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Contents

Our Vision: Solihull – a great place to live, work, invest and enjoy. Our Values: Ambitious, Adaptable, Respectful, Trustworthy.

Introduction from the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council 3 Solihull and its people 4 Solihull Residents' Perception Survey 5 About the Council: Highlights from 2024/25 6 The national and regional context 7 Our plan on a page 9 Our ambitions 11 The right conditions for everyone to thrive 11 Services that people need in the right place at the right time 13 Children and young people have the best possible outcomes 14 Adults are supported to maximise wellbeing and independence 16 A vibrant economy with increased access to opportunities 18 Opportunities and fairer outcomes by acting on climate change 20 An attractive and aspirational place 22 How we will deliver 24 Our Service Model 24 Achieve financial sustainability 24 Deliver our Corporate Transformation Programme 25 Take preventative action and address inequalities 25 Work with partners to get the best for Solihull 26 How we will measure progress 27 Strategies that deliver our Council Plan ambitions 28

Pupils being served lunch by Solihull Catering Services

Introduction from the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council

Our Council Plan sets out our vision for Solihull, the direction that we want to go in as a Council, how we aim to travel along that journey and what we want to see at the end of it.

This Plan for 2025-30 is based on a new vision 'Solihull: a great place to live, work, invest and enjoy', which seeks to capture what is best and most unique about Solihull. It builds on strong foundations and makes the most of what Solihull has to offer our residents, our partners, and our businesses.

Our new plan contains seven key ambitions for the next five years and beyond. These reflect our aspirations for Solihull and its people and our commitment to ensuring that everyone in Solihull is supported to thrive and achieve the best possible outcomes. They also reflect our commitment to sustainable economic growth and climate change action, whilst maintaining the unique character of our borough. All seven ambitions are equally important as a thriving economy, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability go hand in hand.

We pride ourselves on being a Council that is small enough to care, but big enough to make a difference. We have ambitious plans for Solihull, including the UK Central Hub and the East Birmingham and North Solihull Strategy, which will ensure that economic growth delivers lasting benefits to local people. Being ambitious for Solihull children remains central to all our work as a Council. Children and young people are our future, and we will not let up in driving to improve outcomes for them. A full Ofsted inspection, due in autumn 2025, will give us a measure of our progress.

We know we will have to operate differently to be able to ‘live within our means’ going forward. A focus on prevention and intervention, supporting people to live well and independently, will be integral. A more joined-up approach to public services is needed – and the Council will play a leading role, working with our partners from health, education, and the emergency services.

We serve a range of communities, and we have unfunded spending pressures facing us in the next few years due to rising demand for services and other pressures. Our application to government for exceptional financial support was successful in February 2025. However, we continue to press the point that we do not receive sufficient funding to cover the increasing costs of Adult Social Care and Children's Services.

To tackle our spending pressures over the coming years, our Corporate Delivery Board is driving forward the delivery of £23.2 million of savings in 2025/26 and will need to identify further savings beyond this. Over the last few months, we have invited residents, employees, local businesses, parish and town councils, voluntary groups and partners to help us to shape our new plan for 2025-30. Overall, people told us that our vision resonates with them and that the seven ambitions we have outlined focus on the right things. They also told us we need to set out clearly what we plan to do to achieve the ambitions and how we will report on progress. We have tried to reflect this in the plan.

This plan will only achieve what it needs to through the combined efforts of our employees, elected members, partners, and our local communities. We look forward to working together to achieve our vision which will ensure that economic growth delivers lasting benefits and opportunities to local people.

Councillor Karen Grinsell, Leader of the Council

Paul Johnson, Chief Executive

Solihull and its people

Population: 218,793 (2023)

the Solihull population grew by 4.6% (9,678) between 2013 and 2023.

Age distribution:

0-15 Years 20% 16-39 Years 27% 40-64 Years 32% 65+ Years 21% The population aged 65 and over increased 10% between 2013-2023. It is the fastest growing population cohort.

The under 16 population grew 9% influenced by a much younger population in North Solihull.

Communities are becoming increasingly diverse as ethnic minorities now account for 18% of the population.

West Solihull: 23% North Solihull: 13% East Solihull: 10%

Solihull is a relatively affluent borough but there is disparity; 41% of North Solihull residents are living in the 10% most deprived areas in England.

Life expectancy in Solihull is the 2nd highest in the West Midlands.

However, Solihull also has the largest life expectancy gap in the West Midlands between the most and least deprived neighbourhoods (10+ years for women and 12+ years for men).

Solihull Residents' Perception Survey

84%

of respondents indicated that people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area. 68%

of respondents are concerned about climate change.

57%

of respondents have a good knowledge of individual actions to combat climate change.

89% 🍁 🍊 🍊

of respondents feel strongly that they belong to their local neighbourhood - this is higher than the England average of 61%. 81%

of respondents never or hardly feel lonely.

30% of respondents have taken part in formal volunteering in Solihull, however 51% have given unpaid help in their community – higher than the England average of 44%.

78% of Solihull residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live. 86%

of respondents felt safe in their local area during the day.

About the Council: highlights from 2024/25

While we have key activities to deliver and outcomes to achieve, a huge amount of other work takes place across teams every day. Here are some highlights which have contributed to serving the needs of our residents, visitors, businesses and stakeholders in 2024/25.

2,981

applications processed for primary school places.

4,877

applications processed for secondary school places.

5,389

adults received support from Adult Social Care.

4,593

children received support from Children's Services.

1,490

residents successfully completed treatment through Solihull Addiction services (commissioned by the Council). 25,000

trees planted for Planting Our Future. On target to plant 250,000 trees by 2030.

9,397,080 waste and recycling collections.

2,614,408 website visits.

512,177 visits to Solihull libraries.

2,645

staff employed by the Council. 19% of our staff are from an ethnic minority background.

The national and regional context:

The Council Plan takes into account the broader national and regional context, reflecting how Solihull can adapt to challenges and take advantage of opportunities.

The economy

Solihull remains one of the highest performing economies in the UK. Our economy supports more than 151,000 jobs and on a per capita basis is the 4th largest labour market outside of London and the South-East. Furthermore, Solihull generates economic output worth over £9.32bn, and is home to significant regional assets such as Birmingham Airport, NEC and Jaguar Land Rover.

As a key driver of economic growth for the region, we expect the borough to feature prominently in the West Midlands Combined Authority's Growth Plan, which is aligned with the Government's national growth mission. We are promoting and supporting the economic opportunities in Solihull through our Place-Based Strategy.

Nationally, economic growth, productivity and wage increases have been subdued over recent years and household incomes have been squeezed as a result. Below average GDP growth is projected to continue, due in part to the continued global uncertainty. However, Solihull has strong economic foundations and is well-placed to weather any storms. In recent years, there have been troubling national and regional trends around economic inactivity, which is on the rise due to long-term sickness being a particular concern. We need to better understand why this is happening in Solihull and encourage those who are inactive back into the labour market. To help address this, we are taking a leading role in delivering new models of public service delivery, for example through joined-up work and health initiatives.

National policy

We continue to monitor and respond to changes in government policy:

A new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published in December 2024, which sets out the Government's planning policies for England and how these should be applied. The NPFF is increasing our obligation to build more housing in Solihull, which we will seek to balance with protecting the characteristics of the borough.

The Government's English Devolution White Paper (EDWP), also published in December 2024, proposed a series of reforms to regional and local government. It set out the Government's plans to widen devolution arrangements to all areas across England.

In Solihull, officers and members continue to work closely with the WMCA and constituent local authorities to seize the opportunities associated with devolution. The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) became one of two English regions to receive an ‘Integrated Settlement (IS)’ from government. The IS brings together funding across five functional responsibilities – adult skills and employment, housing and regeneration, net zero (buildings retrofit), transport and local growth and place – into a single funding pot. That means the WMCA, alongside local authority partners like Solihull, will have greater certainty and more flexibility and control over funding. In Solihull, our Place-Based Strategy sets out how we will utilise the IS funding to progress local priorities.

The EDWP included proposals to provide combined authority mayors with more powers over planning and development. We continue to monitor these developments and are engaging with the WMCA to represent Solihull's interests.

Long-awaited reforms to local government finance were also announced through the EDWP. From 2026/27, the Government will provide multi-year funding settlements for local authorities and reduce the number of restrictive pots of money. Alongside this, the Government is also considering a new model for locally raised business rates for local authorities.

In parallel, the Government is proposing to reform how local government finance is allocated to better reflect the diverse needs of local areas. We are awaiting the outcome of a consultation on the proposals, and this could have a significant impact on Solihull.

Regulatory responsibilities

As a Council, we have hundreds of statutory duties to fulfil. Some of the areas where we have regulatory responsibilities include social care, education, public health, homelessness, housing, waste and recycling, maintaining highways and the public realm, environmental health and trading standards. Our regulatory responsibilities continue to evolve, reflecting national policy.

Our performance is scrutinised through several regulatory frameworks including:

• Inspection of local authority Children's Services by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and Joint Targeted Area Inspections.
• The Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) inspection framework.
• Care Quality Commission assurance of council Adult Social Care functions.
• A regulatory framework for social housing, which came into effect on 1 April 2024.

Cllr Hawkins, Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, promoting recycling in Solihull

Our plan on a page

The 'plan on a page' is a visual summary of our Council Plan for 2025-30. It contains our:

• Vision for Solihull, capturing succinctly what is best and unique about Solihull.
• Organisational values which guide our day-to-day decisions and behaviour. These are: ambitious, adaptable, respectful and trustworthy.
• Seven ambitions, or 'what' we seek to achieve for people and our borough – these reflect the belief that a thriving economy, health and wellbeing, and environmental sustainability go hand in hand.
• Four statements setting out 'how' we will work to deliver our ambitions.
• Pledge to put children and young people at the heart of everything we do, enabling them to have the best possible lives.

Solihull Council Plan 2025-2030 Our vision: Solihull - a great place to live, work, invest and enjoy Our values: Ambitious Adaptable Respectful Trustworthy

Our seven ambitions

The right conditions for everyone to thrive

A vibrant economy with improved access to opportunities

How we will work

Achieve financial sustainability

Services that people need in the right place at the right time

Opportunities and fairer outcomes by acting on climate change

Children and young people have the best possible outcomes

An attractive and aspirational place

Deliver our corporate transformation programme

Take preventative action and address inequalities

Adults are supported to maximise wellbeing and independence

Work with partners to get the best for Solihull

Being ambitious for Solihull children is central to our work as a Council

Our ambitions

The following pages describe our seven ambitions - what we aim to achieve for people and the borough over the next five years and beyond.

Our ambitions take into consideration the national and regional context, enabling us to identify the challenges that Solihull is facing, whilst capitalising on the opportunities available to us.

Our first four ambitions aim to support people and ensure that they have the right conditions to thrive and achieve their potential. The final three are about Solihull as a thriving, sustainable and attractive place.

The right conditions for everyone to thrive

• In 2024, five new Family Hubs opened in Solihull including one outreach hub – they can be used by parents and carers to access support.
• 15% of working age people claim Universal Credit - 37% of these are in part-time employment.

Solihull is one of the least deprived local authorities in the West Midlands, but this is not consistent across the borough: - Solihull has the largest gap in the West Midlands between the life expectancy of those living in the most and least deprived neighbourhoods (more than ten years for women and more than 12 years for men).

People in North Solihull are less likely to say that their health is good or very good than people who live elsewhere in the borough (78% vs 85%).

We aim to create the conditions for everyone in the borough to thrive; for example, by supporting people through our Family Hubs programme, improving education and training opportunities for young people and creating stronger communities for all our residents.

Reducing health inequalities across Solihull requires concerted, system-wide efforts across the ‘life course’, i.e. from maternity to end of life, as well as targeted efforts aimed at those population groups at greater risk of poor health outcomes. Our Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWS) was finalised in autumn 2024, covering a period up to 2032. Five of the six themes in the strategy are focused on the life course, whilst the final theme relates to improving mental health for people of all ages. It is an overarching strategy,

Enjoying craft activities at one of our Family Hubs

underpinned by the Health Inequalities Strategy and the Prevention Strategy. All three strategies are intrinsically linked and by becoming more effective at preventative measures and addressing inequalities, we should see improvements in health and wellbeing across Solihull.

Achieving this requires close collaboration with residents, community groups and local organisations. We will ensure that our ‘system-wide’ working to improve health and wellbeing, overseen by the Health and Wellbeing Board, includes addressing inequalities as an integral part of its business.

A lack of access to good employment and skills is a barrier to economic growth and prosperity, particularly in the most disadvantaged parts of the borough. Our Economic Strategy aims to ensure that all residents are aware of, and have a pathway to access local opportunities for training and employment, and can gain support to tackle any barriers to reaching their potential.

Solihull has a strong reputation for business activity and innovation, and businesses are attracted to the area by strong national transport connectivity, a highly-skilled workforce and a good commercial base. We will engage with businesses to better embed them into local communities, to allow residents to take advantage of these opportunities. We will also work with partners such as Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) to increase access, and reduce journey times, to employment and education centres. As a major investor and employer within Solihull, we will also seek to ensure our investments maximise social value for local communities. For example, the Council-led Kingshurst regeneration project included a training initiative which offered residents the chance to benefit from free onsite training, opening the door to future employment in the construction industry.

Communities play a central role in the Council's approach to prevention, childhood development, promoting wellbeing and a good quality of life for Solihull's residents. We work with individuals, groups and organisations to develop social networks and community capacity, which can provide solutions to local problems, and conditions for people to be able to live healthy, happy, and connected lives. These relationships were strengthened during the Covid pandemic, and we aim to build on these community partnerships in response to today's challenges and opportunities. This approach is also about providing investment in and attention to the development of physical and community infrastructure in our neighbourhoods.

We aim to promote social inclusion and wellbeing and ensure that everyone and every household can play an active part in and benefit from community life in Solihull. This is applicable to lots of groups, including carers, children and adults with disabilities, people who have recently been homeless, people leaving the armed forces, as well as refugee and migrant communities who have resettled in Solihull in recent years. Since 2021, we have welcomed around 5000 adults and children to the borough through the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Welcome Programme, as well as hundreds more people through refugee resettlement schemes, such as the Homes for Ukraine. We aim to support new communities in the borough through employment and skills assistance, while tackling barriers such as social isolation and loneliness.

Key activities

• Support economically inactive and vulnerable residents into employment and training and encourage businesses to recruit inclusively.
• The development of a locality-based prevention offer based on local need as part of our ‘Living Well in Solihull’ approach.
• Bring people, groups and organisations together around shared issues and opportunities, particularly in areas of the highest demand for Council services, building further on our approach to asset-based community development and neighbourhood working.
• Create environments that people can thrive in, with children and young people able to play, explore and be visible in their neighbourhoods.
• Improve access to information and advice to maximise the positive impact on people's health and wellbeing.

Services that people need in the right place at the right time

• Since 2022/23, visits to the Council's Here2Help web pages have increased 9% from 212,809 to 231,332 (2024/25).

- There are 95 community buildings in the borough. These are actively used by community organisations within Solihull.

Solihull Council is here to help residents live well and find the services and support needed at all stages of life.

People can find the support they need on the Council website under the Here2Help section. These pages provide signposting information and contact details for getting help with food, fuel, money, staying well and keeping safe.

• The scale of the financial challenge facing the Council over the next few years means that we must look at providing services differently. We will do this by working in collaboration with other public and voluntary organisations.

Currently, residents have a wide variety of needs and access Council services in different ways. We offer a choice of methods for how they can contact us, but we believe we can increase the quality of the service offered if we tailor the method of contact based on a person's need.

Our desire is to deliver a ‘right service, right place, right time’ approach. This will ensure that residents receive timely, effective, and person-centred support when and where they need it.

How this will work in practice:

• We will move away from a one-size-fits-all provision – our response to residents will be based on their needs.
• We will strengthen our 'front-door' systems to ensure people are connected to the right support from the outset.
• We will combine in-person, digital and outreach services to meet people where they are.
• We will enhance our digital offer to free up face-to-face time for those who need it most.
• We will make services available where they are needed, moving away from reliance on buildings.
• We will offer methods of contact that are convenient for people when they want it, including self-service options for those wanting a digital service.

Key activities

• Use digital technology to extend access to Council services, enabling residents to self-serve when they choose.
• Ensure that vulnerable customers can access face-to-face service provision in a convenient community location.

Mid-Autumn Festival celebration at Touchwood Shopping Centre bringing together diverse communities from across Solihull

Children and young people have the best possible outcomes

• Whilst children's needs are increasing, more children and young people are supported in school with special educational needs and disabilities (15.0%) with fewer requiring an EHCP (4.5%) than seen nationally.
• The total school population peaked in 2022/23 at 38,380 and has seen an overall drop of 1.7% in the last two years.
• The number of Solihull children in need increased by 48% in the five years to 2023/24.

In 2023/24, 53% of 19-21 year-old care leavers were in education, employment or training, higher than the West Midlands average of 51%.

• Our Children's Services are on a journey of improvement since being rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted in November 2022. We continue to work closely with the Government-appointed commissioner, Sir Alan Wood, and our regional improvement partner Birmingham Children's Trust, who have been integral to the developments made over the period.

Since the full inspection in October 2022, our Children's Services has received six monitoring visits from Ofsted looking at each service area. The final visit in April 2025 focused on our 'Front Door' service, and inspectors recognised the significant improvement that has been made. We continue to prepare for a full inspection by Ofsted, which is anticipated in autumn 2025.

We continue to shift our focus on prevention by ensuring that high-quality support is available for children and families at the earliest point of need. In July 2024, the Family Hubs programme officially opened, providing a 'one-stop shop' where children and families can access health appointments, youth clubs, parental guidance and wellbeing, as well as help for people with special educational needs. We have also launched a Family Helpline to provide support for parents and children.

Cllr Karen Grinsell accepts the donation of laptops for care experienced young people from Navdeep Sehra, Seddon Construction

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In the spring of 2024, we opened the first of three children's homes in Solihull, providing a secure place in the borough for children and young people who need a caring, supportive and consistent environment to live in. Children remain at the heart of everything we do as a Council. We have refreshed our Corporate Parenting Board arrangements, with officers from across the Council, partners, care experienced young people, and young people in care, sitting on the board. Care experienced young people are also directly involved in recruiting new Children's Services professionals. Alongside the Corporate Parenting Board, we also have a community parenting approach which works with local, national and international businesses, as well as charities and voluntary organisations, to support young people into education, training and employment.

'Ambitious for our children' is our approach to the ongoing improvement of services for our children and families within the borough. We are confident in the progress which has been and continues to be made; this is reflected in the feedback from monitoring visits and in fewer children requiring care and other types of intervention.

Education and inclusion

Our vision is to achieve inclusion and equality for all Solihull children and young people. Our work seeks to bring the education system together to pre-emptively remove any potential barriers to learning so everyone can belong and succeed in their local school community.

Solihull schools achieve good outcomes, but we recognise that each child and young person is different and that they learn best when they have access to multiple means of engagement, representation, expression and action; developing their knowledge, personal characteristics and opportunities to maximise their achievements and ambitions.

We also believe that every child and young person matters equally; we know that many children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or additional needs may need more support throughout their life. Our Joint Additional Needs Strategy (JANS) has been produced by working directly with children and young people with SEND or additional needs, their parent carers, and those who support them. The strategy underpins work across education, health and care and highlights the areas these children and young people want us to focus on in the future to ensure the best possible outcomes.

The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) has a significant impact on delivering SEND and alternative provision services in Solihull. As one of the 40 lowest-funded council education areas, we need to ensure we meet needs at the earliest opportunity, and we are utilising some DSG funding to invest in doing this.

Our Education Strategic Plan sets out our priority areas for improving the outcomes of children and young people whilst better supporting the financial sustainability of the system. This approach includes ensuring there are sufficient school places to meet demand locally, strengthening the alternative provision offer to reduce exclusions and increase attendance, and reviewing the guidance and support we make available to schools and families.

Key activities

• Continue to improve quality and consistency of practice by embedding restorative and evidence-based practice and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Be a great place to work through effective and efficient recruitment processes, and a supportive workplace with good development opportunities.
• Be a good corporate parent and have an effective commissioning process that delivers a good choice of financially sustainable, quality placements for children in our care.
• Make it easier for children with additional educational needs to receive the right support, in the right place and at the right time, through our SEND transformation plans and readily respond to national improvement programmes.

Adults are supported to maximise wellbeing and independence

In the national audit social care survey:

• 81.9% of Solihull people who use care services feel they have control over their daily lives, increasing 3% from the previous year.
• 91.8% of people who use care services report those services make them feel safe and secure.

Adult Social Care support enables people with care and support needs to stay as independent and well as possible, for as long as possible. We work closely with partners including NHS organisations, care providers, voluntary organisations, community and local businesses to help deliver effective services. We recognise, value and support the important and vital contribution of unpaid carers in Solihull and want to ensure there are appropriate services and support in place for carers as shown in our Carers' Strategy.

Solihull is facing demographic challenges and rising demands on Adult Social Care, which means we must respond as early as possible. For instance, the number of people aged 65 and over in the borough increased by 18% between 2011 and 2021, and this proportion is projected to continue to increase in the future. In addition, 14,500 Solihull residents aged 65 and over have a disability that limits their daily activity. This also means that we need to continually improve the way we work, including using new and emerging technologies to better respond to increased demand and support people to live independently.

Recognising these challenges, our Adult Social Care 5 Year Plan was co-produced with people with care needs, unpaid carers, and partner organisations. The plan covers a period up to 2027 and sets out our vision, our approach, and our priorities. We have embedded our get involved approach to co-production and continue to encourage people with lived experience to play an active role in helping shape the future of Adult Social Care in Solihull.

Learning independent living skills with support from Adult Social Care

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The five-year All-Age Prevention Strategy, builds on our ambition to support people to remain well and independent for longer. This will help to reduce demand for more intensive services, ensuring that the right care continues to be available for everyone who needs additional care and support.

Reflecting our Council-wide focus on being ambitious for our children, Adult Social Care and Children's Services have worked together to improve the experience and support provided through transition. This is the period when a young person moves from being supported by Children's Services, to being supported by Adult Social Care. This proactive joint work will continue.

We are also preparing for an inspection of our adherence to Care Act duties and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Adult Social Care framework. Through our focus on continuous improvement we are building on what we are doing well and taking positive action to deliver on-going improvements to meet the needs of people with care and support needs and unpaid carers in Solihull.

Key activities

• Further improve support for unpaid carers, by continuing to offer a range of support options including respite at home as well as in care settings, direct payment support, and improved access to information and advice. We will use feedback from carers to further develop our improvement plans.
• Fulfil our statutory safeguarding duties while continually improving practice and providing accessible support for people who need it. - Work with the local care market to assure good quality care in Solihull through a range of care and support options, to ensure people's needs are met in the way that is best for them, supporting their wellbeing and independence.
• Achieve positive outcomes in the CQC inspection, using the evidence of our performance to date, the experiences of people we support, and plans for further development.

Kindness and compassion in action at Chelmunds Court Care Home

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A vibrant economy with increased access to opportunities

Solihull drives the West Midlands' economy; we have the highest gross value added (GVA) per head in the West Midlands (£44,613) and the 8th highest outside London.

We have strong foundations to build upon. Solihull remains one of the UK's strongest-performing economies, as well as the gateway for the region. As a Council, we aim to drive the conditions for growth and to address inequalities within the borough. Our 'UK Central Solihull' brand promotes Solihull as one of the UK's best-connected destinations for businesses, leisure and living, and a prime location for new investment.

UK Central focuses on three key areas of economic opportunity across the borough:

UK Central Hub represents a dynamic cluster of economic assets including Birmingham Airport, the NEC, Birmingham Business Park and Jaguar Land Rover. At the heart of The Hub, we are proud to host the £3.2bn Arden Cross development, which will support up to 27,000 jobs and up to 3,000 new homes, providing office spaces, cafes and public areas. This will also be complemented by a new Health Tech Campus led by the University of Warwick. Arden Cross will be transformed with the future arrival of the HS2 Interchange Station, which will act as a catalyst for investment, and deliver benefits for all of our communities. As one of the region's strongest gateway assets, Arden Cross is set to feature prominently in the West Midlands Growth Plan.

UK CENTRAL SOLIHULL

Solihull town centre is an established and popular thriving commercial centre with an enviable reputation for the opportunity, connectivity and the lifestyle it offers. We are seeking to enhance the existing retail offer, visitor experience, and nighttime economy through the Solihull Town Centre Masterplan. One of the key projects within the masterplan is the regeneration of Mell Square. In March 2025, our preferred development partner, Muse Places Ltd, submitted a planning application for up to 1,600 homes as part of a new mixed-use neighbourhood which includes shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and public spaces.

North Solihull is strategically located next to the UK Central Hub and has a strong track record for regeneration activity in Solihull. Within this area, we are currently redeveloping Kingshurst village centre to create a high quality, sustainable and well-integrated community with enhanced potential to benefit from the Hub. The first phase of construction comprising of 25 new sustainable social rented homes was successfully completed in September 2024. We are currently moving on to phase two of the development which includes a new community, health and retail hub. In driving a vibrant local economy, we recognise the need to enhance transport links locally, to better connect people with jobs and education opportunities. Our borough continues to benefit from exceptional levels of national and regional connectivity, but there is room to improve public transport.

We continue to work with Transport for West Midlands and other partners to enhance public transport across the borough. We know that transport is key to connecting residents with jobs and education opportunities. We continue to make the case for enhancing public transport between North Solihull and the UK Central Hub and our town centre.

In May 2025, the West Midlands Mayor made a decision to begin the transition process towards franchised bus services from 2027. We have asked for safeguards to be built into the franchising process, particularly to ensure that the new model supports an appropriate network of bus routes to accommodate travel demand beyond central Birmingham. We will monitor the implementation of the plans to ensure that bus franchising delivers the best outcomes for Solihull's residents.

As part of the 2023 Trailblazer Deeper Devolution Deal, a Growth Zone was established in East Birmingham and North Solihull (EBNS). This is a major opportunity for the West Midlands, with the opportunity to increase housing and drive employment growth and innovation in low carbon energy. Within the Growth Zone, we can retain all income generated from business rates for a period of 25

years from 1 April 2024, with the funds available for reinvestment in development, infrastructure and services.

The EBNS strategy sets out a vision for the regeneration of North Solihull, aiming to deliver multi-modal transport improvement through capitalising on the benefits of HS2, while prioritising employment and education opportunities, and preventative care. The strategy emphasises the need for an ambitious, long-term approach combining capital investment with public service improvement to deliver sustainable local economic development.

On 1 April 2025, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester became the first areas in the UK to receive the Integrated Settlement (IS) from the Government. The IS signals the removal of historic ring-fencing of funding, giving greater control and choice over what devolved funding can be spent on. Local authorities are central to the delivery of the IS, and we have developed a Place Based Strategy which will align any funding we receive with local priorities for economic growth and climate change action.

We will ensure that all our businesses, communities and individuals have equal opportunities to benefit from these developments, particularly in the most disadvantaged areas of the borough. This will require an integrated approach to infrastructure investment, housing and joined up local public services.

Artist's drawing of Mell Square regeneration

Key activities

• Unlocking the development opportunity at Arden Cross and supporting the University of Warwick's plans to deliver a Health Tech campus.
• Deliver a new community, health and retail hub as phase two of the Kingshurst village centre redevelopment.
• Deliver the first phases of the Mell Square redevelopment, as part of the Solihull Town Centre Masterplan.
• Deliver upon the Council's investment strategy for the East Birmingham and North Solihull (EBNS) Growth Zone.
• Continue to support approaches which drive inclusive growth (growth which benefits people and places) through key local developments, the EBNS Growth Zone, and pilot projects which test innovative ways of doing things.
• Deliver the Council's transport investment programme, whilst working with Transport for West Midlands to lobby for improved connectivity from North Solihull to Solihull town centre.
• Deliver targeted programmes of business support and inward investment to support high-value sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and develop growth sectors (including future mobility, creative and digital), as well as supporting the vital role of the everyday and rural economies.

Opportunities and fairer outcomes by acting on climate change

• 57% of Solihull respondents say that they have a good knowledge of what they can do to combat climate change.
• Since launching the Planting our Future initiative in 2020, Solihull has planted 100,000 trees.

- 68% of respondents are concerned about climate change, including 22% who are very concerned.

• We are committed to taking climate action that benefits the borough and our residents. Our challenging aim is to be net zero in council operations by 2030 and as a borough by 2041. Our climate is already changing so we need to ensure that our services and our borough are resilient to this change, whilst capitalising on opportunities available to residents to benefit from climate change. Working towards net zero supports the development of Solihull's business sector through high-skilled, low-carbon jobs, while residents can benefit from energy efficiency measures available to them, cutting energy costs and creating sustainable and warmer homes. We are proud of our role in facilitating climate action across the borough. Solihull's borough-wide carbon emissions have reduced by 30% from 2012 to 2022 and our council operational emissions by 72% between 2009/10 and 2023/24. Whilst progress has been made, we know we still have a long way to go.

As a Council we control less than 1% of borough-wide emissions but have an influence over around three quarters of emissions. It is vital that we work with residents, businesses, and other organisations to deliver actions which reduce carbon emissions, such as retrofitting properties or the Solar Together scheme. Businesses and other organisations in Solihull are a key part of ensuring the borough meets our climate change aims. Solihull's green economy is growing - our Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Sector grew 6% to £1.09bn in 23/24 and is forecast to grow to £1.58bn over the next five years. We want to make the most of this to benefit our borough, ensuring our businesses support our aims by taking action to reduce emissions and adapt to our changing climate.

We are currently working with partners to deliver an innovative and reliable Energy Network in Solihull town centre that will deliver low carbon heat and power to a range of public and private sector customers, including Council owned buildings, education campuses and commercial offices. The energy will be

YOUR FUTURE SOLIHULL

Your Future Solihull' is the Council's climate change and sustainability campaign

generated at a centralised new energy centre, located next to Tudor Grange Leisure Centre car park, and distributed to buildings via a system of underground pipes and cables. This will significantly reduce greenhouse emissions, helping Solihull in its drive towards net zero emissions by 2041, while helping to reduce fuel bills.

The Solihull Climate Change Prospectus (CCP) outlines the steps needed to achieve our low carbon vision, ensuring that we are at the forefront of the UK's wider transition to a low-carbon economy. We are currently reviewing the CCP for 2025.

Key activities

• Take steps to ensure that our borough is resilient to our changing climate.
• Take steps to enable residents and organisations across the borough to be engaged in climate action and know what they can do to help.
• Focus the Council's climate action on the areas with the biggest impact, utilising WMCA Integrated Settlement funding to improve the energy efficiency of a number of Council owned and low-income private homes and introduce measures to reduce emissions from the Council's own buildings
• Improve our approach to monitoring air quality; leading by example to influence others whilst protecting our environment and minimising our own emissions.

Artist's drawing of Solihull's new energy centre

An attractive and aspirational place

• In 2024, there were 17 Green Flag parks in Solihull, up from ten in 2012.
• By 2030, the number of homes in Solihull is projected to increase from 93,643 to 102,800.

- 40% of 16-64-year-olds are qualified to Level 4 and above, higher than the England average of 37% (2021 Census).

• Solihull is consistently named as one of the best places to live in the UK, home to a thriving town centre, well-maintained parks, and high-quality schools. There is a high level of social cohesion across Solihull's communities, with 84% of respondents to the 2025 Place Survey agreeing that people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area.

Housing and housebuilding play an enormous part in the wellbeing and prosperity of our region, and the Council has a broad housing role of acting as an investor, provider, enabler, regulator and enforcer. We are also a landlord, owning around 10,000 council houses. Our council houses are managed by Solihull Community Housing who work in partnership with us across a range of priorities including housing delivery, decent and safe homes and supporting those affected by homelessness.

Armed Forces Community Garden at Hillfield Park

Solihull's population is projected to increase from 217,700 to 230,400 by 2030. There will be smaller households, and a continued growth of the older population and in the number of people with disabilities, reflecting greater housing demand across the borough. We have always tried to be pragmatic in our approach, identifying sufficient land to provide the homes and employment opportunities the borough needs, whilst maintaining the environment which makes our borough special.

Previously, we have been clear in our intent not to agree further incursions into the green belt, when we believed other options were available. Under the new National Planning Policy Framework, the number of new homes we will have to accommodate will increase by 52%, meaning that tough choices will have to be made. Meeting the Government's requirement to provide large numbers of new homes will be challenging, not only to provide the infrastructure needed, but also in how we preserve the environmental character that makes Solihull such a special place.

Following the withdrawal of the Solihull Local Plan in October 2024, we are currently preparing a new Local Plan. This will aim to influence development in Solihull in the most appropriate and sustainable way by ensuring a broad range of sizes and types of houses, of different tenures and values, is provided to meet all needs within the borough, while meeting national planning policies. This includes provisions for more starter homes, affordable housing and social housing across the borough to increase accessibility for first-time buyers and key workers, with particular emphasis on those with local connections to Solihull.

Given that two thirds of the borough's land is green belt, we need to ensure that future developments maintain respect for the environment. This includes maintaining space for nature and providing a biodiversity net gain and ultimately protecting and complementing the beauty of our borough. It is also vital that new development helps tackle climate change. Our previous Local Plan had a requirement for all new homes to be net zero carbon, and we are keen to maintain this in the future.

Good quality housing is the cornerstone of health and wellbeing, providing the foundation for physical, social, and psychological safety and security. We will prioritise the safety, quality, and energy efficiency of existing Council homes, ensuring that our tenants and leaseholders are safe, and demonstrate that we are meeting Social Housing and Building Safety Regulations, including the consumer standards.

Key activities

• Progress the Local Plan to ensure a framework is in place to guide development to the right places, whilst protecting what makes Solihull special.
• Work with partners to deliver new council and affordable housing, which meets a range of needs.
• Improve housing standards in the private sector and work to tackle, support and prevent homelessness.
• Work towards an enhanced well-connected natural environment, through our tree planting scheme and wildlife projects.

How we will deliver

The previous section of the plan set out our ambitions or 'what we will deliver'. This section describes how we will deliver.

Our Service Model

We provide a variety of services, from those offered to all residents to those assisting individuals who need specialist support. We focus on supporting people to live well and independently, whilst having a clear ‘offer’ when their needs change. To do this, our Council operating model is underpinned by a ‘think prevention’ approach and broadly divides our services into three categories: universal, targeted and specialist:

• Universal services are those offered to all residents and provide the foundation upon which successful, sustainable communities are built.
• Targeted services are there to help residents to get things back on track and try to ensure temporary difficulties do not escalate to become long-term issues.
• Specialist services are received by residents who need specialised support, such as adults with long-term health issues and children with special educational needs and disabilities or those needing support and intervention from social workers.

Achieve financial sustainability

The Council must achieve financial sustainability to deliver on our ambitions. We need to ensure that costs stay within available funding, whilst still delivering the services that people need.

Like many councils across the country, our budget is under significant pressure due to the increased demand for essential services, including social care, and increasing costs. This is demonstrated by the fact that over three quarters of our budget is spent on delivering Children's Services and Adult Social Care. These are vital statutory services, so it is important we deliver to a good standard.

In December 2024 we asked the Government for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) to help us manage our 2024/25 pressures and balance our 2025/26 budget.

We had our application for £48.273m of EFS approved in principle by government in February 2025. Of this total, £15.615 million relates to 2024/25 and £32.658 million will be for 2025/26. This will allow us to use capital resources, either from borrowing or the sale of assets to fund day-to-day spending, which will help strengthen the Council's financial resilience and create a £10m transformation fund, to be used for activities that result in ongoing cost savings. EFS is only a temporary solution, and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) predicts a gap of £3.44m in 2026/27 and £12.84m in 2027/28. There are also significant risks to our funding on the horizon, with major reforms to local government funding from 2026/27 that could have a serious impact on the amount of business rates income we retain locally.

There is also a major risk relating to Dedicated Schools Grant funding, used to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We await details of the Government's intended approach to SEND reform which will be set out in a white paper in autumn 2025, together with further details of how local authorities will be supported as the SEND funding system is reformed.

There are urgent steps we must take now to tackle our spending pressures. Through the Corporate Delivery Board, we are making savings that will help us deliver a balanced financial position for 2025/26 and onwards. We will take opportunities to maximise income where possible and appropriate. We will also continue to lobby the Government to ask for the appropriate level of funding to meet our local needs.

Deliver our Corporate Transformation Programme

The Corporate Transformation Programme has been set up to oversee the delivery of £23.2m of savings in 2025/26.

A complete programme of activity for the next two years has been established to deliver savings across five delivery programmes and two supporting workstreams. The five delivery programmes are:

• Communities and customer services
• Asset master planning
• Growth and public sector reform
• Workforce efficiency

Living Well in Solihull

The two supporting workstreams are:

• Financial sustainability

• Digital and ICT

There are also seven priority projects, which combined with the workstreams make up the Transformation Programme.

• The Transformation Programme has made positive progress, and savings are already being made. The programme is being closely monitored by the Corporate Delivery Board and progress will be reported to the Resources & Delivering Value Scrutiny Board. The work of the Corporate Transformation Programme will contribute to the financial sustainability of the Council, both now and in the future.

Take preventative action and address inequalities

We have developed our prevention strategy, Living Well in Solihull, on the principle that prevention and acting early is better than waiting for problems to develop. The aim is to support Solihull's children and young people to

Health Inequalities Strategy

have the best start in life and help them reach their full potential, and to support adults to stay as healthy, happy and independent as possible, for as long as possible. Our strategy challenges us to 'think prevention' at every stage of life and make sure we work effectively together across our partnerships.

It links closely to our Health Inequalities Strategy, which sets out a plan of action to reduce health inequalities. The aim of the strategy is to improve the lives of those with the worst health outcomes the fastest, to help them live healthier, happier, longer lives. The strategy is a call to action to residents, community groups and local organisations to partner with the Council and the NHS to tackle health inequalities. Closing the gap in life expectancy requires concerted, system-wide effort across the life course and targeted work for those population groups at greater risk of poor health outcomes.

We are committed to building prevention and reducing inequalities into the way we work, taking them into account in everything we do.

Further details of the activities we are carrying out to focus on prevention and reducing inequalities can be found on page 11-12 under the ambition 'the right conditions for everyone to thrive'.

Work with partners to get the best for Solihull

We can't achieve our vision alone. Our key ambitions can only be achieved by working in partnership. The Council plays a key role as convenor of partnership working:

• Across public, private, voluntary, and community sectors in Solihull.
• Sub-regionally with the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System.
• Regionally as a strong and active member of the West Midlands Combined Authority, through joint commissioning to improve outcomes for children and young people and through regional working to share and improve practice in Adult Social Care, housing and other service areas.

Some examples, supporting our Council Plan ambitions, include:

• Work with the Voluntary and Community Sector to support local people through key projects, such as the Warm Welcome network and Holiday Activity and Food Programme.
• Work with partners to develop plans for, and mobilising to deliver, a community, health and retail hub in Kinghurst village centre. - The WorkWell programme - East Birmingham and North Solihull is one of 14 vanguard areas selected to provide joined up, early intervention work, bringing together health, employment and community organisations to support people who are unemployed or employed but at risk of losing their job due to health conditions.
• Work with public and private sector organisations to promote and accelerate the uptake of low-carbon technology through partnerships, events and supporting the electric vehicle supply chain.

Local partnerships

Safer Solihull (Community Safety Partnership) is responsible for bringing together local partners to implement strategies to tackle crime, disorder, and anti-social behaviour in Solihull. Their annual strategic assessment helps to inform its priorities alongside statutory duties and emerging intelligence and trends. The priorities for the partnership currently include exploitation, misuse of drugs, alcohol and other substances, domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, serious violence, and reducing reoffending.

Children enjoying an activity provided by the Holiday Activity and Food Programme

Solihull Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) is responsible for ensuring that organisations and agencies work together in a connected and effective way, to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children within the local area. The SSCP currently has a focus on reducing child neglect, as well as making sure there is measurable impact from the joint work of partners.

The Solihull Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB) plays a vital role in supporting the Council’s commitment to protecting adults with care and support needs from abuse and neglect. As a statutory body under the Care Act 2014, the SSAB brings together statutory partners (Solihull Council, West Midlands Police, and the Integrated Care Board) as well as key partners from the voluntary, and independent sector, to ensure robust and effective safeguarding arrangements are in place across the borough. The board works collaboratively to promote wellbeing, prevent harm, and improve the quality of life for adults at risk of abuse and neglect. Through strategic oversight, multi-agency coordination, community engagement and continuous improvement of safeguarding practices, the SSAB helps ensure that adults in Solihull are empowered to live safely, with dignity and independence, while being protected from harm.

Regional partnership working

Solihull has continued to be a strong and active member of the WMCA, committing political and officer leadership, expertise, and resources, and working closely with our local authority partners to ensure that the whole of the region is driving growth together. We will take a leadership role to ensure that, through further devolution, we get the best possible outcomes for Solihull and our residents, optimising the use of the Integrated Settlement for the West Midlands.

Health partnerships

The Health and Wellbeing Board sets the strategic direction for the borough and contributes to Birmingham Solidhull Integrated Care System (ICS) priorities, alongside developing Solidhull's Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The strategy was updated in 2024 and takes a life course approach to improving health and wellbeing. It is also aligned with the ICS 10 Year Strategy.

Solihull Council has close and effective working relationships with health partners and is a key partner in the Birmingham and Solihull ICS.

Solihull Safeguarding Adults Board Protecting Adults Together

How we will measure progress

The outcomes that we want to achieve for Solihull people and our borough are monitored through the Solihull Local Outcomes Framework and the Economic Strategy Scorecard. We will report on these outcomes publicly at least once a year.

One of the key themes that emerged from the consultation on our draft Council Plan is that people want us to be clear about what we are going to do to achieve our ambitions, to hold ourselves accountable and to be transparent about our progress.

For each key activity within our ambitions, we will set annual milestones – dates by which we expect to achieve important actions. Each quarter, the Council's Corporate Leadership Team will review progress in achieving these milestones.

Progress is scrutinised annually by councillors in public at the Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board, typically in March. We will also consider whether we can make more frequent updates available and how best to do this.

We will also refresh this plan annually to reflect progress and challenges in delivering our ambitions.

Strategies that deliver our Council Plan ambitions

Children and young people have the best possible outcomes

Adults are supported to maximise wellbeing and independence

The right conditions for everyone to thrive

• Living Well in Solihull – Prevention Strategy
• Carers' Strategy 2022-28
• Additional Needs Strategy 2022-25
• Strategy for Inclusive Education 2022-25
• Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-32
• Improving Outcomes for Solihull Children Plan (TBC)

A vibrant economy with improved access to opportunities

• Solihull Town Centre Masterplan
• Solihull Economic Strategy 2023-32
• Connected Transport Strategy
• Cycling and Walking Strategy
• Destination Management Plan 2024-29
• Solihull Adult Social Care - 5 Year Plan 2022-2027
• Birmingham and Solihull Dementia Strategy 2023-28
• Carers' Strategy 2022-28
• Living Well in Solihull – Prevention Strategy
• Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-32

Opportunities and fairer outcomes by acting on climate change

• Solihull Climate Change Prospectus
• Housing Strategy 2023-32
• Air Quality Strategy 2024-28
• Solihull Net Zero Action Plan
• Tackling Health Inequalities 2022-25
• EDI Strategy 2024-27
• Domestic Abuse Strategy 2022-25
• Solihull Road Safety Strategy 2017-30
• Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-32
• Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Strategy 2024-29
• WMCA Employment and Skills Strategy 2024-27

Enabling Strategies

• Medium Term Financial Strategy
• People Strategy 2024-2029
• Equality Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
• Digital Strategy
• Customer Strategy (TBC)
• Cultural Strategy

Services that people need in the right place at the right time

• Digital Strategy 2022-27
• Customer Strategy (TBC)
• Corporate Procurement Strategy 2024-29

An attractive and aspirational place

• Solihull Local Plan (TBC)
• Housing Strategy 2023-32

Solihull Council Council House Manor Square Solihull B91 3QB

Published July 2025