Plymouth hosts local government chairman

Plymouth has been rolling out the welcome mat to the man who is the national voice of local government.

The Chairman of the Local Government Association, Sir Merrick Cockell is in the city on Friday (11 October) to hear about the Council’s ambitious plans for the city and how it is taking a co-operative approach to transforming services.

Sir Merrick met with Plymouth City Council Leader, Councillor Tudor Evans and Chief Executive Tracey Lee, as well as representatives from other Devon councils.

Councillor Evans said: “I’m delighted to welcome Sir Merrick to Plymouth so he can see some of the fantastic work that’s going on here. The LGA plays an important role in supporting and promoting councils and lobbying the Government. We believe we have a lot to show off and inviting key people to the city is vital to ensure we continue to raise Plymouth’s profile on the national stage and making sure the city’s voice is heard.

“We are a growing city with big ambitions, we have a huge transformation agenda and we are keen to share our achievements with local authorities around the country. We discussed how we work as a brilliant co-operative Council to serve the city and what our plans are for the future.”

Sir Merrick was shown around Windsor House where the Council’s social care teams and health teams (NEW Devon CCG) are now working together. The future of health and social care services is integration and Plymouth is at the forefront of work to find innovative ways to deliver improved services together.

North Prospect was next on the city tour to show Sir Merrick one of the regeneration projects that is reshaping the city and how Plymouth is tackling the housing challenges it faces. This was followed by a visit to Princess Yachts, an important local employer.

Councillor Evans added: “We are committed to a huge growth agenda, creating jobs and building more houses but we are facing some huge challenges. Sir Merrick and the LGA are well aware of the issues councils face and this was a good opportunity to show the action we are taking here in Plymouth, working with our partners across the city to transform our services and boost economic growth.”