26 January 2024

This week began with a meeting with the other Tees Valley Leaders. These monthly catch ups follow the more general TCVA meetings and are a good opportunity to keep updated about the other councils' priorities across the Tees Valley.

In the afternoon, I was interviewed by a student as part of their National Graduate Development Programme with the Local Government Association (LGA). It is brilliant for Stockton-on-Tees Council to be chosen as part of his research into procedures for change management in elections.

On Tuesday, I had a catch up with our Chief Executive Mike Greene, the Interim Chief Executive at Middlesbrough Council Clive Heaphy, and Mayor of Middlesbrough Chris Cooke.

Mid-week I was part of the appointments panel for the new Assistant Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development.

In the afternoon, I met with Mike Greene to catch up in advance of the TVCA Cabinet meeting held on Friday. I then attended Council where a busy agenda included the Local Plan Five Year Review and Consent Street Trading Policy Review 2024.

Yesterday, I joined the Holocaust Memorial Day 2024 remembrance event in Stockton Central Library. The international event takes place each year on 27 January to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, alongside the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution and in genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. You can read more about the event here.

Today, I am attending the TVCA Cabinet meeting at Teesside International Airport. We are set to discuss the Tees Valley transport programme and the adoption of the Investment Plan, Budget for 2024 to 2025 and the Medium-Term Financial Plan, amongst other things. I will then be having my strategic catch-up meeting for Stockton-on-Tees with Mike Greene and the TVCA.

This weekend, I'm looking forward to spending time with my family. On Tuesday night Middlesbrough lost 6-1 to Chelsea in the second leg of the semi-final of the Carabao Cup. It was a disappointing result but we can be proud that the team got this far and it was fantastic to see the Boro fans singing and cheering throughout the match, regardless of the result. Hopefully we'll still get to Wembley this season via the playoffs!