Media Watch - Nov 27
Top Birmingham City Council Stories:
City should outsource bins service, council told (Birmingham Post) Birmingham City Council’s official auditor has urged the authority to consider outsourcing refuse collection, in the annual audit letter
Council bosses to face the public to explain huge cuts (Birmingham Post) Huge cuts will be under the spotlight when the council’s cabinet and senior officers meet the public at two consultation events next month
Housing perks mooted to attract social workers (Birmingham Post) Council chiefs could offer perks like subsidised housing and extra-long holidays in a bid to attract new social workers
Fears over child protection funding (Birmingham Post) Cllr Brigid Jones has warned that the city may not secure the £123m funding it needs from central government to properly protect children
The schools challenging homophobia in the class (Birmingham Post) Article on city schools using a range of materials to challenge homophobia, including the CHiPS programme – Challenging Homophobia in Primary Schools
Abuse victims in city are just ‘tip of the iceberg’ (Birmingham Post) City child protection chiefs have vowed to pile the pressure on paedophiles and perpetrators of abuse after a report revealed there are 132 known victims and youngsters vulnerable to abuse. Cllr Anita Ward, chair of the education and vulnerable children scrutiny committee, quoted
Outcry at Labour leaders’ ‘veto’ of garden tax report (Birmingham Mail) Labour’s leadership has been accused of supressing a watchdog committee report and debate over the green waste charge. Cllr Deirdre Alden said the Labour group ‘vetoed’ the report going to full council. However, Cllr Lisa Trickett, cabinet member for the service, said a ‘pantomime’ debate in council would not help improve the service
Long-serving Liberal leader collects CBE (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham’s longest-serving councillor, Paul Tilsley, has received his CBE at Buckingham Palace
The human statue who left a little boy in tears (Daily Star, Daily Mail) Further coverage of the street artists who held a toy gun to a boy’s head. Birmingham City Council said an official would speak to the performer
Regional Headlines:
World-class artwork to greet HS2 passengers – Land next to Birmingham’s newest park in Eastside is to be the location for a new piece of public art
Boy’s injuries ‘like top floor fall’ - Fatal internal injuries suffered by a 22-month-old boy from Chelmsley Wood were like those caused by “a fall from the top floor of a house”, his parents’ murder trial hears
National Headlines:
Australia batsman Phillip Hughes dies - Australia cricketer Phillip Hughes dies in hospital, two days after being hit on the neck by a ball during a match in Sydney
Afghan attack hits UK embassy car - A Taliban suicide bomber hits a UK embassy car in the Afghan capital Kabul killing five Afghans and wounding many others, including embassy staff
