Solihull Castle Brom, Kingshurst, Chelmsley Wood, Smith’s Wood and Marston Green
APRIL 2018
Other Side Of
Don’t forget to vote on May 3! Full election results and analysis available on our blog the next day
Beat bobbies call to halt crime hike CONCERNS about crime continue to hang over North Solihull, with more than 1,000 offences reported in the area in the first three months of the year. Councillors from across the political spectrum have voiced their fears, with the latest data showing that total recorded crime across the borough has risen by 10 per cent in the past 12 months. Robbery, burglary and vehicle crime were among the offences that shot up over this time period. Police have said they will continue to drive efforts to bring the figures down, noting that the number of offences did fall in the final quarter of 2017/18. Emotions ran high at a recent meeting of Solihull Council’s cabinet, which was meant to focus on the planned closure of Solihull Police Station but rapidly expanded to wider anxieties. Coun Ted Richards (Con, Castle Bromwich) said it was wrong to lay the blame on budget cuts, arguing that the local authority had also lost millions and had ‘had to manage.’ “[In the ward] we used to have our own sergeant and police, we’re now covered by Smith’s Wood, Castle Bromwich, Kingshurst & Fordbridge... “The problem I’ve got as a resident and as a councillor covering my constituents is that there is a total lack of confidence in the service we’re getting from the police. “And I have to say that is right across the borough, not just in my ward. That is the view of the people. Where are the police on the beat?” Chelmsley Wood councillor James Burn (Green) quoted an incident in which off-road bikes were riding round
and round local parkland for five hours on a Sunday. “People ring 101, it rings out... I’ve had two residents tell me they rung 999 and had no response,” he told the meeting. Although he disagreed that the reduced resources available to officers should be put to one side. “The reality is that the [police budget] has been cut, since 2010, by a quarter. You cannot get Marks and Spencer’s quality at Woolworths’ prices.” Debate again raged at a meeting a few weeks later, in which police were grilled about the latest quarterly figures. Smith’s Wood councillor Mark Wilson (Green) highlighted concerns about the handling of a recent case in Swift Croft. A couple had dialled 999 because of youths running across bungalow roofs, but the response car was stuck in rush hour traffic around 10 miles away and the pair waited four days to see an officer. “The police need the proper resources to do their jobs properly,” said Coun Wilson, who described the current situation as “Victorian”. Superintendent Simon Inglis acknowledged there had been challenges, particularly around burglary, but said there were encouraging signs in the figures for January to March. “There are 211,000 people resident in Solihull – and that doesn’t include the people that come and visit here every single day,” he said, arguing that, given the size of the patch, offences in the borough were still low overall. The force has also said it is encouraging more local people to set up Neighbourhood Watch and Street Watch schemes to help deter the criminals.
‘There is a total lack of confidence in the service we’re getting from the police’
Society’s civil action A CIVIL War re-enactment society beat the drums – and the rain – when they recently set up camp at Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens. The group wound the clock back to the 17th century with a full military display. Turn to Page 5.
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Page 2 Other Side of Solihull
Evolution not extinction! RECENT figures showed that visitor numbers at several of Solihull’s smaller libraries were now less than 10,000 a year. Marston Green was one of the three of the so-called “community” branches where the number of people passing though the doors had dipped below this threshold. Solihull Council is expected to set out plans for a major review of its libraries later this year, with councillors having already spent a year looking at how the service currently operates and considering possible changes. At the moment the options on the table are somewhat open-ended and it is likely to be several months before we get a clearer idea of how the
l SPOTLIGHT ON:
Libraries
council intends to proceed. What is clear is that the local authority wants to put more emphasis on broadening the range of services available, with a cabinet member recently admitting that the days of outlets operating simply as a bookborrowing service are long gone. With this in mind, councillors envisage that the libraries of tomorrow will serve more of a role as general community hubs. Inevitably there are questions about what lies in store for individual sites in the north of the borough. As mentioned above, Marston
l Wildlife memorial created A PATCH of poppies will be planted in Chelmsley Wood to commemorate those who gave their lives in the First World War. The display of flowers will be sown almost 100 years after the Armistice which finally brought the four-year conflict to a close. It is one of several new wildflower meadows being created at sites around the borough by Solihull Council’s Love Solihull team.
l Murder charge for husband POLICE have charged a Chelmsley Wood man with the murder of his wife. Arthur Stonehouse, 73, of Coralin Close, stands accused of killing his wife Tracy (pictured). The 51-year-old victim was discovered dead in the early hours of April 6. A post-mortem confirmed she had suffered multiple stab wounds and other injuries to her head and neck. Stonehouse appeared before magistrates earlier this month.
Green is one of the least-visited branches, while residents will be watching to see how Kingshurst will fit in with the wider plans to redevelop the Parade. During one recent council meeting there were also questions raised about what efforts can be made to bolster facilities at Elmwood Place, based at Smith’s Wood. Ward councillor Mark Wilson said that the facility needed to be more welcoming, saying he was “gobsmacked” that at one stage there was a sign advising the public they weren’t allowed to use the toilet! So while it’s clear that all parties believe libraries need to evolve, the nature of change will no doubt be subject to disagreements.
Introducing:
l Cycle ride through borough THOUSANDS of cyclists are set to pass through North Solihull when a major cycle ride takes place next year. The proposed route for the Velo Birmingham, scheduled for May, will take riders on a stretch of local road. The event, expected to attract around 15,000 competitors, has been hailed as an opportunity to “showcase” the borough. But councillors have acknowledged that they must take steps to minimise disruption to the borough’s highways. The inaugural ride, the route for which did not include Solihull, was held last September.
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the creative choir – singers
A group in fine voice... Absolutely. Students from Park Hall Academy joined with 16 other schools from Birmingham and Solihull to take part in a gala concert in London. Last month’s event brought together 52 choirs formed through the AC Academy education programme. Where did they perform? The show took place at the Park Hall Academy Creative Choir backstage with actor Mark world-famous Royal Albert Williams Hall, the venue probably of HRH The Duke of Kent. They were joined by best-known for the annual BBC Proms. stars of Strictly Come Dancing and Harry Potter actor Mark Williams (pictured with the Park Hall And it was quite a show? group). Yes, around 2,000 youngsters performed in front
Anniversary
l Date for annual market MARSTON Green’s May Market is now just a few weeks away. The annual favourite will be taking place at St Leonard’s Church on May 5. Aside from a traditional Maypole dance, there will be stalls, a tombola and other attractions from 10am2pm. Admission is £1 for adults and children get in free.
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Your Say:
”One has to admire the diligence of @SolihullCouncil in sending parking officers out late at night to target our users.” --- The Three Trees Centre, via Twitter
Month in Numbers
April, 2013 - Work begins on the first phase of the Chelmund’s Cross development.
• 376 years since the Battle of Curdworth Bridge (see page 5). • 17 seats being contested in Solihull at next month’s local elections, with 18 candidates standing locally. • More than 120 felines at the International Cat Show recently held at North Solihull Sports Centre.
Out & About A STREET-party style celebration will be taking place in Marston Green next month. The indoor event will be staged at the Parish Hall on May 19 to celebrate the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. There will be stalls, entertainment and a family disco. For ticket details visit www. marstongreenparishhall.co.uk
Other Side of Solihull Page 3
Yellow lines plan to curb parking issue DOUBLE yellow lines are to be put down at Chelmund’s Cross following concerns that current parking restrictions are not clear enough. In recent months there have been numerous reports of people visiting the village centre and being slapped with a ticket because they were unaware they were not allowed to park at certain locations. Businesses and community groups have been pressing Solihull Council to act following instances of their visitors being caught out. Now the local authority has confirmed that the markings – which it is hoped will help to clarify the situation – will be painted in this month. The Three Trees Centre is among the currently being trialled in Birmingham and Solihull. CONCERNS about drivers racing down Coleshill Heath organisations to have voiced concerns and Road have led to calls for a fixed speed camera to be They will now consider the request, although the claimed that “badly signed” restrictions installed along the route. local authority has noted that the accident history is had cost the venue visitors. Almost 90 residents backed the campaign to place unlikely to mean the location will be considered an A blitz on vehicles during evenings has a digital device on the road, amid fears that a serious immediate priority. caused particular frustration, with the accident could occur on the route near Marston An update will be provided to the council’s cabinet centre having suggested an amnesty after Green. member for transport and highways later this year. 5pm. Coun Alison Rolf (Con, Bickenhill), who presented In the meantime it has been suggested residents In a tweet earlier this month, Three Trees the petition on residents’ behalf, said there were fears said: “One has to admire the diligence that vehicle activation signs were failing to deter some could set up a Speedwatch scheme. Coun Rolf said residents were “disappointed” that of @SolihullCouncil in sending parking motorists from breaking the 30mph limit. the speed camera was not an option at this stage, officers out late at night to target our Solihull Council has referred the request to users. although she added that she would continue to press the Average Speed Enforcement (ASE) team – a “If only similar diligence was used to partnership who oversee eight speed cameras to find a solution to the problem. address the wonky slabs, broken bollards and bent lamp posts outside our building.” Councillor Chris Williams (Green, Chelmsley Wood) said that concerns had mounted that “an awful lot” of tickets had been issued to people. He said that concerns centred on the THE official reopening of fact that notices, advising that parking was restricted to designated bays, were easy to Chelmund’s Fish and Chips took miss as people drove into the centre. “plaice” this month. “There would be a particular problem NORTH Solihull Singers (NSS) The business started welcoming after dark and also there’s the fact have confirmed the winner of a customers back on April 26, with that with places like a doctor’s or brand-new singing competition. a flurry of supportive messages dentist’s people might only tend to visit The local group teamed up on social media. occasionally,” he said. with Black Train Music to run The outlet, at Chelmund’s The concerns prompted discussions with the Solihull Rising Star contest Cross, had closed its doors a short highways officers, although the creation of – which was open to 12 to 14while after opening, following double yellow lines is understood to have years-olds. the resignation of its chief fryer. been complicated by the cobblestones The winner, Liam Price, will Acknowledging “teething which were put down as part of the recent have the chance to perform live problems”, the team behind the development. on stage at the Singers’ concert venture said they would not rush However, in a statement last month, on May 5, accompanied by the to reopen. Solihull Council confirmed that these choir and a band. Now however, around a markings would be put in place once the In addition, there will be a month on, the chippy has hired weather has improved. chance to join Nathaniel Morrison Coun Ted Richards, the cabinet member a replacement and has officially (pictured), a judge on BBC’s for transport and highways, has also said prime-time show All Together reopened. there will be a consultation on parking Now, during a forthcoming appearance in Birmingham. The fast food business is unique provision at the site in the weeks ahead. A six-month membership of the Solihull Out Loud Youth Choir in that it invests profits back In the meantime, Three Trees has and two one-on-one coaching sessions with NSS director Kris into the community. Indeed it is advised visitors to make sure they park in Chase-Byrne also form part of the package. thought that it is the first chip one of the bays, the Co-Op car park (for The concert takes place at the Three Trees Centre. Tickets are £5 shop to operate in this fashion in up to two hours) or in nearby Carisbrooke each from the office or by email (tickets@northsolihullsingers.co.uk). the whole of the UK. Avenue.
Camera call to combat road races
Liam wins new singing competition
Community chippy reopens
Page 4 Other Side of Solihull
Plans for a new Yorkswood THIS is what the new-look Yorkswood Primary School site will look like, once a major building project has been completed. Construction work has started on the multi-million pound development, which will see a new block erected to the rear of the current building. The project is set to be completed by Easter of next year, with classrooms, a school hall and studio to be incorporated.
The development was approved by planning committee last year, following a decision by Solihull Council to create a brand-new building rather than trying to refurbish the existing premises which was in need of considerable improvement work. Yorkswood will be the last of seven primary schools rebuilt in North Solihull over the course of the past decade.
We should do more to tackle causes of poverty A CHELMSLEY Wood councillor said that it was wrong to blame the people of Chelmsley Wood for the borough’s gulf in living standards. Coun Chris Williams (Green) was speaking during a heated Budget debate last month, in which tensions over inequality often bubbled over. The Greens, who sit as Solihull’s official opposition, had accused the ruling Conservative group of presenting a financial package which did little to address the divide between communities – as highlighted in a recent edition of OSOS.
Senior Tories hit back, arguing that millions had been pumped into North Solihull as part of the Regeneration programme and that their party had a record to be proud of. Coun Williams said that it was “complete nonsense” to suggest that lifestyle choices were the root cause of a gap in life expectancy, arguing the council needed to do more to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and assess the impact of cuts. “There is a misunderstanding of what’s going on,” he told members. “We hear that the inequality is fine, because this administration has
dealt with it all and everything else is due to the people of Chelmsley Wood, due to the people of Smith’s Wood, due to the people of Kingshurst & Fordbridge...” Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Coun John Windmill, suggested there had been “no material change” in the fact that men in wards such as Chelmsley Wood die, on average, a decade earlier than those in areas such as Knowle. “We’re not talking about the wolds of Sussex compared to the mining valleys of the Rhondda... or the dark satanic mills of Yorkshire. We’re talking of Solihull, certainly the richest borough in the West Midlands.” Coun Ted Richards (Con, Castle Bromwich), who was the Leader of Solihull Council when the Regeneration was launched in the early noughties, said he was “upset” by the claims that nothing had been done. “I do really feel quite offended by the opposition, the allegations that they have made. There has been tremendous improvements in the lives of people in Solihull. “What’s been achieved in North Solihull has been achieved over very many years by this Conservative administration. I feel proud to have been a member for some considerable years in dealing with that situation.” Another former leader, Coun Ken Meeson, said there had been considerable investment in new schools and public health which his party had considered “the right thing to do”. The Budget agreed by Full Council for the forthcoming financial year is for a problems which pushed back sum of around £140million. And it was the original schedule left church agreed that council tax would rise by trustees Bill Dargue and Stuart 3.99 per cent in 2018/19. Stanton concerned that the In presenting the spending plan, project would not be completed Leader of Solihull Council, Coun Bob in time for the couple’s big day. Sleigh, said that it a “prudent” proposal As it happened, the work was which struck a balance between finished just in time and the bells protecting services and sparing rang out during the service. ratepayers a larger increase in their bills. But the Greens’ leader, Coun James Mr Finney’s film was screened Burn, said his group could not support at the Amateur Film Festival, in a Budget which they said included Harrogate, Yorkshire, on April some measures which would hit the 14. poorest hardest.
Bells film pulls in international recognition A SHORT film which charted efforts to restore the church bells at Castle Bromwich has received recognition in a national contest. The documentary-style feature was shot by Michael Finney and received a four star rating at this year’s British International Amateur Film Competition. The eight-minute film revealed the race to have the new bells ready for the wedding of a local couple, who had chosen to tie the knot at St Mary and St
Margaret’s last August. It was originally intended that the new bells would be completed several days before vows were exchanged, but various delays meant that the work continued until the last minute. The film also features footage taken during casting at Taylor’s bell foundry, in Loughborough, and the painstaking working involved in hanging the new ring in the belfry. Some of the
Other Side of Solihull Page 5
Call of duty: Roundheads take to the battlefield once again
The art of war – 17th century style THIS month, a group of Civil War enthusiasts wound the clock back more than 350 years to one of the most important periods of British history. Other Side of Solihull went along to watch...
I
t is a cold, grey day in April and the crack of guns echoes across Castle Bromwich.
Many of the trees are not yet in leaf, but today the Hall Gardens are awash with colour all the same: blood red tunics, crisp white collars and the flash of metal as men aim their muskets. Lined up on the lawn are the members of Colonel John Pickering, His Regiment Of Foote – a group who re-enact the drills, battles and lunches (camp fires are burning nearby) of the English Civil War. If you’re not too familiar with the conflict which tore 17th century England in two, you might wonder which side has assembled here. In fact these are Cromwell’s men (and women), preparing to do battle against Royalist forces. Or to put it precisely, as commanding officer Stephen Ball tells the crowd of spectators, they are “a Regiment of Cromwell’s Brigade within the Army of Parliament”. This afternoon the group are demonstrating the tactics and weapons which were a central part of warfare in centuries gone by. Key to any battle at this time was the aforementioned muskets, muzzle-loaded long guns which
The Regiment, part of the Sealed Knot, paid a visit to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens earlier this month War soldiers. Regiment are sticklers for detail. could punch holes in heavy armour The Midlands was a key strategic Their costumes and equipment and at this very minute are being battleground and indeed the very are painstaking recreations of what pointed in our direction. first skirmish was fought just a combatants of the day would have Fortunately for us Colonel few miles from Castle Brom, at worn and even this location has a Pickering’s finest are behind the Curdworth Bridge, in the summer of ring of truth around it. safety of some strategically placed 1642. While it’s true that the real-life rope! With the demonstration over, the Roundheads would have been While this is one addition that troupe march back to their camp. In rather puzzled to find themselves would have been rather out of place among the tents we speak to John underneath the airport’s flightpath, in an encampment of the time, Bradstock, from Shirley, who joined this area did in fact play host to Civil in almost every other respect the the Regiment several years ago. “I’ve never been in the Armed Forces myself, but I would imagine the camaraderie is very similar to l Drummers: In an era before the iPhone, what we have in the group,” he commanders relied on the instrument to explained. relay orders on the battlefield. He said that the Regiment attracted people of all ages and various interests and saw them travel l Pikemen: the country attending all manner of While a events. primitive At the May Bank Holiday, members weapon in will be heading to a muster in Bristol, the age of where they will be re-enacting battles gunpowder, with other groups – including those the pike was representing the King’s men. crucial in As far as today goes, the group protecting the l Musketeers: While it could have an hour to enjoy their outdoor slow-loading take years to be a skilled meal and swap a war story or too musketeers bowman, the average person before their second demonstration from “big could be taught to fire a starts. After all, practice makes sweaty men on musket in a few minutes and perfect. horses”. be proficient in an afternoon.
Who’s who in 1642?
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