As regular readers of this column will know, Ofsted have been regular visitors to the Council in recent months. In the last few days, they have published a summary of their findings from a monitoring visit in January.
The full summary can be read on the Ofsted website. I don’t want to simply repeat what the report says, but wanted to give a flavour of the positive direction of travel noted in the report. Inspectors saw improvements across a range of areas including housing and social work, as well as better co-ordination and consistency across teams, both within the Council and working with other organisations.
I don’t want to give, in any way, the impression that the hard work to improve Children’s Services in recent months is now complete, but the summary nonetheless shows that we are on the right track, and that is the direction of travel that we are very determined to maintain.
I know colleagues across the Council have been working really hard to get the service where we want it to be. While this report shows there is plenty more to do, it also shows how much work has gone into the improvements noted by the inspectors.
I’ve talked about it before, but the importance of getting your health checked needs repeating.
Some people may have read the recent news story on our website, about a resident whose high blood pressure was spotted at a routine health check by their GP. I’d encourage anyone who receives it, to take up the offer from their GP, or alternatively visit one of the blood pressure machines located at libraries across Solihull. Whether it gives you peace of mind if your health is good, or catches something like high blood pressure before it becomes a more serious problem, getting your health checked is always a good idea.
I was interested to read the recent report on HS2, detailing, for example, the number of jobs created by the programme.
For so many residents, I know the high speed rail programme is decidedly not popular, particularly around the effect on the environment and its costs. However, it is important to ensure we do see both sides and the report paints a strong picture of some of the positive features of the project. Those who want to can read the full report on the HS2 website. I have been impressed myself with the efforts that have been made into training and career development during visits to local colleges.
Finally, Saturday marked the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. When I wrote about the first anniversary last year, I had hoped I’d be able to write more positively on this occasion about Ukraine successfully repelling Russia from their country. What I will say is that there is always hope. Hope for a better future. Hope for a fully independent Ukraine. Hope for an end to this dreadful conflict. All that’s left for me to say, in solidarity with our Ukrainian friends, is Slava Ukraini!
Thanks, and have a good week,
Councillor Ian Courts.