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The Battle of the Somme is seen as representing the brutality and futility of much of the fighting during the war and the first day of the battle was the bloodiest in British military history, with the British Army suffering over 56,000 casualties.

24 men who had lived or studied in Solihull died on the first day; many of them part of the Royal Warwickshire regiment. In total 127 Silhillians died in WWI between July and November 1916 (the duration of the battle).

The event at CTC Kingshurst will see the 24 men remembered, as well as poetry readings from students and a minute’s silence.  There will also be an exhibition on the Royal Warwickshire Regiment featuring genuine battlefield relics and information about local people who served.

The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Mike Robinson, will lead the service; he said “The Battle of the Somme was one of the most devastating battles in British history. This commemoration event will be a fitting tribute to those who fell from across the country but particularly from Solihull.

“The trench at CTC Kingshurst is a great way to help people understand what the men on the front line experienced.”

Although this event is invite-only, the following day (Saturday 2nd) there is an open day for the public to visit the trench and see the exhibition. There will an opportunity for children to take part in activities including rope climbing, practicing medical dressings and looking out into no man’s land through periscopes.

A special exhibition at the Core called ‘Solihull Remembers’ opened on Saturday 25 June and commemorates the men who died and has further information about those died throughout the course of the war.

The men who died in the fighting on the first day are:

John Balkwill
Geoffrey Jermyn Brand
James Burton
John Thomas Churchill
Harold Clifton
Frederick Percy Cooper
Thomas Cooper
William Henry Furse
Robert Quilter Gilson
John Herbert Hockley
Walter Jennings
Horace Birchall Jones
Maurice Nicholl Kennard
Stratford Walter Ludlow
John Palmer Lyndon
Alfred Mutlow
Harry Rudd
Richard James Smith
George Arthur Smitten
Donald George Harding Truman
Leslie Waters
Albert Weale
James Webster
Willingham Franklin Gell Wiseman

Between July and November 1916, 127 men from Solihull died during the course of the Battle of the Somme.

If you have any information on any of the men, please email heritage@solihull.gov.uk.

Solihull Council is making changes to its mobile library service.

The mobile library service which is run in partnership with Warwickshire County Council, brings books, audio books and other library services direct to people who cannot access community libraries. The service is free of charge and there are no charges for fines or reservations.

Following a survey with people who use the service, the mobile library will stay longer at the Cheswick Green and Hockley Heath stops.

Four new stops will also be created at St Francis Lodge, Solihull; Chestnut Court, Castle Bromwich; Kingslea Road, Shirley and Farmhouse Way, Monkspath.

The full mobile library timetable can be found at: www.solihull.gov.uk/Portals/0/libraries/Mobile_library_timetable.pdf or for more information call 01926 851 031.

The Council will examine the WMCA Governance Review, which details how the Mayor and WMCA will be governed.  The review explains the democratic arrangements which underpin the Draft Mayoral Functions Scheme, which the seven constituent WMCA councils are being asked to approve before a public consultation on the scheme in June and July.

The scheme envisages the Mayor chairing a WMCA board which is made up of the leaders of the seven constituent councils.

An elected Mayor is a condition of this first Devolution Agreement, which will bring £36.5m of extra investment per annum over the next 30 years, alongside devolved powers from Westminster.  These include improving transport connectivity, investment into infrastructure and a regional review of skills provision and employment support to ensure local people can make the most of the job opportunities that will come from this investment.

A Mayor will control the five year transport budget; be responsible for a key route network (integrated transport offer across trains and buses); have finance responsibilities, alongside being able to raise a mayoral precept and a business rate supplement (although these will need LEP and council leaders’ approval).

A WMCA Mayor will have other responsibilities around training for work, the HS2 Growth Strategy and initiatives aimed at driving up productivity and economic growth, although any decisions would require majority approval of the WMCA board and will be subject to local democratic scrutiny.

A consultation regarding the proposals in the Draft Mayoral Function Scheme is required under legislation by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.  This two month consultation is expected to begin at the end of June, with an election for the mayor on 4 May 2017.

Councillor Bob Sleigh, Leader of Solihull Council, said:

“We have worked long and hard across the West Midlands to establish the WMCA. We have shown government we can work together effectively. This is why we have been able negotiate a devolution agreement that brings an extra £36.5 million a year to the region over the next 30 years – altogether an £8 billion investment package.

“As PwC and Grant Thornton recently reported, the WMCA and our devolution agreement with government has ‘provided councils with the ability to go further and faster in exploiting the economic potential of the area’, which meets Solihull’s economic-plus test.

“At every stage of this journey we have carefully considered the benefits to be gained, both for the region and in my case, Solihull.  A condition of this first Devolution Agreement was a Mayor.  Because of the significance of the Agreement to the future prosperity of Solihull and the region, it’s a condition we can accept.  Also, the Mayoral Functions Scheme will see the mayor working with the leaders and not separately or above us.

“To reassure everyone the Mayor will not come with planning powers.  Planning powers will remain with each constituent council and through each council’s Local Plan.  Also a Mayor’s budget will require the WMCA cabinet to approve it. 

“Agreeing to the Mayor and this Devolution Agreement is about new powers coming from Westminster to the region, which I feel should be celebrated and embraced as much as the £8 billion investment into the region has been.

“It is clear from the governance arrangements that a Mayor will have to work with the leaders, and vice-versa.  The partnership approach with the Mayor, leaders, LEPs and non-constituent members working together for the region will be about building a strong voice for the region, a voice that government cannot ignore.

“Devolution gives us powers and opportunity that we would not otherwise get. The Mayoral role, through our work with government, will operate within an already strong local democratic system and therefore I believe we can continue to work with this approach.

The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Michael Robinson, officially opened The Core last Friday, 20 May.

The Mayor was joined by representatives from Arts Council England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and fellow councillors to celebrate the grand opening of Solihull’s flagship community building.

The £2.3 million refurbishment of The Core (formerly known as the Central Library & Arts Complex) aimed to improve the existing facilities within the building and bring a number of key services for residents together under one roof.

The Core is home to a library, theatre and café bars (Encore and Ovations), Solihull Connect, heritage and courtyard galleries and a Community Advice Hub.

Solihull’s voluntary and community sector is also now based at The Core, bringing organisations such as Age UK Solihull, Citizens Advice Solihull Borough and Relate into one central location.

The Mayor said “It was an honour to open such a fantastic facility in the heart of Solihull.

“The Core is a testament to how Solihull Council is investing in the borough’s libraries, culture and community.

“It is wonderful that our residents will be able to access so many different and important services in one place. I will certainly be a regular visitor!”