Category Archives: Dickens Heath

I have attached the Autumn edition of West Midlands Police Authority’s ezine for West Midlands councillors and MPs.  It includes articles about the August incidents of disorder, The HMIC report ‘Adapting to Austerity’, the Continuous Improvement Programme  and the introduction of the new 101  non-emergency phone number. Police Authority Autumn Ezine 2011

I have a massive interest in our children (I used to be one – my wife sometimes tell me I still am one). Seriously though,  I try to put something back through being a school governor; having been at Monkspath Junior  Infants School for 20+ years and the Federated Special Schools of Forest Oak and Merstone.  In fact my route onto the council was through getting more and more interested in local politics via school governing meetings.

There have been too many cases of child abuse and here in Solihull it is taken very seriously. I have attached a few documents about safeguarding and how each and every one of us can get involved if we see something that we feel is wrong. If you see something that you think is wrong REPORT IT. No call is dismissed and thought of as time wasting. We would rather have too many calls than too few – a child may be free from abuse because of one call.

I have attached the Solihull Local Safeguarding Children’s Board Annual Report and a small poster that you may wish to print off and post on your work’s notice board. I have also provided a link to the council’s website where there is more information: http://www.solihull.gov.uk/staysafe/20495.htm  LSCB Annual Report  parentsposterA31

I chair the council’s Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Board (NSSB), which scrutinises a wide range of services delivered by the council. Waste and recycling is one of the areas were look at and yesterday I joined a handful of fellow councillors and visited Wolverhampton Council to look at how they collect food waste. I was impressed at the set up and we were also taken to see how the waste ends up at their Anaerobic Digestion plant just over the border in Staffordshire.

At this weeks NSSB we have a briefing item on Food Waste (see http://www.solihull.gov.uk/akssolihull/images/att31703.pdf) . The board has previous recognised supporting Home Composting and the ‘Love Food, Less Waste’ campaign. However, what are your thoughts? Do not be afraid to comment on this website. Alternatively, have a go at the poll – this is the first one I have done (so hope it works).

Solihull Council has recently reviewed its Winter Service Plan (for 2010 to 2015) which was approved last year. At the recent Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Board (which I Chair) held on 12 September we reviewed the plan and lessons learned from last winter. The Service Plan is posted here, together with the report to the scrutiny board: Winter Service Plan 2010-15

I have posted the document ‘Ward Works’ which details works being undertaken on highways within the borough over the next 12 months. Ward Works Programme 01 08 11 The document includes activities to make our roads safer (Speed Aware programme) and where roads are to be repaired (and what type of method to be used). The report is very useful in letting residents know when their area is being looked at. It has information relating to every ward in the borough, not just Blythe ward.