Education, Road Safety and Culture in Focus as Stoke Ward Councillors Outline Plymouth’s Progress

As cabinet member for Culture at Plymouth City Council I couldn’t be prouder of the phenomenal success of Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy at the Box.

For more than 40 years, Beryl painted our city with warmth, humour, and genuine affection. She captured sailors on The Hoe, shoppers in the Market, drag queens in clubs and working-class women living vibrant lives.

While London critics dismissed her as ‘merely popular,’ Plymouth never stopped loving her. We knew what they didn’t: that celebrating ordinary people with dignity and joy is rather extraordinary.

The four life-size sculptures of Beryl’s characters which have appeared across the city are actively spreading that joy.

These aren’t just Instagram opportunities (though they absolutely are that). They’re saying: art belongs in our streets, not just behind gallery walls. Joy belongs everywhere. Plymouth belongs to everyone who lives here, works here, creates here. What makes this moment special isn’t just Beryl’s centenary or The Box’s ambition – it’s how it’s happening.

The sculptures emerged through a partnership between The Box and Theatre Royal Plymouth’s TR2, two institutions recognising their strength in working together. The exhibition features loans from national institutions choosing to work with Plymouth because we’ve earned that respect. The Cook family has shared personal archives, trusting us to tell Beryl’s story properly.

At the same time we’ve had the announcement which has electrified the city: our bid for UK City of Culture 2029. The winner receives £10m plus transformational national attention.

The timing couldn’t be better. Plymouth really is ready to show what a coastal city can achieve when creativity sits at its heart.

In Stoke we are celebrating the launch of our very own Community Poem created with Plymouth Laureate of Words R.C. Thomas – I’ve got a few lines in there myself, a wonderful, joyful process to be part of!

Here’s what connects Beryl’s exhibition (which is free), the sculptures, and the City of Culture bid: they all understand that joy isn’t frivolous, it’s essential.

The sculptures bring that joy into public space. The City of Culture bid says we’re a city that celebrates creativity, that invests in culture, that believes everyone deserves access to art and opportunity.

As well as serving as the local councillor for Stoke Ward, I am the Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships.

Before this role, I spent nearly 30 years working in primary education as a teacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, acting headteacher and special educational needs co-ordinator.

Education is therefore close to my heart, particularly Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and early years provision.

In May 2023, Plymouth underwent an area Ofsted and CQC inspection of SEND, just two weeks after I took up my Cabinet post. The June 2023 report was highly critical. However, during a monitoring visit in December 2025, inspectors found that the local authority, health services, schools, and partners had taken effective action and made real progress.

This improvement means better outcomes for children and young people with SEND, and greater confidence for parents and carers that their children’s needs are being met.

Inspectors recognised that children and young people are now clearly at the centre of our work, highlighting a deep and sustained cultural shift. Openness, transparency, and effective communication have been central to this positive change.

Across the city, schools are doing impressive work, and it is a privilege to witness this regularly. In Stoke, several schools have been particularly innovative. Stoke Damerel Primary is one of 38 schools delivering council-funded targeted support through nurture groups. These small groups help children not only academically but also in building confidence and self-esteem.

During a recent visit, I saw first-hand the positive impact on pupils and heard staff speak enthusiastically about their progress. Stuart Road Primary, another community-focused school, has led initiatives from tree planting in Victoria Park to championing safer streets. Its new school-based nursery, which opened in September, is already giving young children an excellent start.

This Government’s mission is about giving every child the best start in life. This council was elected on a commitment to make Plymouth the best place to grow up in. Together across Plymouth, and in our own ward of Stoke, we are starting to realise these ambitions.

When I first stood for election, we promised that road safety would be a top priority for our Stoke councillor team.

Since then, we’ve supported the delivery of a zebra crossing connecting Victoria Park and Stonehouse Creek, the city’s first Safer School Street by Stuart Road Primary, and a new clearway to improve junction visibility on Paradise Road.

One of the community’s biggest concerns, though, has been the busy junction at the top of Ford Hill and Molesworth Road. Knocking on doors in Milehouse, we heard from local families who don’t feel confident about their children walking to school and older residents who are put off from visiting Stoke Village shops.

I must admit that I have similarly felt nervous rushing across with a pram when the traffic lights change.

We’ve kept making the case for a safer crossing there. It didn’t progress under the previous administration. However, we’re over the moon that the City Council has listened and designed a scheme with three ‘green man’ crossings, energy efficient lighting and new street signs. I’ve also asked for the road to be resurfaced at the same time to minimise disruption.

It’s finally happening. You may have noticed highways markings sprayed on nearby pavements. More recently, signs have been put up confirming work will begin on February 23.

Road works can be disruptive in the short term but I’m confident it will be worth the wait – for a junction that is safer for everyone.