Media Watch - Feb 24
Top Birmingham City Council Stories
What a load of rubbish (Birmingham Mail and BBC WM) Dozens of black bags and other rubbish have been dumped outside an empty property on Olton Boulevard East – but following action by the city council, the owner has started removing the waste. Cllr Lisa Trickett interviewed on BBC WM, while Cllr John O’Shea is quoted in the Mail, praising the support offered by council staff to residents.
Hackers target city council’s computer system (Birmingham Mail) Hackers launched a major attack on the city council’s systems last week, with 24,000 separate attempts to breach its security prompting Service Birmingham to take major action to protect data.
Parking problems near QE Hospital (BBC WM) Further coverage of recent comments made by members of the council’s planning committee, questioning how robust the hospital’s travel plans may be.
Holocaust lesson after Trojan Horse (Birmingham Mail) Yardleys School is set to teach pupils about the holocaust in a bid to promote community cohesion. Assistant headteacher Eddie Halliday quoted.
More months of misery as major roadworks over-run (Birmingham Mail) Motorists face three more months of disruption following complications with the widening of the Chester Road near Castle Vale. Reference made to recent comments from Cllr Tahir Ali, thanking motorists for their patience during the current period of heavy roadworks across the city.
Outer suburbs of Brum ‘neglected’ (Birmingham Mail) Coverage of recent public debate on Kerslake Review. Prof David Bailey quoted as saying many in the city don’t have the skills needed to access jobs being created in the city centre.
Parking charges will hurt Brum’s tourist attractions (Birmingham Mail) Dorothy Wilson, chief executive at the mac, fears visitor numbers could plummet as a result of the council’s plans to help balance its books by charging motorists to park at some of the city’s top tourist attractions. Council spokesperson quoted, saying the council needs to save £112.9million and parking charges are just one of a number of proposed measures.
Regional Headlines
A pilot and their passenger suffered just minor injuries after their light aircraft crashed in south Warwickshire yesterday.
A charging rhino caused hundreds of pounds of damage to a Birmingham woman’s car during a visit to the West Midlands Safari Park.
National Headlines
Greece has unveiled an outline summary of reforms demanded by eurozone leaders in order to secure a bailout extension. The measures include plans to combat tax evasion and tackling fuel and tobacco smuggling.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind is coming under pressure to step down as chairman of the Intelligence and Security committee over “cash-for-access” claims.
The government has named 70 companies that have failed to pay workers the minimum wage. The worst offender was care provider East Midlands Crossroads, which owed £37,500 to 184 workers.
