Plymouth City Council's cabinet is scheduled to meet on 13 October 2025 to discuss a new city brand strategy, and a plan to support residents into work. The cabinet will also receive an update on improvements to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in Plymouth, and discuss digital apprenticeships. Additionally, there will be verbal reports from Councillor Tudor Evans OBE, Leader of the Council, and other cabinet members, as well as an update from the Local Government Association (LGA).

City Brand Strategy

The cabinet will consider a report about the city's brand repositioning strategy. The report pack includes the City Brand Strategy August 2025, Equalities Impact Assessment, and Climate Impact Assessment.

The report notes that the existing 'Britain's Ocean City' branding, which was developed in 2013, has been successful in changing perceptions of Plymouth as a visitor destination. The report states that Destination Plymouth would extend its remit from strategic oversight of the visitor plan and visitor economy growth to become a broader city place marketing and place brand leading organisation.

The report states that international research indicates that positive perceptions of a place are crucial to attracting people to live, work, invest or visit there. It suggests that a one-decimal point improvement in perceptions could lead to a 15% increase in tourism revenue, a 21% increase in talent attraction, and a 17.5% increase in foreign direct investment.

The report pack states that external perception research identified that Plymouth's ocean location is its most recognisable and powerful asset, and that the city's quality of life is greater than other comparator cities. However, the research also found that Plymouth is not known for innovation, and that its cultural offer and creative industries have the potential to shift perceptions of the city.

The report suggests a number of key opportunities to re-position the city, including:

• Celebrating the ocean's benefits
• Making Plymouth synonymous with quality of life
• Showcasing Plymouth's innovation
• Defining creativity's unique selling point

The report recommends that the cabinet support the city-wide brand strategy and narratives, adopt key components of the branding work, and mandate Destination Plymouth to lead the brand strategy and implementation. It also recognises the support of key city partners including Babcock, Princess Yachts, University of Plymouth, and The Box.

Connect to Work & Get Devon Plymouth and Torbay Working Plan

The cabinet will consider a report on the Connect to Work & Get Devon Plymouth and Torbay Working Plan. The report pack includes the Connect to Work and Get Devon Plymouth and Torbay Working Plan Briefing, Get Devon Plymouth and Torbay Working Plan 2025-2027, Equalities Impact Assessment, and Climate Impact Assessment.

The Get Devon Plymouth and Torbay Working Plan is designed to address labour market issues related to participation, progression, earnings and job quality. The Connect to Work programme will support disabled people, those with health conditions, and people with multiple barriers to employment, to access meaningful and sustainable work.

The report notes that Devon County Council has been given the responsibility to write this plan for the entire delivery area (Devon, Plymouth and Torbay) by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The plan is built around six priority themes:

• Tackling health-related inactivity
• Supporting young people into sustained careers
• Improving job quality and reducing in-work poverty
• Enabling carers to re-enter the workforce
• Addressing employer labour shortages
• Reducing geographic inequalities

The report recommends that the cabinet approve and accept the Get Devon Plymouth and Torbay Working Plan, delegate authority to the Director for Children's Services to sign future pilot contracts and agreements, approve the proposal for the council to deliver the new DWP Connect to Work programme, and delegate authority to the Director for Children's Services to sign Connect to Work contracts and agreements.

The report states that the Plymouth allocation of funding will support approximately 2,100 participants over the 5 years, and that at its peak, Plymouth will be supporting 700 participants to start the programme during the year. The total value of the Connect to Work allocation for Plymouth is approximately £6.8m over the 5-year programme.

The report states that the Connect to Work team in Plymouth will consist of Employment Specialists, Team Leaders, Peer Support Apprentices, a Project Manager, Management Information Officer, Quality Lead, Skills & Workforce Coordinator and Delivery Manager.

The report also notes that the Connect to Work programme will form part of the wider workforce and employability landscape, and that the team will work closely with organisations including Livewell and Shekinah.

Plymouth SEND Improvement Update

The cabinet will receive an update on improvements to SEND provision in Plymouth. SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disability, and refers to the arrangements and support systems in place for children and young people who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age.

Digital Apprentices

The cabinet will discuss digital apprenticeships. An apprenticeship is a real job with training, so you can earn while you learn and gain a nationally recognised qualification.