Media Watch - September 11
Top Birmingham City Council Stories:
Council leaders to face grilling (Birmingham Mail) Birmingham city Council leaders face a grilling at the hands of a Government appointed improvement panel later today.
New car smoking ban ‘could inspire people to quit’ (Birmingham Mail) City health chiefs are hoping a ban on smoking in cars carrying children will encourage people to quit the habit. Quotes Cllr Paulette Hamilton and Director of Public Health Dr Adrian Phillips.
Widespread coverage of the new Homeless Outreach Support Triage (HOST) service. (BBCWM, Free Radio, BBC online and Birmingham Mail). The service, which is being trialled by Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Police and homeless support services, offers a multi-agency support service for homeless people sleeping on the streets of Birmingham city centre.
On yer bikes! Commuters in Brum shun the saddle (Birmingham Mail) Just one per cent of journeys to work in Birmingham take place by cycle according to new figures. Feature piece about Sunday’s BikeFest event and Birmingham Cycle Revolution.
Scores of Brummies offer place for Syrian refugees (Birmingham Mail) Scores of Brummies have come forward with offers of help to the official City of Sanctuary campaign in the wake of the Syrian refugee crisis. Quotes Cllr Matt Bennett.
Councils use law to tidy up dirty homes (Solihull News) West Midlands councils have forced residents to clean up their dirty houses more than 200 times since 2010.
Birmingham beauty salon boss ordered to pay £3k for putting rubbish in the wrong bin bags (Mail online, Mirror online) Further coverage about the case of salon owner Susan le Poidevin who was prosecuted after her mum put commercial waste in black bags meant for domestic rubbish. In fact she had not paid for her trade waste collection service.
Regional Headlines:
‘Bleach’ murder bid care worker Melissa Swift transferred to hospital - A woman who used bleach to poison colleagues at a West Midlands care home is to be admitted to a high-security psychiatric unit.
Masoud Esmailian stabbing: Teenager arrested in Romania - Romanian police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of a father-of-two in West Bromwich.
Birmingham mosque teachers jailed for Koran boy beating - Two Islamic school teachers who beat a 10-year-old boy with a stick for reciting the Koran incorrectly have been jailed for a year.
National Headlines:
US official: ‘IS making and using chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria’ - There is a growing belief within the US government that the Islamic State militant group is making and using crude chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria.
Assisted Dying Bill: Fresh debate on ‘right to die’- MPs are to debate whether some terminally ill people in England and Wales should be allowed to end their lives with medical supervision.
BA fire report suggests engine casing breach - An initial report on a British Airways plane which caught fire at a Las Vegas airport suggests engine parts flew out and landed on the runway.
