Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a good Christmas break and the return to work and school hasn’t been too much of a shock (good luck to pupils sitting their mock exams!). We’ve had some proper winter weather this week to bring in the new year, I hope you’ve all managed to stay safe and warm despite the snow and low temperatures. Our gritters have been out constantly keeping our main roads clear. The highways staff and our contractors work tirelessly in weather like this to keep us all safe, so I want to say a big thank you to them for their efforts.
It's natural to look ahead at what the coming year has to offer during these first weeks in January. At the Council we will of course be continuing to deliver and improve services for our residents across all areas, but I want to pick out a couple of personal priorities for 2026.
We have an exciting range of developments in progress, and this will be a key year for us to keep pushing forward with Mell Square and Arden Cross in particular. These two projects will unlock vital living, learning, and lifestyle spaces for Solihull residents. You can expect to hear updates on them both throughout this year as we work hard to deliver good quality, well-connected homes whilst doing all we can to protect our green belt.
This year will be an important one in the world of SEND education. The government should soon be detailing reforms in the sector, of which we are eagerly awaiting the detail so that we can get on with the job of doing the best we can for children and their families in Solihull. The current system has struggled to keep up with an increase in the level of need we are seeing across the borough, something that has been seen across nearly every local authority in the country. What I want from the reforms is clarity, purpose, and something that is really geared towards the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.
Some business as usual now, and its already time for me to plug the next edition of the Solihull Apprenticeship and Pathways Show. This fantastic event will take place at North Solihull Sports Centre on Wednesday 28 January and will, as ever, be a great opportunity for young people to speak to employers and training providers about the many options open to them as they move on from school and into the world of further education, training, and work.
We’ve also launched a consultation about Barston Bridge. Many of you already know, and I’m sure everyone living local to it definitely does, that the old bridge built in 1859 has had to have a lower weight limit introduced so we’re looking at options including replacing the bridge or rerouting traffic. Please do take the time to fill in the survey, we know this is extremely important to the community, so we’d love to hear your views.
Finally, huge congratulations to all the Silhillians recognised in the King’s New Year’s Honours list. We are a relatively small borough but one with an outsized impact and a really powerful sense of community. It wouldn’t be right for me to single anyone out individually here, but when I saw the list, I was extremely proud of all those people with a connection to Solihull who were recognised this year.
Thanks for reading, let’s have a great 2026.
Karen