28 July 2023

Monday began with a meeting with Mike Greene, Chief Executive, Councillor Lisa Evans, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Martin Gray, Director of Children's Services, and Elaine Redding, Interim Director of Children's Services. Martin is handing over directorship to Elaine at the end of the month, so it was a good opportunity to discuss how we will be moving forward with the Children and Young People's Strategy under a new director.

I then met with Cabinet members to discuss the agenda in preparation for the Members' Briefing Session the following day.

Tuesday held the Members' Briefing Session. The agenda included an update from Mike Greene about future plans for our Borough, and discussion about children's social care and the improvement of inspecting local authorities children's services (ILACS).

Mid-week I attended the Council's Health and Wellbeing Board at Municipal Buildings, which I chair. I was briefed on a number of important partnerships and strategies that support the Borough's health and wellbeing strategy, including a presentation about vaping, an evaluation of the Borough's Warm Spaces, and an update on the Healthy Streets scheme.

In the evening, I joined Special Council which included nominations for the appointment of Honorary Aldermen, before attending the full Council meeting. A busy agenda included appointments to various committees, boards and joint committees, and public and members' question times.

Thursday was a quieter day which allowed me to catch up with important paperwork.

Today, I am attending the North East Regional Employers' Organisation (NEREO) Annual Meeting. NEREO supports local authorities and partner organisations in the fields of human resources, management practice and employee relations. This meeting then leads into the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO) Annual Meeting.

This weekend, I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.