Minutes:
“We last met as full Council on 24 June. Since then, Cabinet met on 16 July and, as always, the papers and minutes are available on the Council’s website.
Our next scheduled Cabinet meeting will take place on 17 September. As the next Forward Plan has not yet been published, I am not able to provide members with a detailed update this evening on the matters that Cabinet will be considering. Members will, of course, be able to access the Forward Plan through the Council’s website and Modern.gov as soon as it is updated.
As we move through the remainder of the year, we know there will be challenging decisions ahead as we continue to manage the significant financial pressures facing local government. These challenges are being felt across the country, and Stockton-on-Tees is no exception.
However, we are fortunate to have committed councillors and dedicated staff across the Council. By continuing to work together, I am confident we can meet those challenges while maintaining our ambition for the Borough and delivering the best possible outcomes for our residents.
There is certainly plenty to be positive about.
Last month, Stockton Waterfront welcomed its first visitors during our Armed Forces Day celebrations. This marked an important milestone in the transformation of Stockton Town Centre and the work to reconnect our High Street with the River Tees.
It was fantastic to see residents and visitors enjoying this impressive new public space. The Waterfront is a major investment in Stockton’s future, but it is also a place for our communities to enjoy, and I hope people from across the Borough will continue to make full use of it.
That success was followed by the excellent news that Stockton has been shortlisted as one of just 15 places in the running to become the UK Town of Culture 2028, from almost 400 expressions of interest.
This is a tremendous achievement and a reflection of Stockton’s cultural heritage, the ambition behind our town centre transformation, and the contribution of local communities, businesses, cultural organisations and partners. While there is still work to do in the competition ahead, we should all be proud that Stockton is receiving national recognition for its cultural offer and its future potential.
I would also like to congratulate the young people recently elected to our Youth Council and as Members of Youth Parliament, as well as recognising the excellent presentation from BMBF at Cabinet last week. It is important that young people have meaningful opportunities to influence decisions and help shape the future of the place where they live, and I look forward to seeing the contribution they make.
On the subject of national representation, England did not quite manage to go all the way in the World Cup following their semi-final defeat to Argentina. Nevertheless, they provided plenty of entertainment and gave many of us an excuse to discuss tactics, or lack of.
The end of the tournament will also come as a relief to anyone who spent the last few weeks convincing themselves that a 2am kick-off was a perfectly sensible idea before a working day.
Fortunately, there is still plenty to look forward to closer to home.
The Stockton International Riverside Festival returns from 31 July to 2 August and, for the first time, will make use of the new Waterfront alongside the town centre and riverside.
This year’s programme will feature around 100 performances from 42 companies, bringing together street theatre, dance, circus, music and art from across the UK and beyond. As one of the country’s largest free outdoor arts festivals, SIRF remains one of the highlights of our cultural calendar and a tremendous source of pride for the Borough.
I am sure the festival will once again provide plenty of spectacle, enjoyment and, in some cases, complete bafflement as we all try to work out exactly how some of the performers manage what they do.
The Community Carnival on the Sunday afternoon remains a personal highlight for me, and I look forward to seeing the town filled with residents and visitors enjoying everything the festival has to offer.
The next meeting of Cabinet will take place on 17 September, and the next meeting of full Council will be held on 23 September.”