Schools to revolt over academies (Birmingham Post) Results are due from a recent ballot at some Birmingham primary schools over the issue of whether they should become academies or not.

Bore ‘risks’ a novice to lead children’s services (Birmingham Post) The council’s Conservative group have raised concerns over a decision by the incoming Labour administration to not have an executive member whose portfolio solely covers the issue of children’s social care. Deputy Leader-elect Cllr Ian Ward quoted as having “every confidence” in new children’s services Cabinet Member Cllr Brigid Jones.

Bore misses a trick by allowing Labour to scrutinise itself (Birmingham Post) Chris Game of the University of Birmingham offers his personal analysis of the Cabinet line-up announced by Council Leader-elect Cllr Sir Albert Bore.

‘Failure of leadership’ led to voters rejecting an elected mayor (Birmingham Post) Sion Simon claims that the Government’s failure to clearly explain the benefits of an elected mayor led to the recent ‘no’ result in Birmingham’s referendum.

Derelict pool revamp plan put on hold (Birmingham Post) Further coverage of a decision by the incoming council administration to review plans to revamp Stirchley Baths into a community centre.

What now for culture in our city? (Birmingham Post) Ammo Talwar, CEO at Punch Records, expresses his concern at the removal of a Cabinet post specifically covering the portfolio of Leisure, Sport and Culture.

Red Cabinet has green tint (Birmingham Post) Neil Elkes’ weekly column – in which he looks at the establishment of new Cabinet portfolios, those appointed to Cabinet and the Conservative group’s plan for being in opposition.

A retrograde step for arts (Birmingham Post) Former Cabinet Member Martin Mullaney criticises the new Cabinet structure, claiming there is no clear focus on leisure, sport or culture – the areas his portfolio covered.

Brit of boom for Brum economy (Birmingham Mail) Feature looking at how major events including the Olympics and jubilee could boost the Birmingham economy. Lord Mayor Cllr Anita Ward quoted.

Union backs council living wage scheme (Birmingham Mail) Unison regional secretary Ravi Subramanian has praised plans to introduce a minimum “living wage” of £7.20 per hour for city council employees.

Regional Headlines

West Midlands Police have announced plans to launch a specialist drugs unit to crackdown on cannabis farms across the force area.

More than half of the 280 jobs set to be axed by the BBC as part of its review of the regions now look set to be saved.

National Headlines

General Motors is to confirm this morning that Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant has been saved, securing the jobs of 2,100 staff and creating hundreds more.

David Cameron is to insist it is his job to “keep Britain safe” whatever the fate of the eurozone, in a speech set to be delivered at a business conference in Manchester today.

Higher university tuition fees have not boosted teaching time at England’s universities, research suggests.

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New labour lacks diversity (Birmingham Mail, Radio WM)
Community leader, Dr Joe Aldred, has voiced his concern over the lack of an Afro-Caribbean presence on Birmingham City Council’s new Labour cabinet.  Mike Leddy and Ayoub Khan contributed to the radio show.

£3.5m centre plan for city baths on hold (Birmingham Mail)
The planned £3.5 million redevelopment of Stirchley swimming baths has been put on hold by Labour.  Conservative members claim a Labour council has cancelled the funding to bring the building back into use.

Leader pays tribute (Birmingham Mail) Council leader, Mike Whitby, paid tribute to colleagues and staff as he chaired his last cabinet meeting.  He said he had been privileged to lead a strong Conservative and Lib Dem administration over the last eight years.

Good thermal mass building (Local Authority Building and Maintenance) Birmingham City Council’s £38m office building in Woodcock Street, Aston, has achieved good thermal mass – the concept of using the mass of the building to provide inertia against temperature fluctuations.

Regional Headlines:
Olympic torch relay ticket mix-up over Birmingham concert
A concert in Birmingham to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic torch relay in the city has been overshadowed by a blunder over ticket distribution. There were 20,000 free tickets for the Cannon Hill Park event but Ticketmaster mistakenly emailed everyone who applied to say they had been successful.

Two arrested after woman with head injury dies
A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a woman who suffered a serious head injury in West Bromwich.

National Headlines:
Theresa May ‘destroying police’, warns federation
The home secretary is “on the precipice of destroying” a police service admired throughout the world, she will be warned by rank-and-file officers.

Ceremony to mark handover of Olympic flame to London
The Olympic flame will be “laid to rest” in Greece later before it is officially handed over to London.

Related

Local election and mayoral referendum results – DETAILED BREAKDOWN – 3 May 2012

Produced by Tony Smith (Birmingham City Council Policy Executive)

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Service Birmingham faces value for money probe (Guardian) New Labour council to investigate whether joint venture between Birmingham city council and Capita is delivering service improvements.

Newcomers take position in cabinet (Birmingham Mail, Birmingham Post) Confirmation of the new Labour cabinet following the recent council elections.

Support over markets gives traders hope (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham wholesale market traders believe chances of staying at their current site have been boosted by a new Labour-run city council.

Recruitment drive for 300 extra foster carers in Birmingham (Birmingham Mail) Figures released by charity the Fostering Network reveal that a child is taken into care in the city every 12 hours.

Council seeks new depot site for HS2 (Local Transport Today) Birmingham City Council is to press the Government to find a new depot location for trains using the proposed London-West Midlands high-speed rail line.

Regional Headlines

TB victim ‘given bulimia warning’
A Birmingham teenager died of tuberculosis after being told she may have bulimia, an inquest hears.

McLeish sacked as Villa manager
Alex McLeish is fired as Aston Villa manager after 11 months in charge following the club’s 16th-place Premier League finish.

National Headlines

Special needs budgets for parents
Parents in England are to be given more financial control over support for their children with special educational needs.

Brooks charge decision expected
Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and her husband are to find out if they are to be charged with perverting the course of justice.

Related

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/democracy/Pages/Index.aspx

Related

Mayoral referendum results – 3 May 2012 (ward-by-ward)

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City secures Government money to tackle problem drinking (SKY News, BBC WM) Director of regulatory service Jacqui Kennedy interviewed as Birmingham City Council secures funding for a new alcohol reduction strategy in Moseley.

City to offer top honour to former councillors (Birmingham Mail) Nine former Birmingham City councillors, including three ex Lord Mayors, with almost 200 years service between them are being lined up for a top honour (being named Honorary Aldermen)

Be protected from scams (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham City Council’s director of regulatory service Jacqui Kennedy offers advice on how to avoid becoming the victim of a scam.

Wedding catering company fined after mouse droppings found on dinner plates (Birmingham Mail) A wedding and party catering company in Birmingham has been fined for putting consumers’ lives at risk after inspectors found mouse droppings on dinner plates and a fly flew out of a microwave.

Firms urged to back BID (Birmingham Mail) New City Council leader Sir Albert Bore has urged Jewellery Quarter businesses to back a vote for a new Business Improvement District.

Mayor joins clean-up (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham Lord Mayor Anita Ward got her hands dirty when she tackled graffiti in Birmingham.

Taxi licence change ‘will mean chaos’ (Birmingham Mail) Government plans to open up the taxi and minicab market could lead to chaos on the streets of Birmingham, according to the city council’s head of licensing.

Regional Headlines

Groups share £1.9m lottery grants
West Midlands projects share Big Lottery Fund grants worth almost £2m.

Man found stabbed in city street
A murder investigation is under way after a man was found stabbed in a street in Birmingham city centre.

National Headlines

Sixth child dies after house fire
A sixth child from the same family dies following a fire at their home in Derby.

Local care ‘close to break point’
Health services in the community are reaching breaking point in the UK, the Royal College of Nursing is claiming.

Related

http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/democracy/Pages/Index.aspx

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Parents join academy fight (Birmingham Mail) Teaching unions have turned to parent power amid claims more than a dozen Birmingham primary schools are being ‘forced’ to become academies.

Extra classes to cope with admissions crisis (Birmingham Mail) Anxious parents have been told that Sutton Coldfield primary schools could open extra classrooms in September to tackle an admissions crisis.

City Tories had ‘Dunkirk moment’ claims deputy (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham’s Conservative deputy leader has blasted his party’s election strategy in a leaked email.

Apartments for homeless to welcome first tenants (Birmingham Mail) An apartment complex for homeless people, costing £10 million, is set to welcome its first tenants in Birmingham.

£50m old fire station plan set for approval (Birmingham Mail) Plans to build student accommodation on the site of Birmingham’s former Central Fire Station has been recommended for approval.

A star for Malkit (Birmingham Mail) Hundreds of fans gathered in Birmingham city centre last night as the King of Bhangra, Malkit Singh, became the first Asian celebrity to be honoured on Broad Street’s famous Walk of Stars.

Foster carers needed (Birmingham Mail) Vulnerable children in desperate need of a loving home could be missing out due to a shortage of foster carers in Birmingham.

Labour surpasses election ambitions (Local Government Chronicle) Last week’s Birmingham results featured in an overview of last week’s local elections.

Regional Headlines

Baby dies after falling from car
A 10-month-old baby boy believed to have fallen from a moving car in Birmingham dies in hospital.

Hospital admits negligence case
A Birmingham-based composer who was left needing a wheelchair wins his negligence case against a West Midlands hospital.

National Headlines

Brooks to give Leveson evidence
Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, is to give evidence at the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics on Friday.

British Gas warns of rising bills
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, says that rising wholesale gas costs will make supplying energy more expensive this year.

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Aiming to build on last year’s Silver Award at the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society event, Birmingham City Council has joined forces with Retail Birmingham to create a display entitled The Best of Birmingham.

The colourful display, which will go on to form part of this summer’s Birmingham in Bloom, will feature:

• Birmingham Town Hall
• The Bullring bull
• Canal barge and lock gates
• Selfridges
• Mini car

And the Birmingham team is heading south determined to fly the flag for Birmingham.

Sharon Lea, Strategic Director, Environment and Culture at Birmingham City Council said: “We have a proud record at Chelsea and this year’s display is one of our most spectacular yet.

“A lot of hard work goes into these displays and this year we’ve produced a miniature version of the city, so a corner of the world’s most famous flower show will be flying the flag for Birmingham.

“After Chelsea, the display will return to Birmingham, adding a touch of colour to the city centre and attracting visitors from across the UK.”

Staff are currently putting the finishing touches to the colourful display, which will be transported down to Chelsea on Saturday.

The Chelsea Flower Show runs from Tuesday 22 May to Saturday 26 May.

Held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London, the show attracts nearly 160,000 visitors each year and reaches millions more people through worldwide media coverage.

Birmingham’s Plight of the Gorilla display secured a Silver Award, while 12 months earlier the council’s Road to Recovery garden received a Silver Flora Award.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Artists’ impressions of the Best of Birmingham display can be downloaded here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/birminghamnewsroom/sets/72157629664982774/

For more information contact Geoff Coleman on 0121 303 3501

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