Media Watch (pm) Sept 9th
Top Birmingham City Council Stories:
Cabinet clash over city centre demos (Birmingham Mail, page 8): Report on yesterday's Full Council claiming Cllrs Alan Rudge and Ayoub Khan clashed with Cllr Albert Bore over whether it was possible to ban last Saturdays city centre demo by the English Defence League. Cllr Bore claims BNP were banned in 2001 under similar circumstances; Cllr Rudge claims advice was police had no power to ban static protest.
Storm over new website (Birmingham Mail, page 8): Short repeat of Birmingham Post story on criticism of Council's new website which was switched on yesterday.
'Vital' service faces axe again (Birmingham Mail, page 19): No 10 bus from city centre to Harborne, Edgbaston and Quinton faces being stopped months after a campaign by local residents led by Cllr Deirdre Alden saved it from being axed. The route was taken over from National Express by operator Central Connect, but now they say they are not getting enough people using it.
Regional Headlines
Ashley to fight jail term (Birmingham Mail, page 1): Ashley Blake plans to appeal against jail sentence. He was jailed for two years last week after being found guilty of attacking a teenager at his Sutton Coldfield restaurants and perverting the course of justice
Phoenix Four study findings (Birmingham Mail, page 2): Phoenix Four today examining Government report into the collapse of Rover. A source quoted as saying the “Phoenix Four are very litigious”.
Cash windfall for electric car points (Birmingham Mail, page 7): Birmingham wins share of £11 million to install charging points in city for electric cars. Cllr Len Gregory quoted saying electric car revolution will help city achieve target of reducing carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2026.
BBC Midlands Today: World's largest passenger jet - the A380 - flies into Birmingham International Airport to help celebrate its 70th anniversary. The Emirates' jet is length of eight buses and height of six.
BBC Midlands Today: Almost half of all men in Stoke-Upon-Trent who die have suffered from “smoking related illness” A £1 million campaign is to be launched to help to encourage them to quit.
ITV Central: Biggest council house building programme in decades will see 150 homes built in the West Midlands and 300 in the East Midlands.
National Headlines
UK soldier dies in Afghan rescue mission
“Lying down” NHS staff suspended
Market crisis “will happen again”
Planes threaten climate change
News Releases Issued
Green light for new council homes - BCC secures £6.7 million Government funding for 129 high quality council homes
Electric car plans get charged up - More details of Birmingham's involvement in project to develop electric cars revealed at Carbon Vehicles Event in Bedfordshire
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