Our ambitions

The following pages describe our seven ambitions - what we aim to achieve for people and the borough over the next five years and beyond. 

Our ambitions take into consideration the national and regional context, enabling us to identify the challenges that Solihull is facing, whilst capitalising on the opportunities available to us. 

Our first four ambitions aim to support people and ensure that they have the right conditions to thrive and achieve their potential. The final three are about Solihull as a thriving, sustainable and attractive place. 

The right conditions for everyone to thrive

• In 2024, five new Family Hubs opened in Solihull including one outreach hub – they can be used by parents and carers to access support.
• 15% of working age people claim Universal Credit - 37% of these are in part-time employment. 

Solihull is one of the least deprived local authorities in the West Midlands, but this is not consistent across the borough:

• Solihull has the largest gap in the West Midlands between the life expectancy of those living in the most and least deprived neighbourhoods (more than ten years for women and more than 12 years for men).
• People in North Solihull are less likely to say that their health is good or very good than people who live elsewhere in the borough (78% vs 85%). 

We aim to create the conditions for everyone in the borough to thrive; for example, by supporting people through our Family Hubs programme, improving education and training opportunities for young people and creating stronger communities for all our residents. 

Reducing health inequalities across Solihull requires concerted, system-wide efforts across the ‘life course’, i.e. from maternity to end of life, as well as targeted efforts aimed at those population groups at greater risk of poor health outcomes. Our Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWS) was finalised in autumn 2024, covering a period up to 2032. Five of the six themes in the strategy are focused on the life course, whilst the final theme relates to improving mental health for people of all ages. It is an overarching strategy, underpinned by the Health Inequalities Strategy and the Prevention Strategy. All three strategies are intrinsically linked and by becoming more effective at preventative measures and addressing inequalities, we should see improvements in health and wellbeing across Solihull.

Achieving this requires close collaboration with residents, community groups and local organisations. We will ensure that our ‘systemwide’ working to improve health and wellbeing, overseen by the Health and Wellbeing Board, includes addressing inequalities as an integral part of its business. 

A lack of access to good employment and skills is a barrier to economic growth and prosperity, particularly in the most disadvantaged parts of the borough. Our Economic Strategy aims to ensure that all residents are aware of, and have a pathway to access local opportunities for training and employment, and can gain support to tackle any barriers to reaching their potential. 

Solihull has a strong reputation for business activity and innovation, and businesses are attracted to the area by strong national transport connectivity, a highly-skilled workforce and a good commercial base. We will engage with businesses to better embed them into local communities, to allow residents to take advantage of these opportunities. We will also work with partners such as Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) to increase access, and reduce journey times, to employment and education centres.

As a major investor and employer within Solihull, we will also seek to ensure our investments maximise social value for local communities. For example, the Council-led Kingshurst regeneration project included a training initiative which offered residents the chance to benefit from free onsite training, opening the door to future employment in the construction industry. 

Communities play a central role in the Council’s approach to prevention, childhood development, promoting wellbeing and a good quality of life for Solihull’s residents. We work with individuals, groups and organisations to develop social networks and community capacity, which can provide solutions to local problems, and conditions for people to be able to live healthy, happy, and connected lives. These relationships were strengthened during the Covid pandemic, and we aim to build on these community partnerships in response to today’s challenges and opportunities. This approach is also about providing investment in and attention to the development of physical and community infrastructure in our neighbourhoods. 

We aim to promote social inclusion and wellbeing and ensure that everyone and every household can play an active part in and benefit from community life in Solihull. This is applicable to lots of groups, including carers, children and adults with disabilities, people who have recently been homeless, people leaving the armed forces, as well as refugee and migrant communities who have resettled in Solihull in recent years.

Since 2021, we have welcomed around 5000 adults and children to the borough through the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Welcome Programme, as well as hundreds more people through refugee resettlement schemes, such as the Homes for Ukraine. We aim to support new communities in the borough through employment and skills assistance, while tackling barriers such as social isolation and loneliness.

Key activities 

• Support economically inactive and vulnerable residents into employment and training and encourage businesses to recruit inclusively.
• The development of a locality-based prevention offer based on local need as part of our ‘Living Well in Solihull’ approach.
• Bring people, groups and organisations together around shared issues and opportunities, particularly in areas of the highest demand for Council services, building further on our approach to asset-based community development and neighbourhood working.
• Create environments that people can thrive in, with children and young people able to play, explore and be visible in their neighbourhoods.
• Improve access to information and advice to maximise the positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

Next page: Our ambitions - Services that people need in the right place at the right time