28 February 2025

To start the week, I joined the other Tees Valley Leaders for our monthly meeting. These catch-ups give each of the local authority leaders the chance to discuss what's happening in our areas and are a good way to keep up to date on current events.

On Tuesday, I attended a briefing session for all councillors which included an update on our partnership with Thirteen Housing, as well as cyber security and incident response.

Midweek I chaired the Health and Wellbeing Board. The board is an official Committee of the Council that ensures healthy relationships and partnership work with all health providers. A busy agenda included discussion of the Right Care, Right Person approach in the Cleveland Police Force Area, and an update on progress and next steps for the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Strategy.

Yesterday I met with Sarah Bowman-Abouna, Director of Public Health, and other colleagues to discuss the Better Health At Work Award celebration event being held next month.

The Better Health at Work Award recognises the efforts of employers in the North East and Cumbria in addressing health issues within the workplace, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is proud to administer the award. Our event in March will celebrate 12 workplaces who have achieved certification, and I look forward to attending.

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

On Saturday, I am looking forward to see how Middlesbrough get on in their game against Derby County. Michael Carrick's side have hopefully turned a corner after their victory against Stoke City in midweek, so this is a perfect opportunity to get some momentum going and re-ignite a push for the play-offs.