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Olympic pool price to be cut in half (Birmingham Mail & Post)

Plan for an Oympic Pool in Birmingham may still go-ahead after Cllr Mullaney outlined plans to cut the cost from £59=8m to £20m by removing fun and diving pools from the plans. Leisure scrutiny chair Cllr Alden criticised the plans.

‘No council job safe’ in £330m cuts plan (Birmingham Mail & Post)

Stephen Hughes warns in staff magazine that need to meet savings targets as a result of Government cuts will inevitably lead to major cost cutting decision being taken, with the potential for staff and service cuts impossible to rule out.

Community libraries face review  (Birmingham Mail & Post)

A Review of how Birmingham’s 40 community libraries operate and whether they provide value has been ordered by Cllr Mullaney as the Leisure, Sport and Culture department considers how it will deal with budget/cut pressures.

Online struggle to save children’s unit (Birmingham Mail, BBC WM)

Petition launched by UNISON against plans to close the Appledore child protection unit. Union claims closure will further damage the city’s ability to protect children and is at odds with OFSTED action to improve child protection in the city. BCC says no final decision has been taken as yet.

Estate denies homes neglect (Birmingham Mail)

Owner of an historic row of Victorian properties on Hagley Road, Calthorpe Estates, hits back at criticism of plans to redevelop the properties claiming they tried but failed to find buyer/tenants willing to take on properties as currently presented. Council currently considering planning applications to redevelop the properties.

‘No campsites’ for Papal visit (Birmingham Post)

Cllr Tilsley confirms the city has no plans to establish camps for travellers coming to the see the Pope and denies this represents a U-turn in policy.

 Regional Headlines

 RSC confirms November re-opening date

Pupils return to school after summer break

 National News

 Six UK energy suppliers to be investigated for ‘mis-selling’

House prices fall in August

Figures reveal high police complaints numbers

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Birmingham’s citizens have been learning how to become the difference between a life lost and a life saved during free first aid awareness sessions today (September 1).

Birmingham City Council’s Resilience Team held the sessions in partnership with St John Ambulance.

A second round of the special hour-long sessions are being held outside the city’s Indoor Market on Saturday (September 4) and members of the public are invited to drop in and learn some basic skills that could make the difference between life and death.

A training team from St John Ambulance will be going through the five ways to make a difference, including the recovery position, basic resuscitation and dealing with severe bleeding*.

The drop in sessions will be taking place between 11am and 2.30pm and offered on a first-come first-served basis. Each session can accommodate up to 60 people.

Birmingham Resilience Team along with St John Ambulance and officers from West Midlands Police and West Midlands Fire Service will be on hand to discuss other ways to deal with unexpected emergencies.

Visit the Birmingham Resilience Team marquee as follows:
• Saturday 4 September, Edgbaston Street (outside the indoor markets)
Sessions start at 11.am, 12.15pm and 1.30pm. No need to book, just turn up.

For more information visit the Birmingham Resilience Team website www.birminghamprepared.gov.uk or telephone 0121 303 4825.

For information about St John Ambulance or to find out more about first aid training or volunteering, visit www.sja.org.uk or telephone 08700 10 49 50.

-ENDS-

For further information, interviews, images, first aid advice or case studies, please contact:
Gemma Taylor, Regional PR Officer for the Midlands:
E: gemma.taylor@nhq.sja.org.uk
T: 0845 130 4999
M: 07875 707268
Notes to editors
*The five common scenarios tackled in the ‘five ways to save a life’ are: Choking, heart attack, severe bleeding, unconscious person who is breathing and one who is not breathing. Session content may be subject to alteration.
About St John Ambulance
For information about St John Ambulance please call 08700 10 49 50 or visit www.sja.org.uk
St John Ambulance is the nation’s leading first aid charity. It believes that anyone who needs first aid should get it. But the fact is that’s not happening. St John Ambulance is determined to be the difference between lives lost and lives saved.

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Related

 Library books and jobs axed (Birmingham Mail)

Details of proposed spending cuts in the Leisure, sport and culture department includes 1 16% reduction in book buying for central library and  12% reduction in staff numbers for the department. Labour criticise the moves saying it is example of cuts hitting ‘essential’ services.

 Pilgrims pulling out of Pope visit  (Birmingham Mail)

Spokesperson for the Catholic Church, Peter Jennings, claims ‘draconian’ security measures are putting people off the Papal mass in Birmingham and leading to some returning their passes.

 Travellers in Birmingham for Papal visit (various)

Continued coverage in local, regional and Irish media discussing the number of travellers set to/already moving to Birmingham ahead of Papal visit.

 Long term benefits (Surveyor Magazine)

Double page feature explaining the benefits of the PFI model to local government by looking specifically at Birmingham highways PFI.

 Regional Stories

 £900m M6 Toll road a ‘flop’ (Birmingham Mail)

Campaigners claim the toll road has been a flop with user numbers falling since introduction yet prices more than doubling

 National News

 Exerts from Tony Blair’s autobiography

 Pakistani cricket tour to continue as players questioned

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It appears in the latest edition of the council’s staff magazine Inner Voice, which was published today (August 31).

The new Government has set, as its first priority, reducing the national public sector spending deficit.

Currently, the public sector as a whole spends £160billion more each year than it raises in revenue.

That is about £3,000 for every person living in the UK.

A sizeable and growing part of its spend goes to pay interest on the amount borrowed.

To deal with this problem, the Government has cut £6billion from this year’s public spending. Birmingham City Council’s share of that so far amounts to £13million in revenue funding, and £3million in capital funding.

In consequence, some reductions in projects funded by Working Neighbourhood Fund or Area Based Grant have been made.

The Government has also announced a Comprehensive Spending Review that will report on October 20. Apart from protected areas (mainly NHS), the rest of departmental expenditure (which includes local government) has to find,on average, 25 per cent savings in real terms.

However, defence and education have been partially protected – and it is likely those areas will only be reduced by ten per cent. Therefore, that means the rest (which includes most of what the City Council does) will have to reduce by about 30 per cent – plus.

Finance colleagues have done some detailed work on this. Our best estimate at present is that the City Council will need to reduce its net expenditure by £330million over the next three to four years: £230 million from the council’s core budget, and £100million from specific grants.

That is about a third of our net spend.

It is really difficult to convey how big a problem that is. My latest attempt is to make an analogy with Business Transformation.

We started that in 2006 and by 2013 we will be saving about £100million per annum net of costs. To do that, we have had to throw the organisation into the air and cause considerable turmoil and concern – but the benefits have been worth it.

This new challenge requires us to save three times as much in half the time!

In previous messages, I have talked about the approaches we have looked at, including the Leader’s five principles for getting more from less: business transformation, prevention, personalisation, collaboration and self-sufficiency.

I have also referred to the work that was presented to members in June, about cutting the ‘back office’, increasing assets sales, exploring market testing, maximisation of income, future business transformation benefits and improving productivity.

These make some contribution (we have found roughly £90million per annum so far) to dealing with the problem, but they go nowhere near far enough.

The truth is, that if we are to protect the public from the consequences of these spending reductions, we need revolutionary change in the way we provide services.

We are going to have to look at ideas that might have seemed inconceivable only a short time ago. There will inevitably be resistance to such changes – not just from staff and others directly affected, but from elected members and the public and media generally.

So a key first task is about having an open and transparent dialogue with key stakeholders, including staff, about the scale of reductions needed and the ways we might deal with them.

The Leader agrees with me on this, but before it can begin, the two of us need to discuss and agree the approach with other Cabinet members.

So for now, I cannot tell you anymore. It’s not just because of the need for agreement on the way forward – it’s that I don’t know what ideas we need to follow and consult on.

I am grateful for the many suggestions staff have already sent in – they are all being carefully evaluated. In my mind, nothing can be ruled out at this stage.

I am mindful of the need to find solutions that minimise the impact on individual members of staff, and of course our customers – the people of Birmingham – whilst meeting the financial imperative.

But I cannot promise that everyone will still have a job at the end of this period. We are going to be a much smaller organisation.

I will do my best to ensure you know what is being thought about as soon as possible, and give you every opportunity to contribute.

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Birmingham City Council is aware that some people from the travelling community have made the pilgrimage from Ireland in order to attend the mass.

Attendance at the Cofton park mass is by pilgrim pass only and these have been allocated by the Roman Catholic Church through local parish priests. The arrival of pilgrims will be managed by coach and timed according to an agreed programme to ensure ease of access and departure at the site and to keep disruption to a minimum.

Councillior Martin Mullaney, cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture, said: “I understand people’s desire to see the Pope during his visit to Birmingham, but access to the mass will be strictly controlled in the interests of safety and security. We have been advised by the Birmingham diocese that their allocation is now used up, so I would therefore advise anyone without a pilgrim pass to avoid the area.

 “I would also ask travellers who have come to Birmingham specifically for the Papal visit to help us communicate this message to friends and family who may be planning a pilgrimage without a pilgrim pass, so they can avoid disappointment and a wasted journey.”

Canon Patrick Browne of the Birmingham Roman Catholic diocese said: “We are delighted with the recent requests for Pilgrim Passes through the parishes and this office which means we have no more available for distribution. Due to the holiday period many people were away when the details were first made public and the recent demands means that we have now used up our quota.”

The council has already set up a public enquiry line for the Papal visit on 0121 675 1164.

As always, Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police and partner agencies will use appropriate legislation to address any issues that arise as a result of travellers occupying land they do not have permission to be on.

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The decision will allow local team the Birmingham Brummies, who currently sit second in the sport’s Premier League, to continue to entertain thousands of fans into the future.

The decision to grant long term planning permissions brings to an end a period during which the team were operating under a series of temporary 12-month permissions, while council officials sought to work with the club to address concerns over noise expressed by some local residents.

In response the club agreed to fit new silencers on bikes, abide by strict rules on hours of operation and have pledged to continue to develop new technology and plant new trees to help reduce the impact on their neighbours.

Cllr Peter Douglas-Osborn, Chair of Birmingham City Council Planning Committee, said: “I am delighted that by working with the club we have been able to reach this point where we can secure the future of the sport while striking a sensible balance between the needs of residents, fans and the speedway team itself.

“Not only does the sport bring entertainment and employment to the city, but it also generates much needed income to the Perry Barr area on race nights. Speedway also plays a key role in helping to develop the city’s status as one of the UKs leading centres for sport, and all the associated benefits that come with this.”

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Each autumn the Birmingham Electoral Registration Office compiles a new electoral register by sending out annual canvass forms to every property in the area and they are urging residents to register to vote as forms start filtering through letter boxes.

Also, with the possibility of Westminster election boundaries being redrawn it will be important to ensure that people are registered so that they are counted in any review of the constituencies.

Since many credit companies, banks and phone operators use the electoral roll as a primary source on which to check on customers’ identify when conducting a credit report, not appearing on the register could directly lead to more than just not being able to vote.

Robert Connelly, Head of Electoral Services for the City, said:

“If you’re not registered to vote, then not only are you unable to make a decision about who represents you in Government, but you may find it harder to obtain credit.”

“Registering to vote is simple, quick and easy. If there are no changes to the information on the voter registration form, residents will be able to register by freephone, online, by text or by post.”  

To be eligible for entry to the electoral register you must be a British, Commonwealth, Irish or EU citizen who will be 18 on 1st December 2010. 16 and 17 year olds who will be 18 before 1st December 2011 should also register giving their date of birth so that they can vote as soon as they are 18.

If your details have not changed since last year you can register by calling the freephone number 0800 025 1050 Alternatively you can text your 2 security codes to the number shown on your form, or go to www.elecreg.co.uk/birmingham. However if you prefer you may also fill in and return the form via post.

Where the information is not full or correct, names of those no longer resident should be crossed out and any new names added before signing and posting back to the elections office.

Anyone who has not received a form, or has any queries about registration or voting, should ring the Elections Office on 0121 303 2731 or write or call at the Office at 150 Great Charles Street (next to Chest Clinic) Birmingham, B3 3HS.
      
Ends

For more information Simon Houltby, Senior Media Officer, 0121 303 3503

Related

Residents concern over Papal restrictions (BBC WM)
Residents in immediate vicinity of Cofton Park express concern that they fear they will be virtual prisoners in their own streets during Papal visit and say there has been a lack of information on arrangements.

Hordes of travellers descend on city/Special sites for Pope Gypsies (Birmingham Mail, Sun, Tepegraph, Times, Guardian, Daily Express)
Birmingham City Council rumoured to be considering emergency sites for expected influx of Irish travellers. Cllr Mullaney warns travellers that attendance is by ticket only so those without pilgrim passes should not make the trip.

Woman thrown out of home (Birmingham Mail)
Council tenant in Northfield who blighted lives of neighbours for four years is thrown out of her home after BCC secures ASBO enabling eviction.

Homes left to crumble away (Birmingham Mail)
City Council planners join calls from conservationists criticising Calthorpe Estates for ‘deliberate neglect’ of historic buildings in Hagley Road, as a tactic to secure future demolition.

Speedway stays at city stadium (Birmingham Mail)
Long term future of Birmingham Brummies speedway team is secured after the Council rants permanent planning permission for races to continue.

Delays blow to market (Birmingham Mail)
Traders in wholesale market express concern at delays in plans to relocate to Witton. Council and Prupim confirm that plans are still live however exact detail is still being developed and will be presented to the Council by year end.

National Headlines

 Fugitive Nadir returns to the UK

 Concerns expressed over security for PM in Afghanistan

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