Work on the exciting Holbeche Place development in Solihull will begin this June, marking the start of a major investment in the future of the town centre. To minimise disruption to shoppers, visitors and businesses, work is being delivered in phases. As part of phase 1, the Mell Square car park and public toilets will close on Tuesday 31 March 2026, allowing Solihull Council to begin safely decommissioning services and equipment ahead of demolition. The closest alternative council car parks are Poplar Road car park (formerly Marks & Spencer), Lode Lane Pay & Display, and Dominion Court on Herbert Road. The Council is committed to ensuring that Solihull remains inclusive and accessible to all. 33 additional disabled parking…
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Children and young people hit the right notes when they performed before family and friends during Wolverhampton Music Service’s ‘Be Inspired’ concert series last week. It saw performances by all 15 of the service’s musical groups across four nights, with over 400 young musicians performing 63 pieces of music spanning hundreds of years and genres. Tt included performances by the Youth Choir, Concert String Orchestra, Keyboard Ensemble, Fusion Fives, Big Top SEND Ensemble, Bhangra Fusion Percussion, the Primary and Secondary Rock ‘n’ Pop groups, Guitar Group, Concert Wind Band, New Wind, Early Strings, New Strings, Jazz Big Band, Youth…
Local people have helped shape the future for Wolverhampton’s St George’s, with fresh community feedback calling for a lively and creative multi-use space full of activity day and night. City of Wolverhampton Council and social impact developer Capital&Centric brought together a multi-generational roundtable, inviting students, young people, older residents, community groups, and academics to share what they want from the city centre site. The session, chaired by Councillor Chris Burden, Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, discussed the unmet needs of the city, and how the St George’s site should best be developed. A clear theme…
On Friday 27 February the owner of Boss Mart 4, which was formally operating out of premises on Stratford Road in Shirley, was fined almost £7,000. In his absence at Birmingham Magistrates Court, Mr D Kharoty of Ferguson Road, Oldbury was sentenced for selling illegal vapes and ordered to pay £1,100, plus a victim surcharge of £440 and £5,189 towards costs, totalling £6,749. Solihull Council seized the illegal vapes during raids of the premises in 2024. Boss Mart 4 ceased trading from the premises in October 2025 but it was subsequently occupied by another company, operating under the name Boss…
Solihull’s flagship low‑carbon energy network is entering its final stages of delivery, with construction and fit‑out of the new Energy Centre at Tudor Grange Park now nearing completion. Landscaping works around the site are set to begin shortly, marking another visible step toward the network becoming fully operational. All pipework for the first phase of the scheme has now been successfully installed, creating the spine of the new town centre energy network. With the underground infrastructure in place the next phase of works includes final connections to customer buildings, and testing and commissioning of the system. Once complete, the…
This week I’ve got news of developments from our town centre energy network and £400k of funding available for community groups, but first – dodgy convenience stores. I welcome the news that the owner of Boss Mart in Shirley has been fined nearly £7000. I’m happier that the shop has now shut down after being given notice that the Council would be applying for a closure order. Shops like this blight our high streets, not just with their appearance but with the illegal and often dangerous products they peddle and their tendency to attract antisocial behaviour. We have a…
Walsall Council was delighted to welcome the Mayor of the West Midlands to Bloxwich Launchpad this week, marking a significant moment as the centre continues to support local people and entrepreneurs since opening in September 2025. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase the impact of the Launchpad a dynamic digital skills and incubation hub created as part of the £21.3 million Bloxwich Town Deal investment and to hear from users, partners and local leaders about how the facility is helping to shape economic and community opportunity in Bloxwich and across the borough. Since opening its doors, over 1,100 visits…
As part of the West Midlands Business Festival, a business-focused We Are Walsall 2040 event will take place on Wednesday 11 February 2026 at Bescot Stadium. We Are Walsall 2040 is a long-term plan for the borough of Walsall that aims to accelerate growth and investment across the borough. How will this plan benefit local businesses and what can businesses looking to grow in Walsall expect over the coming years? As part of the West Midlands Business Festival, a business-focused We Are Walsall 2040 event will take place on Wednesday 11 February 2026 at Bescot Stadium. The event will give…
Walsall Council has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering high-quality adult social care services following the publication of an assessment report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The overall rating for Walsall Council is ‘Requires Improvement’. “ We are committed to providing our residents with the best possible adult social care services. “We welcome this report from the CQC. Whilst we don’t recognise everything in the report and the resulting score of this assessment is disappointing, it highlights many areas of positive practice and performance across the service and provides us…
People will be invited to have their say about proposals to introduce a ‘Public Space Protection Order’ (PSPO) to help tackle anti-social behaviour around the Bentley Bridge area when a consultation begins early next month. The order would give police powers to ask groups of 3 or more people to vacate the area if there is reason to believe they are causing or likely to cause a nuisance, and to remove face coverings if they have no reasonable grounds to wear them. These proposals are being put forward to tackle a steady increase in anti-social behaviour – largely involving groups…