Pauls Newsagents food hygiene rating
Retailers - other · Solihull
Pauls Newsagents holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the shop and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 14 August 2025, 11 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.
Address: 30 Anglesey Avenue, Smiths Wood, Solihull, B36 0NT
How it compares in Solihull
A 1 is rare: only 31 of 1,257 rated places in Solihull score this low, about one in 41. By contrast 79% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 987 | 79% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 152 | 12% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 68 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 17 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 31 | 2% | ← Pauls Newsagents | |
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 138 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Improvement necessary
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Very good
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Pauls Newsagents the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled and confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Pauls Newsagents, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caretech Caring Premises | 293 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 November 2025 |
| Atalian Servest @ Smiths Wood Academy Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 320 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 September 2025 |
| Central England Co-operative -Kingshurst Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 August 2025 |
| Caterlink - Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst School/college/university | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 27 March 2026 |
| ABM Catering @ Yorkswood Primary School School/college/university | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 10 September 2025 |
| Brambles Of Yorkswood Nursery & Out Of School Club Caring Premises | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 18 June 2026 |
| Aldi Stores Ltd Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 14 May 2024 |
| Birmingham Support Group Other catering premises | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 19 February 2026 |
Questions about Pauls Newsagents
What is Pauls Newsagents's food hygiene rating?
Pauls Newsagents has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Solihull Council on 14 August 2025.
Is Pauls Newsagents safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The shop is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Pauls Newsagents last inspected?
Pauls Newsagents was last inspected on 14 August 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Solihull Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Pauls Newsagents?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very good", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Pauls Newsagents compare to other places in Solihull?
79% of the 1,257 rated food businesses in Solihull hold the top rating of 5, while Pauls Newsagents holds a 1. 31 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Solihull Council inspects Pauls Newsagents and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.
Tell me when this changes
The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Pauls Newsagents and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Solihull, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Solihull
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Pauls Newsagents is one of 22 rated food businesses in Smiths Wood. See every hygiene rating in Smiths Wood →
Solihull inspects and rates 1,395 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Solihull →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.solihull.gov.uk/environment-and-animals/food-safety
Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →