Sponsored by: Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council Sutton Coldfield
Chamber of Commerce
Contact: Mandy Canny T: 0845 603 6650
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield Chamber Patrons
Charity of the Year
Partnership will pave the way for positivity
Getting connected (from left):
Stephen Roberts, Cllr Simon Ward and Katie Hale
Sutton Coldfield gets connected with WiFi
Sutton Coldfield Town Council has launched free public WiFi in the town centre. The network covers the junction at the Horse
and Jockey, through the High Street to Sutton Coldfield College. Leader of the council, Councillor Simon
Ward, said: “Free WiFi is an important part of a town’s infrastructure and something that forward looking and thriving towns need to invest in. “It has been an ambition of the Town Council
since we were established, and I am very pleased to see it go live. “Installing this system will also provide us
with another route to communicating with residents in our town centre. “We will be constantly looking to improve the system and to other areas of our Royal
Town where rolling out WiFi would be useful - as always we welcome the feedback of residents in all of these areas.” Katie Hale, president of the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce, said: “Having the WiFi facility in the town centre is a huge bonus to everyone, but especially for businesses in the area. WiFi seems to be an expected amenity in today’s climate and it shows we are a Town Centre that cares about visitors’ needs.” Residents and visitors need to access the
‘Sutton Coldfield Town Centre’ WiFi option and follow the log-on process. Their data will be held by the Town Council
and users can opt into mailing lists which will keep them up to date on news and events. The new network was installed by Elephant
WiFi. New sprint service is welcomed
The introduction of a rapid Sprint transport service to Sutton Coldfield from Birmingham city centre is a crucial step in improving the town’s connectivity, business leaders have said. Sutton Coldfield Chamber president Katie Hale
said businesses could reap the benefits of the new service, which is being fast-tracked in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. As well as making the
town more accessible to visitors, Mrs Hale said the improved connectivity could help businesses in the town widen their search for new staff.
She said: “To unlock the town’s true potential,
it is important that we have strong connections with Birmingham and the wider region. “A lot of people feel that Sutton Coldfield has
suffered in the past because of the poor road infrastructure in and around the town centre. “Over the years, commuters have also felt the
full force of problems on the busy Cross City line, which is our only direct link to Birmingham New Street. “There is a lot more work to
be done in the town on the wider issues of regeneration but this is a positive step in the right direction.”
By Simon Ward Leader, Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council
Bill Grimsey on his visit to Sutton Coldfield
We have been very clear that regenerating Sutton Coldfield town centre is one of our big priorities as a Town Council. Our Town Centre Regeneration Partnership is launching imminently, and will bring together many organisations with an interest in our Royal Town in order to agree a positive way forward. We were therefore delighted to welcome
Bill Grimsey to the town, to give us his thoughts about how we might go about this. Bill has held senior roles at Tesco, Iceland and Wickes, and has recently published a follow up to the 2013 Grimsey Review, which reported on the state of the high street. His latest report outlines 25 recommendations to decline the crisis in the UK high street. He was clear that we are faced with the
biggest challenge we have ever had with our town centres. There isn’t a single set of guidelines that will work for all towns, the solutions are local, but strong leadership is critical. Town centres need to rely less on retail and instead become hubs for the local community. We know that high streets UK wide are
facing huge challenges. It is time that we had a 20 year vision for our town centre. The Town Council is determined to take a lead on the major strategic opportunities for our Royal Town and the town centre is at the heart of these. We are the level of local government closest to residents and have responsibility to drive change and debate on the strategy for our town centre. Bill provided us with food for thought for the coming months
October 2018 CHAMBERLINK 37
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