Media Watch - June 30
Top Birmingham City Council Stories
Rain fails to dampen spirits at city parade (Sunday Mercury and Birmingham Mail) Coverage of this year's Armed Forces Day event, staged in Victoria and Centenary Squares.
Mother who stole £26k in benefits will not go to jail (Birmingham Mail) A Selly Park woman who obtained money after incorrectly declaring she had the right to live in Britain has received a nine-month suspended prison sentence after a prosecution led by the city council. The woman now has the right to remain in the UK until 2016, pending her latest appeal to stay in the country.
Comic: We must stop Brum being divided into ghettos (Sunday Mercury and Birmingham Mail) Jasper Carrott has commented on the Trojan Horse allegations, saying the affair was an example of how there had been a cultural shift with some communities becoming 'more enclosed'.
Why we’re backing municipal bonds (Local Government Chronicle) Article from Deputy Leader Cllr Ian Ward, in which he explains why the council is offering support for the LGA’s bonds scheme, which could enable the city to borrow at a cheaper rate in the future.
Birmingham’s social success (MJ) A dozen more organisations have earned accreditation through the Birmingham Business Charter for Social Responsibility scheme. Cllr Stewart Stacey quoted.
Council loses chuggers fight (MJ) Further coverage of the Government’s decision to refuse approval for a by-law which the council hoped would enable charity collectors to be regulated more effectively in the city centre.
Up to speed (Estates Gazette) Interview feature with Chief Executive Mark Rogers, in which he says “the look and feel of the city is at the top of the priority list under my economic role”.
Busy B (Estates Gazette) A look at the city centre retail property market. Waheed Nazir quoted about the council’s upcoming draft city centre retail strategy.
Kajans studio college closure (BBC Midlands Today) Further coverage of the Government’s decision to close the school due to a lack of students. The city council has expressed concern over the decision given unemployment rates in the inner city. Cllr Penny Holbrook interviewed.
Fraud probe at 'Trojan Horse' schools (Birmingham Mail) The Education Funding Agency is understood to have instructed auditors from a major accountancy firm to examine claims that money meant for pupils at Park View Educational Trust schools had been misused.
Council tax rise helps cut empty homes (Birmingham Mail) The decision to charge council tax on empty properties has been partly credited for a “dramatic” fall in the number of such properties in the city. Council Leader Sir Albert Bore quoted.
Bid to resurrect statute of forgotten Birmingham hero (Sunday Mercury) Article looking at future prospects for Thomas Attwood statute, put into storage due to vandalism in 2008. Spokesperson for Birmingham Museums Trust quoted as saying statute would be put on display when funding allowed.
Mouse droppings at city restuarants (Sunday Mercury) Two articles looking at the environmental health history of the Malmaison Birmingham Brasserie and Chaophraya.
Former IMI site could become Islamic school for 700 boys (Sutton Observer) Planning permission is being sought from the council for a new free school in Perry Barr.
Active Parks re-launches this summer (Sutton Observer) Preview of events being offered to citizens as part of the Coca-Cola Zero ParkLives scheme. Deputy Leader Cllr Ian Ward quoted.
£1milion cuts to hit town services (Sutton Observer) Coverage from the latest Sutton Coldfield District Committee meeting at which elected members discussed budget cuts for the area. Cllr Anne Underwood quoted as saying the district had been short-changed by the council’s ruling group, a claim dismissed by Cllr Rob Pocock.
Regional Headlines
A 15 per cent rise in dog attacks on postal workers in Birmingham has been recorded by the Royal Mail.
The father of a six-year-old boy who has spent three years trapped in war-torn Syria says his son will return to the UK “for good” to live in Birmingham.
National Headlines
Islamist militant group Isis declares the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.
David Cameron will face questions in the House of Commons later about his failed bid to block the appointment of the new European Commission president.
Every employee now has the right to request flexible working hours after the government extended the right previously reserved for carers and those looking after children.
