Plymouth City Council met to discuss highway maintenance, tree preservation orders, asylum hotels, support for children, flags, and the capital monitoring report. The council agreed to note the capital monitoring report, which included a revision to the Capital Budget for 2025-2030. Motions concerning Personal Independence Payments and housing policy were not carried, while a motion regarding Trans+ and Intersex Human Rights was carried with amendment.

Here's a breakdown of the key topics discussed:

Capital Monitoring Report

The council approved a revision to the Capital Budget for 2025-2030, setting it at £351.063 million. This figure reflects a net increase of £38.213 million since the last report. The Capital Monitoring Report Q1 provided a detailed breakdown of the capital programme's financial status as of June 2025.

Key points from the report:

• £28.019 million of the opening budget for 2025/26 has been moved to future years following a review of significant schemes.
• Actual spending as of 30 June 2025 was £16.431 million, representing 9.19% of the forecast for 2025/26.
• 75.16% of the 5-year programme is expected to be funded by grants, contributions, and service-supported borrowing, with the remaining 24.84% (£87.217 million) from corporate borrowing.

The report also included prudential code indicators, which are used to measure and manage capital expenditure, borrowing, and commercial and service investments.

Motions on Notice

Several motions were debated, with the following outcomes:

• Plymouth Highway Maintenance Amendments: Councillor Chris Wood proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Andy Lugger, to improve highway maintenance by encouraging contractors to proactively repair defects in the vicinity of attended defects. The council requested that the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport investigate amending the Pothole Repair Policy, Highway Inspection Manual and Term Maintenance Contract to encourage the council's Highway Maintenance Contractors to proactively repair other defects in the vicinity, seek evidence to confirm the cost of this approach, and seek evidence to confirm whether this change of approach will improve the standard of the highway network.
• Tree Preservation Orders: Councillor Maddi Bridgeman, seconded by Councillor Patrick Nicholson, proposed a motion to ensure trees worthy of protection are considered for Tree Protection Orders regardless of land ownership. The council resolved that trees in Plymouth that are worthy of protection should be considered for Tree Protection Orders irrespective of land ownership, and requested the Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change to prepare and publish a schedule of City Council owned trees that are worthy of being protected by Tree Preservation Orders and arrange for such Orders to be processed by the City Council in the next 6 months.
• Asylum Hotels: Councillor Steve Ricketts, seconded by Councillor Patrick Nicholson, proposed a motion stating that Plymouth does not want any asylum hotels. The council requested that The Leader of Plymouth City Council writes a letter to the Government to state that Plymouth does not want any Asylum Hotels in Plymouth.
• Giving Plymouth Children the Best Start in Life: Councillor Charlotte Holloway, seconded by Councillor Josh Mccarty, proposed a motion to welcome the expansion of childcare and early years provision, work with schools and providers to promote take-up of new entitlements, map local childcare and nursery capacity, ensure more families can access Family Hub support, and request a report back to Cabinet and the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Panel in one year on the roll-out of 30 hours childcare in Plymouth.
• Flags in Plymouth: Councillor Chris Penberthy, seconded by Councillor Kevin Sproston, proposed a motion reaffirming the council's commitment to flying flags and supporting national government guidance on flag flying. The council committed to reaffirming its commitment to this stance and our support for the national government guidance on flag flying.
• Oppose Cuts to Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Proposed by Councillor Lauren McLay and seconded by Councillor Poyser, this motion was not carried.
• Plymouth & South West Devon Joint Local Plan - Housing Policy: Introduced by Councillor P Nicholson and seconded by Councillor Ricketts, this motion was also not carried.
• Trans+ and Intersex Human Rights Matter: Councillor Dylan Tippetts introduced a motion, seconded by Councillor McLay, concerning Trans+ and Intersex Human Rights. Councillor Penberthy proposed an amendment, seconded by Councillor Penrose, which was carried. The council agreed to request that the Cabinet Member for Corporate Estates ensures that the current published list of all council managed gender neutral public toilets in the city is maintained and kept up to date, request that the Leader of the council writes to the Minister for Women and Equalities expressing the Council's concern about the safety of women, trans, non-binary and intersex people accessing public toilets after the supreme court ruling and highlighting that trans, non-binary and intersex people have freely used public toilets that align with their gender for decades without any issue or cause for concern, and request that the Cabinet Member for Equalities and Diversity ensures that the Council responds to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's consultation on the changes required to their Code of Practice, actively promotes the EHRC's consultation to encourage widespread participation, and as a matter of priority, once the EHRC's revised guidance is published, review the implications for Council wide services and ensure that appropriate steps are taken to implement appropriate facilities in accordance with the guidance.

Questions by Councillors

During the meeting, councillors raised questions on various topics:

• Councillor Steel asked Councillor Jemima Laing about the new family's first children services team.
• Councillor Angela Penrose asked Councillor Tudor Evans OBE about potential redundancies at the University of Plymouth and the need for collaboration among the city's universities.
• Councillor Anne Freeman paid respect to Mr Steve Hornton and asked Councillor Evans to join her.
• Councillor Paul McNamara asked Councillor Laing about the refit of the youth centre in Efford.
• Councillor Tippetts asked Councillor Laing about cuts to the adoption and special guardianship support fund.
• Councillor Ricketts raised concerns about a Palestinian flag over Jewish graves in Central Park and asked Councillor Evans why the Labour government was doing nothing about it. Councillor Chris Penberthy responded that he had raised the issue of the flag being there just after the Hamas incursion into Israel and he has been talking to members of both communities, at that time, and since, and that he thinks personally, that the family has chosen to raise the flag there has shown total insensitivity, and he understands the disrespect and anger caused as a result of this, but that there are questions around legality and enforcement and what can and can't be enforced, and that the council has received advice from a Jewish legal firm where they are being briefed this week on this, and if they can get the flag down, they will do so, but that he will not commit vandalism, and he doesn't think it should be there, and that Councillor Ricketts is misrepresenting the situation as he is reacting to the posts via Social Media and not the ongoing discussions that the council has been very sensitively been having with both the Jewish and Palestinian communities in the City.
• Councillor Noble asked Councillor Tom Briars-Delve about the Big Green Trail.
• Councillor Wood asked Councillor Evans about local government reform and the referendum on a directly elected mayor/leader.
• Councillor Alison Raynsford raised concerns about disposable barbecues on the Hoe and Devil's Point and asked Councillor Briars-Delve what could be done to discourage their use.
• Councillor M Smith asked Councillor Briars-Delve for an update on access to Bedford Park.
• Councillor Ricketts raised concerns about a mess in the walkway on Central Park Avenue and asked Councillor Stephens to address it.
• Councillor Ian Poyser raised concerns about traffic in the east of the city and asked Councillor Stephens about sustainable transport solutions.
• Councillor Chris Cuddihee asked Councillor Mary Aspinall for an update on the diagnostic centre at Colin Campbell Court.
• Councillor Ricketts asked Councillor Evans why Labour councillors from the Plymouth Knows Better campaign were posting that Labour will be scrapping City Mayors.

Other Business

The council also:

• Agreed the minutes of the previous meetings held on 17 March 2025, 20 April 2025, 28 April 2025 and 16 May 2025 as an accurate record.
• Noted declarations of interest from Councillor Taylor and Councillor M Smith regarding employment related to item 20a.
• Confirmed no changes to membership for Committees or Outside Bodies.
• Heard responses to questions from the public regarding homelessness legislation training for the Housing and Community Scrutiny Panel, and the Labour Government's cuts to welfare.
• Noted announcements from Councillor Ms Watkin (Lord Mayor), Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council), Councillor Aspinall (Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care), Councillor Penberthy (Cabinet Member for Housing, Cooperative Development and Communities), and Councillor Stephens (Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport).
• Noted the Provisional Capital and Revenue Outturn Report 2024-25, the Scrutiny Annual Report 2024-25, and the Audit and Governance Chair's Update Report 2024-25.
• Noted the decision to approve the distribution of Household Support Fund monies (£4,044,511.26) through the proposed Framework for April 2025 – March 2026.
• Noted the content of the Armada Way Independent Learning Review (AWILR) report, the council's response, and the proposed action plan, and requested that the Audit and Governance Committee establish a cross-party sub committee to oversee the implementation of the action plan. Mr David Williams (AWILR Independent Chair) and Tracey Lee (Chief Executive) introduced the report to Council and Questions were put to the panel from Councillors Lugger, McLay, Holloway, Tuohy and Lowry.