19 June 2026

Hello everyone, I hope you have enjoyed your week.

On Monday I sat down with Mike Greene, Chief Executive, for his annual appraisal. It was good to reflect on what he has achieved over the past year against the targets we had set. We then looked at what we want to achieve in the next period.

On Tuesday myself and Chris Renahan, Assistant Director for Inclusive Growth and Development, met with Tract, a data centre land acquisition and development company, to discuss potential opportunities in the Borough. It was a very productive meeting, and I am hopeful that they will place significant investment in the Borough.

After this, I met with Superintendent Alan O'Donoghue, District Commander for Stockton, and Councillor Norma Stephenson for an update on Cleveland Police. We also discussed issues raised by Ward Councillors.

Later in the week, I met with the Local Government Association (LGA) to talk about civility in public life, the Nolan principles, and Members Code of Contact. We discussed how this could be improved through the LGA training programme and with Political Groups.

I then headed over to the newly completed Stockton Waterfront site to attend the press preview day ahead of Armed Forces Day this weekend. Armed Forces Day will be the Borough's first event to be celebrated in the new urban park, with lots of family-friendly activities, live entertainment and interactive displays happening throughout the day. See the full programme of events and where they are taking place to plan your day.

I was absolutely blown away with the park and very proud of the work that officers and contractors have completed. The children visiting from various schools were enjoying the play areas in the sunshine and I stood and reflected on the huge journey that we have now completed. The children's faces made the difficult decisions and stress worthwhile.

I'm really excited to see families enjoying the park this weekend and for many years to come.

I then joined colleagues at the Tees Valley Combined Authority as part of the interview appointment panel for a Monitoring Officer position.

I then rushed back to the Council Chamber for Cabinet in the evening.

Today I have a couple of meetings about future events in the Borough.

Tomorrow, I will be heading over to the new Waterfront Amphitheatre to attend the Thanksgiving ceremony, with the Mayor, Councillor Bob Cook, Vice Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Michael Poole and the Chaplain Reverend Paul Neville.

Whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great weekend. I hope to bump into some of you over the weekend at some of our exciting activities.