21 November 2025
Hello everyone. I hope this week's snow hasn't caused you too much disruption. I absolutely hate the cold weather and especially driving in ice and snow, so it has been a challenging few days.
I had a quiet start to the week with a couple of meetings on Monday and Tuesday. One of the meetings was with a member of staff who wanted to tell me about their role. I always tell staff at new starter inductions that I am happy to meet for a chat, but anyone can come in to see me to discuss their role or give me your thoughts and ideas. It's always a welcome distraction in between more formal meetings.
On Wednesday, I joined our media team and Sarah Bowman-Abouna, Director of Public Health, to film content for an upcoming video that will support the Council's Health and Wellbeing Strategy. I filmed my part of the video in Splash, and it was great to see so many people in there on such a snowy day. Splash is a great facility, and I look forward to seeing plans for refurbishment in the future.
In the afternoon, I met with Mike Greene, Chief Executive, for our regular catch up. We were then joined by Paul Rowling, Deputy Leader and Clare Harper from our finance department for an update. I then attended full Council on the evening where I was delighted to see Clare's new role confirmed as Chief Financial Officer.
There were two items on the Council agenda that I wanted to mention.
The first was the Anti Racism Charter. I want to place on record my thanks to all of the people that have worked hard to produce this. It is important that we have a workplace that is fair, inclusive and respectful and as a Council, we are committed to tackling racism and actively challenging it. It was great to see so many colleagues, members of the Race Equality Network and Trade Union Representatives at the meeting.
The second was the signing of the Corporate Parenting Pledge where members reaffirmed their commitment to the pledge. The pledge named 'Our Promise to you' reinforces our promise to place the needs, safety and aspirations of our looked after children and care leavers at the heart of all we do. I'm very passionate about these young people and it is the most vital role that elected members and officers undertake.
Yesterday I started the day catching up on emails and case work before having the pleasure of attending not one but two awards ceremonies.
The first was the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Annual Colleague Awards at Preston Park Museum. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the hard work and dedication of colleagues across the Council. I can honestly say that being part of the judging process was really challenging, as there were so many worthy winners. Our colleagues are our most treasured assets. The commitment, passion and dedication shown to serve the residents of our Borough is inspirational and I was honoured to be there and celebrate their achievements.
The second was the Care Leavers Awards ceremony held at the River Tees Water Sports Centre. As part of National Care Leavers month in November, we held a ceremony to mark the many achievements of our care experienced young people. To say the night was inspirational is a huge understatement. It was an opportunity to celebrate courage, resilience and hope. The young people have faced many challenges in their lives but the strength and determination that they have shown to succeed is amazing.
I will admit to shedding a tear or two hearing their stories. The tears weren't due to sadness; they were due to being incredibly proud of these amazing young people. They truly are role models to all of us, and I was delighted to be there.
A huge thank you also goes out to their carers, social workers, mentors and personal assistants along with partners and colleagues who have stood alongside these inspirational young people.
Today I headed to The Bread-and-Butter Thing (TBBT) at Newtown Community Resource Centre for a day of volunteering. TBBT offers high-quality, low-cost food to everyone in Stockton-on-Tees. Many of our organisations are a vital lifeline to our residents and rely on volunteers to help them operate. I know that many of them struggle to recruit volunteers, so I have committed to help out, but also raise awareness of how vital volunteers are across our Borough. I'm looking forward to supporting this fantastic initiative and connecting with the local community. Watch this space for my next volunteering stint next week!
This weekend I am going to try to catch up with family and friends (weather dependent!). I hope whatever you are doing, you have a great weekend.
