The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Flo Nash, welcomed a delegation from Changzhou, China on Wednesday 12th September. The visiting group of dignitaries spent two days in the borough, culminating in a tree planting ceremony in Brueton Park. On Tuesday, the delegation experienced the industrial strengths of the area as well as the tourism and heritage…

A husband has been jailed after causing £46,000 worth of damage by crashing his wife’s car through doors at the John Lewis store in Solihull. The bizarre moment was captured on CCTV as Shahzad Rafiq made an initial attempt to ram the doors – before eventually driving right through them and into the empty shop….

Traders in Knowle fear that changes to parking charges could place further strain on village businesses. In July, Solihull Council had agreed that free parking would be reduced to half an hour, with a new fees regime ushered in to help ease the pressure on the transport and highways budget. As part of the shake-up…

Workers at Jaguar Land Rover’s historic Castle Bromwich factory are being told they’re moving to a three-day week until Christmas. The change comes with the car giant struggling as a result of Brexit and the fall in demand for diesel models. Jack Dromey (Lab, Erdington) is the MP for the area. Mr Dromey told BirminghamLive:…

A row over a cemetery headstone’s rose motif has developed into a full-blown legal battle involving the church court and the deceased’s MP. The family of Margaret Moore, who died of pancreatic cancer in April, have been banned from erecting a cremation stone bearing a simple rose emblem at St Nicholas’ Church cemetery, Elmdon, Solihull….

A man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl who was found after almost a month. A 20-year-old was detained after Naomi Rees was discovered in Solihull. She disappeared from her home in Pontypridd, Wales on 15th August. On Monday, the youngster’s 16th birthday, her family made a heartfelt plea…

Solihull Council, alongside new leisure partner Everyone Active, has announced plans to undertake an essential maintenance project that will protect the long-term future of the swimming pools at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre. The project will resolve an ongoing issue with the poolside tiling and result in the temporary closure of the centre’s three swimming pools…

The chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover has warned that supply bottlenecks resulting from a “no deal” Brexit could bring to a halt production at the company’s UK car plants. Ralf Speth said that, with JLR producing 3,000 cars daily and relying heavily on “just in time” supply chains where parts are delivered shortly before…

Arrest rates are down and police are breathalysing fewer motorists because of massive funding cuts. And West Midlands Police is unfairly hit by a system which means it suffers bigger cuts than other forces. This is the damning verdict in a new report by the National Audit Office, the official watchdog for public spending. It…

From bobby on the beat to being in the hot seat – policing in Solihull has gone full circle for the town’s new top cop. Lee Wharmby started his career as a PC keeping the streets of Solihull safe and is now back as Chief Superintendent. It is a homecoming for the 47-year-old who even…