Kingshurst Primary to be expanded to meet demand for more pupils

A Solihull primary school is set for a major expansion after plans for a brand-new block were rubber-stamped by councillors. The planning committee had agreed proposals for the new building at Kingshurst Primary, which will include three extra classrooms and a new base for the Caterpillars nursery. Council officers had said that the plans for…

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Local vets praised for bringing much-loved Casper ‘back from the dead’

The owner of a 13-year-old King Charles Cavalier has heaped praise on a Solihull vets after they brought his beloved “miracle” pooch back from the dead. Casper was rushed to 608 Vet Practice’s out-of-hours service when his owner Shaun Jackson, and Shaun’s mum, Gloria, saw his health take a dramatic turn for the worse after…

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More than 7,000 broken bins reported in just one month in Solihull last year

More than 7,000 requests to replace broken bins were made to Solihull Council in the space of a single month last year – but the exact cause of the fault is still unclear. A new report has laid bare the huge pressure that a serious problem with containers splitting open placed on services during 2018/19….

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Solihull school wins sport premium award for increasing children’s physical activity

A Solihull school has won one of the prestigious Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire PE and Sport Premium Awards, as part of West Midlands PE and Sport Premium Awards, for increasing children’s physical activity. St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in ChelmsleyWood won the award for Physical Activity and Health Enhancing Initiatives – with the school being…

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The future of Solihull town centre in spotlight as businesses vote on BID renewal

It is almost a decade since the arrival of Solihull Business Improvement District (BID) and we should know in a week or so whether town centre traders have given the nod to extend the scheme until 2025. Ahead of the result, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) looks at how BIDs work in practice, some…

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Unsung heroes recognised at Solihull Civic Honours Awards

On Monday 14 October, unsung heroes throughout the Solihull borough were recognised at the ninth annual Solihull Civic Honours Awards ceremony. The winners were invited to receive their awards from the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Stuart Davis, at Solihull Council’s Civic Suite. The winners also got to meet representatives from their award’s sponsor and also…

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‘Hung, drawn and quartered’ warning if Solihull Council doesn’t tackle overspend

A senior officer will be hired to help Solihull Council deal with immense pressures on school budgets, with a warning it could be “hung, drawn and quartered” if it failed to act. Amid mounting concern about the multi-million pound hole forecast for this year, plans to recruit an assistant director – who would focus on…

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Hundreds of Solihull villagers back petition about crumbling ‘shortcut’ road

Hundreds of residents have raised concerns about the poor condition of a popular cut-through in a Solihull village. Malthouse Row in Marston Green is an “unadopted road”, which means that the council’s highways team is not responsible for its upkeep. However, the arrival of new housing estates means that the byway is an increasingly common…

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Brave PCSO back on the beat after overcoming breast cancer

A brave breast cancer survivor is back on the beat with West Midlands Police after winning her three-year battle against the disease. Police Community Support Officer Karen Ballard used family, friends and a desire to continue her much-loved role as motivation in fighting the illness. The Chelmsley Wood-based officer was diagnosed with breast cancer in…

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Touchwood wins quartet of awards

The team at Touchwood is celebrating after winning a quartet of awards across a range of categories at the Solihull Chamber of Commerce Awards 2019. The centre took home the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community for its ‘Power of Collaboration’ initiative, which saw it strive to use its influence and resources to be…

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