COP28 has been prominent in the news this week, and again this year in our Council Chamber, students from secondary schools across the borough took part in a model COP28 summit, as Solihull Council hosted its annual Solihull Schools Climate Conference. Hosted in partnership with InterClimate Network, the Conference enables young people to explore and engage with climate change on both a local and global scale. I never cease to be amazed by the quality of the contributions made, and the passion shown, as well as the knowledge and understanding of the climate challenge. It is a great opportunity for young people to develop skills in public speaking, negotiating and debating, all of which are potentially skills for life.
(During question time, one student asked the question about the stability of council finances, which was particularly timely given recent events at Councils across the country! I was able to give a re-assurance that, whilst the Council does indeed face considerable financial challenges just like all local authorities, we are in a considerably better position than many.
Another opportunity beckons for young people to demonstrate their public speaking credentials. The Solihull Soroptimists have again organised a public speaking competition for secondary schools in the borough, which will take place in February next year. Headteachers and schools should have received the information, and I would encourage young people to put themselves forward for this by contacting the Soroptimists.
Speaking of the Soroptomists, I recently visited a floral display they had created at The Core. The display formed part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign which I spoke about recently. 2,495 orange flowers were displayed, with the number representing the number of domestic abuse victims reported every day in England and Wales. The display was really thought provoking: it was a strong visual symbol of how important an issue domestic abuse is.
At Full Council a few days ago, in giving my economic report, I was pleased to highlight a number of positive Solihull economic stories. The underlying message is that, despite challenging conditions, Solihull continues to punch above its weight economically in comparison to the rest of the country, even the South-East (with the exception of London). This is reflected in jobs growth even despite the effects of Covid; business start-ups and survival rates; and the high proportion of employment in advanced engineering companies and low carbon industries. We are very much aware of the challenges faced in some areas, however, and the need to tackle matters like health inequalities. Work goes on to address these issues.
Finally, I wanted to again affirm the Council’s relentless commitment to action on climate change. It was undeniably disappointing to go down the leaderboard in the Climate Change Emergency scorecard, but the reality is that the methodology has changed and there are a range of factors lined up against us. We have a (very successful) airport in the borough, which actually itself has an ambitious climate change action plan. We have rural areas dependent on the car, which is why we are pushing ahead with our EV charging programme. Nonetheless, it was recognised that CO2 emissions continue to go down from both a Council and borough perspective. We remain committed to identifying areas where we can improve performance or identify new areas for action.
I hope you are all getting ready for the festive season, and not letting any miserable weather get you down!
Councillor Ian Courts