I wanted to start my message this week with an important topic that will affect the majority of you.
At this week’s Cabinet meeting I will be discussing with my cabinet and our opposition members, proposals to charge for garden waste collections in the borough. As it currently stands, Solihull is one of only two local authorities in the West Midlands and Warwickshire not to charge for the service. To introduce subscription charges would therefore bring us in line with most councils in the region, plus the majority of councils in the country.
It costs us about £1.8m a year to run the service, and this charge would help us to recoup some of that – particularly in the context of our rates of council tax being amongst the lowest in the region. Currently, if you don’t have a garden or don’t use the garden waste service you are paying for a service you do not receive. With charges, the burden would fall only on those who use the service, rather than everyone paying towards it. We have not been coy about the financial pressures we are facing, and we have been forced to look at ways we might be able to cut costs and raise revenue, this seems to me to be a fair way of doing so.
I understand that this proposal will be disappointing for many residents, but as I have said previously, we are having to look at all options to meet the considerable budget pressures we are facing. And to put us on a par with our neighbours by charging for garden waste collections seems a fair one. You can read more in the news release and report, and I will of course let you know the outcome of our discussions in my next column.
Last Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of attending an awards evening to celebrate our children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It was a fantastic, uplifting event organised by Council officers in partnership with Solihull Parent Carer Voice – an independent group of parent carers working with organisations to improve outcomes for children with SEND.
It was really heartwarming to hear the stories of everyone who was shortlisted, including children and young people, teachers and school staff and community organisations to celebrate their achievements with a room full to the brim with people who are passionate about providing them with as much support and opportunities as possible. Congratulations to all involved.
Last week I also visited the new offices for Röhlig Logistics at One Central Boulevard, Blythe Valley. Röhlig is an owner-operated logistics company that provides services in sea freight, air freight, and contract logistics. I was shown around their site by the UK Managing Director. He explained their decision to upgrade their office space within Solihull was driven by the goal to create a better working environment for the team, offer a more modern and inspiring workspace, and accommodate the company’s growth. This was really pleasing to hear, and I am proud that Solihull is home to a thriving logistics sector and is at the heart of the UK’s transport system.
The company’s long-term strategic decision to invest and grow their operations here is testament to our business-friendly infrastructure and reflects the obvious locational and lifestyle advantages we can offer. We also discussed Röhlig’s ambitions to reduce emissions through sustainable logistics solutions and internal environmental initiatives, so it will be interesting to see the positive impact of these over time.
As part of my role as Chair of Solihull’s Health & Wellbeing Board, I have become a member of the Birmingham & Solihull Integrated Care Partnership (ICP). The aim is to bring organisations concerned with improving the care, health and wellbeing of the population together, and have a strategy on how we will collectively meet the health and wellbeing needs of the population. The problems in the NHS, including long waiting lists, are well known. We need to start identifying how better joined up working can provide solutions to these problems.
One key thing we discussed was how health and care can focus more on prevention – acting early to keep people healthy. Locally, we have committed through our Living Well in Solihull work to prioritise prevention and early intervention across our work as council: by working jointly with our partners we can provide more integrated approaches to improve outcomes and reduce demand for services.
We have made great strides here in Solihull working with police and health on our approach to safeguarding children and taking a more preventative tack through our Family Hubs so we know the benefits of working as a partnership and the difference it can make to people’s lives.
There is just under a week to go to have your say on the Council’s Community Advice Service. It provides information and advice on a range of topics including care in and out of the home, benefits and grants, legal problems and energy efficiency. Find out more here.
I hope you all avoided the worst of the damage caused by the storms at the weekend. The wind and rain certainly came in force, and I want to thank the Council’s teams and contractors who have been hard at work over the weekend. I also want to thank people who have been out in their communities clearing up and putting things right. Please call 0121 704 8000 if you need to report a branch split and at risk of falling, trees obstructing a path or roadway, or a tree on Solihull Council-owned land posing an immediate danger or health and safety risk.
We will continue the clear up effort through this week, starting with roads and pavements and moving on to parks as public spaces once the most urgent work is done. I’ll talk more about this later in the week.
Thanks for reading,
Councillor Ian Courts