Media Watch - June 26
Top Birmingham City Council Stories:
Call for ‘Greater Birmingham’ council name (Birmingham Mail) A petition calling for the fledgling West Midlands super council to be named ‘Greater Birmingham’ to help it compete with Manchester and Liverpool has been launched.
‘A bold addition to city’s skyline’ (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham planners have hailed designs for a new 26-storey tower block as a ‘fantastic’ and ‘bold’ addition to the city’s skyline. Quotes councillors Mike Sharpe, Maureen Cornish, Martin Straker-Welds, Gareth Moore and Peter Douglas Osborn.
Anger as historic cemetery is used for parking cars (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham’s oldest cemetery (Key Hill Cemetery in Hockley) where many of the city’s great names are buried is being used as a car park, furious locals claim. Quotes a council spokesman explaining that a lockable bollard has been ordered
Residents to vote on plans for town council (Birmingham Mail and coverage on BBCWM yesterday) Coverage of the Sutton Town Council consultative ballot which began this week. Quotes Cllr Anne Underwood. Head of Electoral Services, Rob Connelly, was also interviewed on BBCWM’s Breakfast programme yesterday.
City teacher crisis sparks move to offer incentives (Birmingham Mail) Teachers are to be offered ‘special packages’ to lure them to Birmingham after the Trojan Horse scandal left city schools desperate for staff.
‘People have died awaiting equal pay settlements’ (Birmingham Mail) Some former Birmingham City Council workers have died waiting for their equal pay claims to be dealt with, a law firm has claimed. Quotes Birmingham City Council spokesperson.
Regional Headlines:
Job losses as Goodyear shuts factory – Tyre company Goodyear announces plans to close its factory in Wolverhampton – its only UK manufacturing base.
M40 closed after fatal crash – A man has died following a crash involving several vehicles on the M40 in Warwickshire.
Hospitals to share chief exec – Birmingham’s Children’s and Women’s hospitals are to share a chief executive in a move seen as paving the way for a merger.
National Headlines:
EU agrees to relocate migrants – EU leaders holding late-night talks on the Mediterranean migrant crisis agree to relocate 40,000 of those who have arrived in Greece and Italy.
PM ‘delighted’ after EU reform talks – David Cameron says he is delighted the process of ‘reform and renegotiation’ of the UK’s EU memberships is underway following a summit in Brussels.
Sun cream labelling ‘confuses buyers’ – There is huge confusion over the labels on sun creams and manufacturers should all use the same rating system, says the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
