A thoughtful piece. However, a few issues of correction / addition.
In Smith’s Wood, Cllr Jean Hamilton is approaching her 10th year as elected representative, too.
Andy Mackiewicz is a Conservative Councillor in Dorridge & Hockley Heath. Michael Gough is a Reform Cllr in Silhill. He defected from the Conservatives last year ( with 3 other colleagues).
Current Green Shirley West Cllrs are Alison Wilson & Olly Farr. Prish Sharma is Reform, last week defecting from the Conservatives: he’s not done a full term yet.
In Shirley South the Green Cllrs are Max McLoughlin ( Green Group leader in Solihull) and Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE (who was Mayor in 2024/25).
Thank you for taking the time to read the piece, and for the generous comments. I’m very grateful for the corrections and updates, which are much appreciated.
You are quite right to pull me up on those points. As someone who now lurks on the Birmingham side of the boundary, I am somewhat reliant on the officially published council information when pulling pieces together. It clearly shows the danger of writing about Solihull without keeping one’s boots properly on the ground.
I should also confess that although I was born in Yoxall Road in Shirley, I abandoned the place for the bright lights of Birmingham sometime in the 1980s. Evidently that means my local intelligence now arrives slightly second-hand.
Thank you for flagging the details about Councillor Jean Hamilton’s tenure, the Shirley West representation, and the other points you raised. It is always helpful when people who know the territory better than I do take the time to set the record straight.
Your note proves something rather important about local politics: it rewards those who actually know the patch. Clearly I must get out more often.
Thanks again for reading the article and for the courteous correction.
A thoughtful piece. However, a few issues of correction / addition.
In Smith’s Wood, Cllr Jean Hamilton is approaching her 10th year as elected representative, too.
Andy Mackiewicz is a Conservative Councillor in Dorridge & Hockley Heath. Michael Gough is a Reform Cllr in Silhill. He defected from the Conservatives last year ( with 3 other colleagues).
Current Green Shirley West Cllrs are Alison Wilson & Olly Farr. Prish Sharma is Reform, last week defecting from the Conservatives: he’s not done a full term yet.
In Shirley South the Green Cllrs are Max McLoughlin ( Green Group leader in Solihull) and Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE (who was Mayor in 2024/25).
A interesting read though.
Hi Mark,
Thank you for taking the time to read the piece, and for the generous comments. I’m very grateful for the corrections and updates, which are much appreciated.
You are quite right to pull me up on those points. As someone who now lurks on the Birmingham side of the boundary, I am somewhat reliant on the officially published council information when pulling pieces together. It clearly shows the danger of writing about Solihull without keeping one’s boots properly on the ground.
I should also confess that although I was born in Yoxall Road in Shirley, I abandoned the place for the bright lights of Birmingham sometime in the 1980s. Evidently that means my local intelligence now arrives slightly second-hand.
Thank you for flagging the details about Councillor Jean Hamilton’s tenure, the Shirley West representation, and the other points you raised. It is always helpful when people who know the territory better than I do take the time to set the record straight.
Your note proves something rather important about local politics: it rewards those who actually know the patch. Clearly I must get out more often.
Thanks again for reading the article and for the courteous correction.
Best wishes,
Olley 👍