Councillors representing Sutton & Mount Gould and Drake Ward share updates on adult social care, regeneration, housing, community projects and everyday issues affecting Plymouth residents as 2026 begins.
4Adult social care and new facilities in Plymouth – Cllr Mary Aspinall
Starting a new year always prompts a look back at the one just gone. In my role as Cabinet member for Adult Social Care I’m very pleased that the Care Quality Commission rated our services as ‘Good,’ specifically praising our fair and inclusive approach.
They said our innovative Wellbeing Hubs have become vital local anchors, providing integrated advice and support directly to those who need it.
Our ‘home-first’ strategy is also successfully helping more people return to independent living following hospital stays, reducing the reliance on long-term residential beds.
This all contributes to our vision to support our residents in leading ‘gloriously ordinary lives’ within the communities they call home.
A very exciting moment in 2025 for me was celebrating the start of work at a new £13 million care facility for adults with complex needs and learning disabilities in Plymouth.
The facility, which will be known as Meadow View, will transform a disused piece of land on Outland Road which was formerly the council’s parks depot.
Meadow View isn’t just a new building, it’s a place where people will feel safe, supported and valued. We’ve worked closely with families and staff to make sure this new centre reflects what people really need, giving them space to build independent skills and connect with others, it is about giving people the dignity and opportunities they deserve, in a setting that feels welcoming and full of life. I can’t wait to see Meadow View take shape.
Elsewhere we have made progress in reducing the longest wait times for care assessments – bringing some down from over 500 days to closer to 300.
Our priorities for this year are focused on three things: improving the speed of our assessments, strengthening transitions for young people entering adult services and supporting our incredible workforce.
We are also committed to better supporting our thousands of unpaid carers, who are the backbone of our city’s care system.
I’ll finish with a thank you to our social care teams and partners at Livewell Southwest. Their dedication ensures that, despite the hurdles, Plymouth remains a place where people can grow old with dignity and independence.
Together we continue to build a care system that leaves no one in our city behind.
Contact me via email at mary.aspinall@plymouth.gov.uk
3Community grants, everyday issues and transparency – Cllr Chris Cuddihee
I’m very proud to be the ‘new’ member of the Labour team in Sutton & Mount Gould following my election in May 2024.
It’s been really satisfying to work with local residents and local projects who all want to make Sutton & Mount Gould a better and fairer place.
I’ve used my annual community grant to support organisations like the Friends of Tothill Park with funding for hardening works and the new community café; new trees in Freedom Fields; Devon & Cornwall Food Action and The Elder Tree in Tresillian Street.
I am a member of the East End Community Trust and have helped them support their local community with the new pharmacy at Cattedown, arts and local history projects, and the Love Thy Neighbour food bank project. The volunteers who contribute so much to the local area deserve support.
On top of my work on the Audit & Governance Committee ensuring the Council operates transparently, follows the law, and manages its money and risks effectively, I continue to do day-to-day work around the ward.
This includes reporting potholes, broken street name signs, blocked drains, problems with bin collections, tree stumps for removal, graffiti for cleaning, and abandoned vehicles for towing away.
I have spoken at Planning Meetings on behalf of residents concerned about potential changes to their local area to ensure their voice is heard. The council does respond when asked about and alerted to these kinds of issues.
I know these are all important to residents who care so much about their place. I’m looking forward to continuing to support local projects, organisations, and residents in the years ahead – and look forward to meeting residents on the doorstep.
Please feel free to get in touch with me about any issue via email at
chris.cuddihee@plymouth.gov.uk
2Regeneration, jobs and neighbourhood priorities – Cllr Charlotte Holloway
A hopeful New Year – and a city on the up! I’ve started 2026 feeling hopeful, not in a grand, fireworks sense, but in the quieter way you notice when a place starts to feel more confident in itself.
I was recently chatting to a lad in his early 20s. He’s an apprentice at the Dockyard and was talking about how Plymouth is starting to feel different. Buildings going up, and more sense that things are happening.
We ended up talking about what the city might look like by the time he’s further into his career, maybe with a family of his own. That conversation has stayed with me.
After the last 18 months of groundwork, Plymouth really does feel like it’s beginning to shift. There is serious investment coming into the city, including around £4 billion linked to the future of the Dockyard, alongside plans to deliver up to 10,000 new homes through city centre regeneration.
These are separate pieces of the puzzle, but together they point to a Plymouth that is growing, changing, and thinking long term.
My priority is for Drake Ward which I represent, which covers North Hill, Greenbank and parts of Mutley, but much of what people raise with me reflects wider issues across the city.
Most of my time as a councillor is spent on practical, everyday concerns. Pushing for safety improvements at the frankly hair-raising crossing at the North Hill end of Mutley Plain; securing funding to keep the 30 and 31 buses running; clamping down on fly-tipping, which seems to appear the moment no one is looking – and standing up to a small number of rogue landlords who have treated people badly and need reminding that providing housing comes with responsibilities.
As vice chair of the Council’s Growth and Infrastructure Committee, I’m also focused on what comes next. Around 25,000 jobs linked to the Dockyard will need to be filled by 2035, and I care deeply about making sure those opportunities go to Plymothians. That means investing in skills locally, so young people growing up here can see a promising future here for themselves.
As Plymouth’s role in defence continues to grow, it matters just as much that we grow our creative and cultural life too. A confident Plymouth needs both. That’s why places like The Box matter so much.
As a backbench community-focused councillor, my role is listening, nudging, chasing, and occasionally being annoying in meetings, but always trying to make sure our community voices are heard.
If I’m your councillor and there’s something you need help with, please do get in touch at
charlotte.holloway@plymouth.gov.uk.
1Parks, parking and partnership working – Cllr Sue Dann
2026 is going to be a little different for me as a councillor representing Sutton and Mount Gould as I’ve just stepped down from being in the Cabinet at Plymouth City Council, a role which was an absolute privilege to have.
I am immensely proud of my recent involvement with the National Marine Park, the development of Foulston Park, investment in the Life Centre and bringing forward a People Strategy to benefit the incredible staff in the council.
The recent achievements and awards that Plymouth has received reflect the arduous work that we do in the council.
Looking forward I am honoured to be representing the residents of Sutton and Mount Gould.
There are always on-going projects which arise from concerns raised by our residents. Currently these include a parking survey which covers two-thirds of the ward, talking to residents about their parking concerns, we can then develop plans for consultation to resolve some of the issues moving forwards.
At Tothill Park there is a landscaping project about to start which will lead to improvements within the park and also make the parameter of the park more secure.
It is important to continue work with local groups and partners, such as The Friends of Tothill Park and Freedom Fields Park, as well as supporting groups within the community such as Elder Tree, The Little Café, the East End Community and Astor Park.
Partnership is the key to all this – particularly consulting with the local police to help combat antisocial behaviour. If you need to contact me my email is
sue.dann@plymouth.gov.uk
