Hello again!
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Solihull Council will be run by a Conservative minority administration and that I will be continuing as Leader of The Council.
This follows the elections earlier in May, so I want to say thank you to everyone involved, and that includes a lot of people and a lot of hard work. So, thanks to everyone in Shirley East & Sharmans Cross who chose to re-elect me, and thanks to every voter who turned out across Solihull to make their voices heard and to the Council staff who successfully ran the first all-out election we’ve had for a long time. It’s a big task but everything went smoothly on the day and at the count.
The all-out election means there’s been a lot of change. I saw plenty of new faces at Full Council on Tuesday, and I welcome all of them and the energy they will bring. Ultimately, regardless of which party we represent, we all work for our constituents and for all the people of Solihull, so I look forward to hearing new ideas and seeing people working hard in their wards.
I’d like to take this chance to acknowledge the work done by every councillor who has not returned after the election, thank you for your time, energy, and expertise. In particular I want to mention two former leaders of this Council, Ian Courts and Bob Sleigh, for their dedication to this borough. They have given a huge amount of themselves to Solihull and can both go into retirement knowing they worked extremely hard to make Solihull a better place, particularly in driving our economy forwards. For that they have my thanks, and I’m sure those of many people across Solihull.
Their departure from the Cabinet means we have a new face – Cllr Dave Pinwell, who will be taking over the Resources portfolio, which is focused on how the Council spends its money. Cllr Heather Delaney will also be shifting into the role of Economy, Business and Skills Portfolio Holder, as well as becoming Deputy Leader of The Council. Cllr Delaney has been an excellent cabinet member for a few years now and is well known in the borough for her outstanding work for children with SEND. I have no doubt she will bring the same energy and skill to her new roles.
The full cabinet is as follows –
Leader of the Council and Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Children & Education - Cllr Karen Grinsell
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Economy, Business & Skills - Cllr Heather Delaney
Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care & Health - Cllr Tony Dicicco
Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Climate Change & Planning - Cllr Andy Mackiewicz
Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Communities - Cllr Wazma Qais
Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment & Infrastructure - Cllr Ken Hawkins
Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing - Cllr Mark Parker
Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Resources - Cllr Dave Pinwell
Finally, we have elected a new Mayor – Cllr Sardul Marwa MBE. He has had a long and distinguished career in public service, and I know he will be an excellent representative for Solihull. Cllr Alan Feeney will serve as Deputy Mayor.
I’ll be back to a more normal column next week, bringing you news from around the borough and some things to look out for in the weeks ahead, but for now – enjoy what’s left of the sunshine and thanks for reading.
Karen