11 April 2025

It's my first full week as Leader of the Council and I'm really enjoying the role. A lot of the last week I have been meeting people and getting briefings from various senior officers and Directors.

This week started with a pre-agenda meeting for the first Cabinet meeting of the new Cabinet next week. The meeting will cover reports from scrutiny reviews of our affordable housing offer, and the safety of our town centres, among other agenda items.

On Tuesday I met with Mike Greene, Chief Executive at the Council, for our regular catch up. This was the first of what will be many weekly catch ups.

Mid-week I was given an update on the Stockton Volunteer Driver Service from Haleem Ghafoor, Strategic Lead for A Fairer Stockton-on-Tees and Community Engagement. The volunteer driver service provides free transport for those in need to attend hospital and healthcare appointments and social activities such as lunch clubs. It's a great service which has previously been awarded with a Mayor's Civic Award.

Yesterday I met with Jane Edmends to talk about a number of community projects happening across the Borough through the Fairer Stockton-on-Tees programme.

This morning I have attended the Council's Corporate Parenting Board. At the meeting we discussed our No Limits Hub and other issues around Children in Our Care.

At the weekend I am attending a Board meeting for The Junction, a charity for which I am a Trustee. The Junction is a charity that supports children young people and families who may face additional challenges through support, advice and an excellent multi-bank which provides essential items for the people who need them most.