Media Watch - September 3

Top Birmingham City Council Stories

Taxi drivers to receive postcards on CSE (BBC WM - Breakfast) Hackney carriage and private hire drivers across the region, including Birmingham, are to receive postcards with information on how to spot signs of child sexual exploitation as they are seen as important “eyes and ears” in the fight against the issue. Regional lead on CSE, Stephen Rimmer, interviewed.

Anger as IT firm makes millions in council deal (Birmingham Post) Service Birmingham’s 2014 accounts have been published, revealing dividends of more than £1million a month. Cllr Barry Henley quoted, saying that problems in the past had been overcome and SB was now cost effective and efficient.

Court to decide if ‘spiritual influence’ swung election win (Birmingham Post and Birmingham Mail) A legal challenge to Cllr Ansar Ali Khan’s win in the Washwhood Heath ward at the 2015 local elections has been launched by defeated Liberal Democrat candidate Shamsur Rehman. Cllr Khan is disputing the claims.

Council criticises new combined authority plans (Birmingham Post) Warwickshire County Council has dubbed the process to form a West Midlands Combined Authority as “vague” and lacking an economic argument – suggesting it may try to create its own “super authority”.

Councillor quits Labour group in row over ‘underhand deals’ (Birmingham Post) Continued coverage of Cllr Ian Cruise’s decision to become an independent member of the city council.

£4.4m handout for new staff at ‘dysfunctional’ city council (Birmingham Post) Further coverage of the news the DCLG is backing the city council’s Future Council initiative with a grant that will enable the local authority to bring in outside expertise, accelerate the pace of planned improvements and do more than originally planned. Council Leader Sir Albert Bore quoted.

Markets plan set to get the green light (Birmingham Post) City council planners are expected to approve plans for the new wholesale markets complex near Witton, bringing plans for the city centre Smithfield regeneration project a step closer to reality.

Bin it for Good scheme is launched (BBC WM - Drivetime) Cllr Lisa Trickett interviewed about the new project that will see money donated to local charities if more rubbish is put into city centre bins by residents and visitors, as part of the ongoing effort to make the local environment as attractive as possible .

Regional Headlines

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has wanred his service could lose up to 55 per cent of its funding by 2020 is government cuts continue.

More than 10 million passengers have used Birmingham Airport in a single year for the first time (August 2014 to August 2015).

Data released by the Office for National Statistics has revealed that one in six West Midlanders were born abroad (17.1 per cent of a total population of 2.8 million).

National Headlines

David Cameron is facing growing pressure at home and abroad for the UK to take in more of the many thousands of migrants fleeing to Europe. Conservative backbencher David Burrowes said the UK “should accept thousands, not hundreds” of people and a senior UN official said the UK could “do more”.

There are just over three trillion trees on Earth, according to a new assessment. The figure is eight times as big as the previous best estimate, which counted 400 billion at most. The latest estimate has been produced by academics from Yale University, who combined a mass of ground survey data with satellite pictures.

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