The club is currently struggling in the summer heat, and has launched a new fundraiser to keep its gymnasts safe.

The club, which is based at Grove House Barn near Warkworth in Banbury, launched the fundraiser so it could buy and install four air conditioning units to keep its space cool.

Currently, the club hopes to raise £7,000 through the appeal so it can buy four 10kW air conditioning units and cover all the installation costs.

So far, the club has raised £380.

Karl Wade, director of Wade Gymnastics, said the club has become “increasingly warm” during the summer months due to the rising temperatures.

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Wade Gymnastics at Grove House Barn in Banbury (Image: Google Maps)

“Despite our best efforts to keep doorways and shutters open, it becomes very uncomfortable for gymnasts to play and train,” Mr Wade said.

He added: “The safety of our gymnasts and coaches is always our utmost priority.

“Unfortunately, the risk of having to close the business during these hot spells is increasing and we need to have more effective ways of keeping everyone cool.

“An air conditioning system would allow the business to stay open during those extreme hot conditions and continue to provide classes for everyone who attends.”

The gym currently delivers classes seven days a week for around 900 people, which range from toddlers to athletes competing at national level.

The gym club was founded more than four decades ago by Ruth Wade and, for the past 20 years it has been based at its current facility.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Solihull Council has appointed ICS.AI to deliver the first phase of an AI Transformation Discovery programme to examine how artificial intelligence could be used across several resident-facing services.

The 24-week programme will review opportunities in Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Economy & Infrastructure, and Public Health. It is intended to help the council decide where AI could be used and where future spending should be directed.

In this first phase, ICS.AI will assess the council’s readiness for AI and identify use cases across the four service areas. The programme is expected to produce a prioritised shortlist of about 200 use cases, including 50 validated from a finance perspective, alongside a longer-term AI Transformation Roadmap.

The work is intended to create an evidence base before any wider implementation decisions are taken. Ethics, privacy, and safeguarding will be considered throughout the assessment process.

Discovery phase

ICS.AI will use its AI Target Operating Model framework to review Solihull’s current position across five dimensions before ranking opportunities. The outputs will be based on council-owned baseline data and reviewed by public sector specialists.

The approach reflects a broader pattern among local authorities exploring AI in service delivery while facing pressure to justify spending and manage risks around data use and public accountability. Councils have also been seeking clearer business cases before committing to larger technology programmes.

Solihull said the discovery exercise would support a measured approach to service modernisation. The authority wants to identify where AI could improve services for residents while also demonstrating value for money.

“We are committed to taking a well-considered and planned approach to modernising the services we provide. By building a strong evidence base for future decisions, this programme will help us understand where the greatest AI opportunities exist. We will then be able to prioritise those improvements that will deliver the greatest benefit for residents, while ensuring full value for the council,” said Councillor Dave Pinwell, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Resources, Solihull Council.

Public sector focus

ICS.AI said the Solihull engagement builds on work it has carried out with more than 20 public sector organisations using its AI transformation and discovery assessments. Those organisations include Derby City Council.

The company focuses on AI projects for the public sector, where interest has increased as authorities look for ways to manage demand pressures in social care, public health, and other frontline services. At the same time, councils are under scrutiny to show that new technology investments are proportionate and supported by practical evidence.

Dwayne Johnson, Chief Local Government Officer at ICS.AI, said local authorities need stronger justification before committing funds. “Local authorities need confidence that every investment is backed by robust evidence and long-term value for residents. Solihull Council is taking the right approach by starting with a structured discovery programme that builds a clear understanding of priorities before decisions are made. By developing finance-validated business cases and a practical roadmap, the council can be more proactive in the decisions it makes,” he said.

The programme’s initial outputs are expected to give Solihull a ranked view of where AI could be applied across services, the level of organisational readiness, and which projects may warrant further consideration. This first phase is focused on identifying options rather than moving directly into deployment.

For local government leaders, that distinction is becoming increasingly important as councils test AI in areas that affect vulnerable residents and essential public services. In Solihull’s case, the work spans some of the authority’s most visible functions, including care services, children’s provision, public health activity, and parts of local infrastructure planning.

The council aims to use the findings to inform later investment decisions through finance-validated business cases and a practical roadmap for future priorities.

New data from OpenScore shows families pay an average of £1,615 a week for care based on Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings nearly five years old.

This means families are basing crucial decisions on information that may not accurately reflect current standards.

Care homes that have not been inspected for more than eight years include Bridge House in Abingdon, Eden House Residential Home in Oxford, Oxford Respite Service in Headington, and Newland House in Witney.

In some cases, care homes have not been inspected for more than nine years, including Mon Choisy Care Home in Kennington, Merryfield House Nursing Home in Witney, and Brook House Residential Care Home.

More concerningly care homes rated ‘requires improvement’ have been left years without reinspection, Cheney House and The Ridings in Banbury last received inspections in 2022, while OSJCT Longlands in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, and the Albany Care Home in Headington were last inspected in 2023.

The previous CQC models for inspection would typically mean care homes rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ would be inspected every 2 to 5 year, meanwhile those rated ‘requires improvement’ should be inspected within 12 month.

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More concerningly care homes rated ‘requires improvement’ have been left years without reinspection (Image: Radar)

But, a spokesperson for CQC, said the service now priorities where a current risk has been identified but “obviously we don’t want services going too long between inspections either”

They added: “CQC currently uses a risk-based approach to inspections. This means striking a balance between responding to emerging risk, re-inspecting services with aged ratings, and first-time inspections for newly registered services.”

The same survey found 65 per cent of people stop trusting an online review for a restaurant or hotel after just six months, and 89 per cent consider real-time data transparency essential when choosing care for a relative.

Debbie Harris, founder of OpenScore and Autumna, said: “Families in Oxfordshire are making some of the most expensive care decisions in the country, and they deserve to make them on the best available information.

“An inspection result from nearly five years ago does not reflect what a home looks like today.

“OpenScore gives families the current picture they need between official inspections.”

OpenScore is not a replacement for CQC regulation, but provides families with a more current view of daily care home standards.

The platform aggregates more than 65 real-time indicators daily, from safety checks and dining quality to staff training and live resident and visitor feedback, to provide a current picture of a home’s standards regardless of when the last official inspection took place.