Media Watch - March 2
Top Birmingham City Council Stories
Birmingham Mail correction: Mail clarifies Saturday’s inaccurate report that Birmingham City Council employs 120 press officers.
Third of city pupils miss place (Birmingham Mail, BBC) Children in about one in three families in some of England’s biggest cities have not been offered a place at their first choice secondary school. cross the London boroughs and in Birmingham, two-thirds of pupils will be starting at their top preference school in September.
Four arrests over DVD copies (Birmingham Mail) A dozen high-tech DVD copying machines capable of burning up to 10,000 discs a day were seized during a raid in Birmingham. /?p=7875
No ‘fat cat’ pay-offs for city bosses (Birmingham Mail) Top Birmingham City Council bosses will have to make do with the same basic redundancy payments offered to rank and file workers under plans to shed 2,000 jobs.
Warning on social worker aid ‘stigma’ (Birmingham Mail) Families need to overcome the stigma of getting social workers involved in their lives, Birmingham’s children’s services chief has claimed.
Fears over Brum’s historic buildings (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham’s historic buildings are under threat if cost cutting plans to disband the council’s specialist conservation team are pushed through, it has been claimed.
City planners block ‘stealth’ extension (Birmingham Mail) A homeowner’s plan to build one of Birmingham’s largest extensions ‘by stealth’ has been scuppered by city planners.
Green schemes to help Midlands construction (Birmingham Mail) A scheme to help property owners ‘green-up’ their houses and businesses could mean a £40million bonanza for the struggling Midlands construction industry.
Birmingham’s Olympic dream now a reality (The Gleaner) An Olympic dream has moved a step nearer for Jamaica and England as both countries made history by officially signing the deal for Jamaica’s Track and Field team to use the University of Birmingham as their pre-Olympic training base.
St Pat’s party to be best yet (Birmingham Mail) An Irish-themed Bollywood dance is set to be the highlight of this year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Birmingham.
Call for rethink on hospital car parks (Birmingham Mail) Hospital parking should be free for patients and relatives after the first three days of visits, according to Birmingham health watchdogs.
The Digital Route To Recovery (eGov monitor) Chris Price, Director of Digital Development and Communities, Birmingham City Council, discusses the Digital Birmingham project and its impact on the local community while highlighting how this makes the council more efficient and effective.
Regional Headlines
Jury hears man stabbed daughter to death in car
A man found with his teenage daughter’s body in his car stabbed her because he believed she wanted to die after being raped, a murder trial has heard. Gary Fisher, 48, from Solihull, West Midlands, denies murdering Chanelle Sasha Jones, 17, in a Cardigan car park, at Swansea Crown Court.
Rugby squad members arrested over rape in Bewdley hotel
Three members of an England rugby squad have been arrested after a woman was raped at a Worcestershire hotel.
Thousands lose power in Nechells area of Birmingham
More than 3,000 homes and businesses in Birmingham were without power earlier today due to a cable fault.
National Headlines
Director General Mark Thompson to outline BBC strategy
The BBC is set to publish a strategy which could see its website scaled back and digital radio stations 6 Music and Asian Network closed.
Lords rebuff Mandelson call for Ashcroft inquiry
The House of Lords appointments commission has rebuffed calls for an investigation into Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft over his tax status.
TV presenter Kristian Digby found dead in London flat
BBC television presenter Kristian Digby has been found dead at his flat in east London, police have said.
Financiers ‘hold Manchester United takeover talks’
A group of financiers - dubbed the “Red Knights” - has met to discuss a billion-pound takeover of Manchester United.
