrastructure, to discuss tennis provision in our Borough. I then met with Cabinet members for an informal catch-up.

Today is a quieter day, affording me some time to catch up with paperwork and other items.

This weekend I'll be relaxing and enjoying some time with my family. Middlesbrough suffered a bitter defeat at the Riverside against local rivals Sunderland, who beat us 3-2 in the dying minutes of the game. We have a bit of time now to regroup before we're back in action against Sheffield on Wednesday. Sheffield will be the favourites to win, but the Boro often snatch victory from the jaws of defeat after suffering a loss, and recovering 3 points would be a huge boost to the team, especially away from home.