This month I want to celebrate the pivotal role that children of foster carers play in a fostering household, through Children of Foster Carers Month. Our fostering colleagues testify that existing children within a family group play a huge role in a foster child settling into their new home, with that sense of belonging being so important for foster children’s happiness and self-worth.
I’d like to say a big thank you to all Solihull children, young people and families who provide this often unrecognised, yet vital support, within their foster family.
This week you’ll notice something of a community theme to my message, inspired by the launch of Step Up for Solihull and Match My Project earlier this week.
The projects link businesses and the community organisations together, in a way that benefits everyone involved. You can read all the details of how it works here, but I am so pleased and proud of what people, groups and companies are doing in our borough. So many businesses have already signed up, and the benefits of this partnership are already making themselves evident.
Solihull is a great place to live and to do business, but it becomes so much better when, for example, businesses based here become deeply rooted in the communities in which they operate. Step Up for Solihull is not just about money: it is also about the corporate world lending their time and expertise to those who need it most, often right on their doorsteps. Many companies for example have offered to provide mentoring as part of the scheme. This way of passing on knowledge and experience is so invaluable to young people looking to gain confidence or get ahead in their careers.
I look forward to reporting back in future messages as the partnerships formed through this work bear fruit. My heartfelt thanks to the people, the businesses and the community organisations that give up their time to improve the lives of others. My thanks to those who attended the launch (listed here.)
Continuing this theme, community groups in Solihull have four weeks left to bid for a share of over £440,000 to improve their local neighbourhoods. This funding comes from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which is available for community groups in ten wards (Blythe, Dorridge, Elmdon, Knowle, Lyndon, Olton, Shirley East, Shirley South, Silhill and St Alphege). Find out more in the news release. The money is collected from new developments as part of the normal planning process and is intended to support community projects in areas where development has taken place.
Our Fresh Air Theatre festival has concluded a very successful summer programme (probably quite fortunately given the weather recently).
44 free events took place in 16 parks all over the borough, bringing over 11,000 people to our wonderful green spaces. It’s a triumph and I want to congratulate the Council’s cultural development team, Culture Solihull, who secured the external funding to bring this to fruition. They have shown one important thing still holds true, despite the straitened circumstances of recent years, that we as a local authority are determined to do more than the minimum, not only to provide vital services, but also be active in our communities, improving and enriching the lives of our residents. You can read all the details here.
Our commitment to sustainability has been recognised by an international body, the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. They have announced that Solihull will be a finalist in their 2024 awards. The formula behind their rankings focuses on sustainability commitments, environmental policies, social progress, and management of tourism. We want as many people as possible to come and visit our brilliant borough, but we want them to do so in a way that is kind to the planet, so this nomination is very welcome. We are the only place in the UK to make the list, so we can be particularly proud of this achievement.
I visited the (absolutely buzzing) Solihull Indoor Bowls Club last week to learn about how they will be saving £20,000 a year on energy costs after they accessed a grant to modernise their premises with carbon and cost cutting technology including solar panels and added insulation. You can read all about my visit and the grant here. The difference they have made to their premises was dramatic: it is not just about costs, it is also about the comfort that the changes to the roof make to the hall and those using it. This mirrors my approach generally about climate change – it really should not just be about targets and net zero, but the incredible benefits that action on tackling climate change can bring.
Some of you may remember government announcements about smoking in recent months, both before and after the election. Given how polarised politics can sometimes get – with one party rejecting out of hand any idea another proposes, I was happy to see broad consensus on the laudable and transformative aim to phase out smoking across the UK. We all know the negative health impacts of smoking, both for smokers and the people around them. Consequences range from higher rates of various diseases to passive smoking and littering. We’re now in Stoptober, meaning there’s no better time for smokers to take on the challenge. There’s a great range of support available online on the NHS website. Closer to home, residents who want to quit can also get in touch with our stop smoking team, either online or by calling 0121 740 1212.
Everyone has a role to play in making sure our communities continue to be great places to live. I understand that the Council does not always maintain every patch of grassland or pick every piece of litter as quickly as some of our residents would like, but honestly I think we do a pretty good job here in Solihull. We have limited resources and simply cannot spend to the level that would be required to make these services function in a way that some people might like.
Many people, when seeing litter in their communities, decide to do something about it themselves and I commend them for that. Love Solihull run litter picks and loan kits to local groups so they can undertake them themselves. We have our part to play, but so does everyone who is able to chip in and help out for the benefit of the whole borough.
The same applies to anti-social behaviour. I am not suggesting you go after anyone you see riding a motorbike in a park with a litter-picker and try to pop them into a bin bag, no matter how tempting it might be, but you can make sure you do your part by reporting that and other incidences of ASB through the West Midlands Police portal every time you see it. We work closely with the police to reduce ASB across Solihull, but it is incredibly helpful to us and to them if there is an accurate picture available so they can deploy their resources most effectively.
Finally, if you’re at the NEC anytime soon you might want to hitch a lift on the new driverless shuttle that will be operating on a route linking the exhibition centre with Birmingham International rail station and Birmingham Business Park. It is exciting to see innovative business like this operating right here in Solihull.
Thanks for reading, have a good weekend.
Councillor Ian Courts.