11 July 2025
I started a busy week by meeting with Stacey Hunter, the Group Chief Executive Officer for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We have so many joint endeavours to improve the lives of our residents. We can only do this with partners, and it was a pleasure to meet and talk about common goals and how we can work together.
I then met with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, the Local Government Association (LGA) President and Mike Greene following last week's LGA conference. The conference had some amazing announcements that I know will make a real difference to our Borough. This was my first meeting as leader with Tanni, and we discussed our plans for Stockton, and it was great to discuss how we could work collaboratively for the Borough we are all very proud and invested in.
On Monday afternoon I attended the Cabinet pre-agenda meeting ahead of the full meeting next Thursday. We have some brilliant initiatives to be discussed and decisions to be made. I am very proud to champion these innovative schemes.
On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the Stockton Community Wellbeing Champions celebration. This special event was held to recognise and thank the incredible volunteers who generously give their time to share key health and wellbeing messages from Public Health with their friends, families, and wider communities. It was a great opportunity to celebrate their dedication and the positive difference they are making across Stockton-on-Tees.
Following that I met with the Group Leaders and Deputy Leaders for a Cabinet briefing ahead of our Cabinet meeting next Thursday.
On the afternoon I joined a pre-agenda meeting for our Health and Wellbeing Board ahead of our full meeting at the end of the month. We discussed the agenda items we want to prioritise as a Board.
I spent Wednesday morning at the Time to Listen event alongside Mike Greene. This insight-sharing session brought together professionals from the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, Stockton Borough Council officers, local residents, and partner organisations from across the Borough to reflect on community perspectives gathered during the place partnership development phase. It was a valuable opportunity to strengthen collaboration and reaffirm our shared commitment to community-led, insight-driven approaches. This will also drive my vision for what we can achieve at the Health and Wellbeing Board.
On Wednesday afternoon I joined the Junction Multibank Impact and Development Group quarterly meeting. The Junction Multibank does important work to reduce the effects of poverty by connecting businesses with local charities to share surplus goods. Learn more about the multibank at their website. I am absolutely honoured to be a Trustee at The Junction but also worked collaboratively with partners to bring the multibank to the Tees Valley and was honoured to give a speech at the opening event alongside Gordon Brown almost a year ago.
I attended the Council's corporate induction on Thursday morning to speak to our new employees. These sessions are a great opportunity to meet our new starters from all services and welcome them to the Council. Being a Stockton 'Lass' as somebody said, this is the greatest privilege to me not only being the first female Leader but knowing many faces in the room. I am undeniably a Stockton 'Lass' and will never shy away from my roots.
On Thursday afternoon, I attended a meeting of the Care and Health Innovation Zone Programme Board which I chaired. The agenda focused on key updates from across the programme, including updates from Tees Central, the Innovation Working Group, and the Skills Working Group. The only way we can achieve our ambitions in Stockton is by including and working collaboratively with our partners.
Today, I had catch ups with people and also the groundbreaking event at Stockton Riverside College for the amazing Neta facility driven by the Thornaby Town Deal Board. I would like to place on record my thanks to the focused, driven, and innovative work of this Board that will drive real change. The new, improved NETA facility will be an amazing asset to our Borough.
I'm just about to switch off but have another busy weekend. Tomorrow is one of the highlights of my year. I will board a bus on our high street to Durham where I will attend the Durham Miners Gala. This is an opportunity for me to have my annual catch up with ex colleagues from the 4 Trade Unions that I have previously worked for, and it is an event that I have attended since I was a very young girl.
On Sunday I will attend the Mayor's Sunday service.
It looks to be a glorious weekend weather wise. I hope you all have a rest and family time and finally I want to thank the Council staff. I appreciate all you do.
