Not judging bake off

I am very grateful to Luke Pollard MP, Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry, who took time out of his weekend to meet me and discuss Contract to Community. Luke is a very busy man but the perfect person to help in his role - being responsible for all defence procurement. I was not only impressed by how he immediately grasped the concept and made some great suggestions for improving the presentation of the project, but also his keenness to see this work in Plymouth first, dubbing it 'the Plymouth method'. He also saw how this may feed into his desire for a Sovereign Fund for the City. I have completed the Cabinet Office consultation and asked for a meeting, which I hope Luke can help facilitate. I have known Luke for a long time and have always been impressed with his dedication to the City, even on his days off - here we are judging the Great Glendower Road Bake Off during the Jubilee (I am Paul Hollywood to the Vicar's Mary Berry!).

I also met with Chris Wardman of Copper Turtle who has worked on Social Value in procurement for Dorset Council and thinks we could take it there. While I make no secret that I would prefer to do this in my home City first, I am good friends with the Dorset Chamber CEO Ian Girling, so will be progressing that avenue too. I am grateful to Chris for his enthusiasm and support - and for being another person who immediately grasped the Contract to Community concept. Watch this space all...