August 2024
I know that August might have felt like an unsettling time for many people in our community as we watched national and regional events unfold. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what a tolerant and united community we have here in South Tyneside, with a strong sense of belonging. The unacceptable scenes of disorder, hate and violence seen elsewhere is not representative of South Tyneside. We take care of each other.
In the wake of disorder and protest activity across the region and beyond I joined community leaders to show unity and strength, and to reassure residents that robust plans are in place to keep people safe. We talked to diverse groups and listened to concerns, strengthening our partnerships, and reinforcing community cohesion. I am pleased that businesses had confidence in our plans and that people were able to go about their daily lives and enjoy all that the Borough has to offer.
I want to thank everyone who did their bit by curbing any spread of misinformation online and only sharing trusted sources - everyone's efforts helped to keep communities safe and unrest at bay.
A great example of our strength and unity was the Ocean Road Mela earlier this month which I was delighted to attend. This annual community festival is organised by a grass roots collective including Bangladeshi community groups, local restaurants, The Customs House and voluntary and third sector organisations. I, together with thousands of residents, enjoyed the festivities including a parade, music, food, theatre performances and more.
Minister of State for Education Catherine McKinnell came to South Tyneside this month to visit one of the Active Future activities which have been running as part of our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
It was great to see firsthand the kind of activities young people across the borough have been enjoying over the summer. I know that the school holidays can be challenging and through the HAF programme we are helping to ease some of the pressure on families while giving young people the chance to have fun, learn new skills and make new friendships. I want to thank all our wonderful providers who have been working with us to help those families who have been eligible for support in line with the work we are doing to make things fairer.
Young people across South Tyneside have celebrated another set of impressive A Level and GCSE results again this year and I wanted to pass on my congratulations to everyone in the school community. Behind every young person's success are the efforts of their parents and carers and, of course, our dedicated teaching and support staff. Everyone who touches the lives of our young people will have played a role in helping them achieve success but ultimately it is our young people today who must take the credit. My congratulations go to you all.
Last month I highlighted our steady progress in Children's Services and the fact that our investment in a new Assessment Centre and Children's Homes were back on track. This morning Ofsted published its latest letter South Tyneside Council Ofsted Letter - 30 August 2024 following its most recent monitoring visit at the end of July and I am pleased to say that yet again they have seen significant improvements to Children's services. Our improvement journey continues, and overall Ofsted noted more oversight, improved practices, and investment in the right areas. Most importantly children are being heard and staff are happy and confident in their roles to support families. This is great news, although we still have a way to go and will not be complacent. We are resolute in doing everything we can to improve services for our young people and put them at the heart of everything we do.
Cabinet has now endorsed the Local Plan before it is referred to Borough Council for approval next month, an important step in securing a long term plan for future development of the borough and ensuring local people have influenced that.
The 'Regulation 22 publication draft' is the culmination of several consultations which have taken place over the last 10 years, and I want to thank everyone that took the time to engage with the process.
Only full council can give approval for the submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination in public - the final stage before it is legally adopted.
Lastly, I wanted to mention that South Tyneside Council has been shortlisted for six prestigious national public sector awards.
Entries in five categories have made it onto the official shortlist of this year's Association of Public Sector Excellence (APSE) Service Awards 2024. That success has meant that the council is also automatically nominated for Overall Council of the Year in Service Delivery.
It is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and elected members who turn up every day to serve the people of South Tyneside. I am particularly excited that the shortlisting across multiple categories has put us in with a chance of winning Overall Council of the Year.
As the Summer draws to a close I want to reflect on yet another fantastic events programme. I hope you managed to enjoy some of it with family or friends. In 2024 we put PRIDE at the heart of our famous summer festival programme, working with the team at Out North East to incorporate PRIDE into our summer parade, a dedicated Sunday Concert and deliver a host of other PRIDE events across the borough, and it was an honour for us to host the finalists of Mr Gay World at South Shields Town Hall this month on their way to the final at Alnwick Castle.
I want to take a moment to thank local lad, Stuart Hatton for everything he does to support the LGBTQIA+ community here in South Tyneside, tirelessly championing gay rights in South Tyneside and right across the world.
Councillor Tracey Dixon
Leader of South Tyneside Council