Shirley East Ward Councillors, Mark Parker, Karen Grinsell and local resident, Annette Mackenzie took to Arnold Road and Jacey Road in Shirley at the weekend to re-paint road signs and clear up litter in the area.
Local resident and campaigner, Annette Mackenzie said; “We really enjoy getting stuck into projects in the community and help make a difference to the quality of life for local residents and our area. We hope local people will be pleased with the work we have done.”
Many residents will know that the planning application to build houses on Lowbrook Farm was refused by the Council’s Conservative majority Planning Committee. However, the applicants, Gallagher Estates, are appealing against the decision and a Planning Inquiry will take place from 12th June at the Civic Suite, Council Offices, Solihull.
The Council’s Planning Department is taking the appeal most seriously, engaging Counsel and a landscape architect to act on your behalf against this appeal. Ward Cllr Ken Hawkins will again address the Planning Inspector urging the appeal to be dismissed.
Julian Knight, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Solihull, is turning up the heat in his on-going fight to save NHS walk in services at Solihull hospital.
Julian, party activists and concerned locals have met with Dr Sunil Kotecha, the chief executive of the walk in centre to express their support for the retention of walk in services at Solihull hospital. The move comes as the clinical commissioning group is finalising its plans for the fate of the centre which serves around 2000 patients a month. Originally, the group was widely rumoured to be considering closing the centre. Although these rumours have abated in recent weeks as Julian has put the case for retention through the press and behind closed doors, there are still serious concerns as to the future of the centre.
Julian Knight said "We must keep walk in services at the site of Solihull hospital no matter what. If they are planning on moving into the main building we must have crystal clear and bona fide assurances that it will not mean that there is any damage to services. I feel we are winning many of the arguments and have proved the need for retention of services but we still have a long way to go to make this a reality. The fight goes on."
The Citizens Advice Solihull Bureau has been awarded £345,160 by the Government and the Big Lottery Fund to continue providing advice in Solihull Borough.
Local MP Caroline Spelman said: “I was delighted to hear about this award and I welcome this funding for such an important source of help for my constituents. The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) provides a wonderful service for local people who need free and confidential legal, personal or financial advice. As a local MP, I value highly the work that CAB does in this area.” Julian Knight added: "I am thrilled to hear of the grant award given to citizens advice. Individual bureaux tirelessly and without a fuss do great things in our community. As someone who has spent his career championing the need for better, fairer financial advice for those in debt, i know that without citizens advice bureaux thousands of lives in Solihull would be a immeasurably worse."
Councillor Joe Tildesley was confirmed as the new and 60th Mayor of Solihull at the Annual Council meeting on Tuesday 14 May.
He has represented St. Alphege Ward since 2007, where he has lived with his wife for the past 30 years. He has been Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People and Scrutiny Chairman. The Mayor’s wife Joan will join him as Mayoress. The new Mayor succeeds Councillor Ken Hawkins and his wife Janet, who will become the new Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress.
The controversy over an in out referendum on the EU has been dominating the national headlines. Now as I am running for MP in Solihull I thought it right for me to put my own views out there clearly and honestly. I have long believed that the people of Solihull have the right to have a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. It is forty years since the last referendum and frankly people voted for a common market not for the European super state which the EU has become. Successive generations of politicians – from all political parties – have in my view dragged the British people by the nose into ever deeper union with Europe, this cannot go on, we deserve to have a say on this issue, each and every one of us. But I firmly believe that a prelude to any such vote must be a renegotiation of our treaties with the EU, as the British people can then be presented with the best possible deal we can get and then they can decide.
Shirley South Councillor, Peter Doyle led a team of volunteers, including Julian Knight, the Parliamentary Candidate for Solihull and his fiancé Philippa, this bank holiday weekend to clear up hanging hedge-growth and pick up litter in the Highlands Road/Subway area.
Cllr Peter Doyle, who organised the event said; “I want to say a huge thank you to all those who gave up their bank holiday, especially the youngsters who took time out of their revision sessions to help make Shirley that little bit cleaner. The area we cleaned up looks great and I’ve already been contacted by delighted residents.”
Solihull and Meriden Conservatives have closed their book of condolence to the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Scores of Silhillians took time out from their busy lives to come to Solihull and Meriden Conservative Association on Manor Road Solihull to sign the book which was opened within hours of the death of the late prime minister.
The proposed move of library services from the old site to a new up to date site within the Parkgate development at first glance has some points to recommend it.
There is the chance to reach out to a new audience through modern facilities and the proposed location will be somewhere with a much higher footfall than the current location. There will also be 500 car parking spaces within Parkgate which are free for the first three hours.
Your Conservative Action Team are delighted to tell you that at the Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday 24th April the application for a Kentucky Fried Chicken drive through restaurant on the Stratford Road, near Shirley Heath School was REJECTED. Cllr Peter Doyle said “ Even though the application has been refused by the Planning Committee, we must remain on guard as the Developer may well appeal against the council’s decision. The fight goes on.”
