HHPC News

From September 2016, there will be a new telephone number for people to call to report or get information about a power cut in their area.

The free and easy-to-remember number, 105, will put callers through to their electricity network operators – the companies responsible for repairing their local power network and restoring power.

Residents can call this number regardless of who their electricity provider is and it can be called from mobiles and most landlines in England, Scotland and Wales.

The number can also be used for any welfare concerns related to a power cut, or for concerns about the safety of over or underground electricity cables or substations.

105 has been jointly funded by electricity network operators and is the first three-digit number to be approved for use by the private sector.

Councillor Robert Hulland, Cabinet Member for Resources and Delivering Value, said: “Families and businesses in Solihull need to know where to turn if they find themselves without power, particularly during severe weather or other incidents. The 105 number will cut through the confusion and put people in touch with the information they need, when they need it.”

For more information, visit www.powercut105.com

Having negotiated and accepted the Devolution Agreement with government, the seven constituent councils and the Combined Authority have approved the creation of a mayoral combined authority. This includes the election of a mayor and the associated Mayoral WMCA Functions Scheme. It is this Functions Scheme that is being consulted on.

The ‘Scheme’ is the legislation that says how the Mayor and the WMCA will make decisions, who will be responsible for what and how the Mayor will work with the WMCA board.

Findings from the consultation will be sent as part of the Mayoral WMCA Functions Scheme to inform the decision making of the Secretary of State (SoS) and Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) before an Order could be laid before Parliament. 

It will give the SoS an understanding of what the public think of the functions and responsibilities of a Mayoral WMCA and how the Scheme meets the SoS’s key tests of whether they promote efficient and effective governance and their impact on local community identity.

The consultation is available on the WMCA website, along with the supporting documents which provide all the background information to help people come to a view on how the WMCA and mayor will work together.

The consultation will also be available in hard copy upon request at libraries and some council public buildings across the region (see the relevant local authority website for more information).

Councillor Bob Sleigh, Chair of the WMCA and Leader of Solihull Council said:

 “We have created the WMCA with the clear purpose of improving the prosperity of the region for its people and businesses. Government has recognised that we can work together effectively, which is why we have been able to negotiate a devolution agreement that brings an extra £36.5 million a year to the region over the next 30 years – resulting in an £8 billion investment package.

“A condition of this first Devolution Agreement was an elected mayor, which we have been able to accept because of the significance of the Agreement to the region’s economy.

“The idea of a mayor for the WMCA area is to provide a strong voice for the region. They would also be an ambassador for the area, selling it on the global stage. They would be the point of contact when the Government want to speak to ‘the West Midlands’ and be responsible for driving the Devolution Agreement within government and the region.

“The detail in the Functions Scheme should demonstrate that we have given much thought to how a Mayoral WMCA will work effectively to deliver the Devolution Agreement.

“I encourage residents, businesses, community groups and partners from across the region to complete the consultation and have their say.”

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.