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Paul Dale

Paul Dale

Police back to patrol Birmingham car share lane on A47

Police have resumed patrols along Birmingham’s car sharing lane and are again handing out £60 fines to motorists. Read

Pertemps boss Tim Watts wins defamation case

Flamboyant businessman Tim Watts is set to be awarded substantial damages after suing a man who called him a “dickhead” and “money merchant”. Read

West Midland headteachers land national awards

Two outstanding teachers from West Midlands schools have scooped prizes in a major national awards competition. Read

Councils rough it in Studley for brainstorming getaway

Tales of the huge personal sacrifices made by West Midlands council and business leaders during their “away-day” break at Studley Castle in Warwickshire are enough to bring tears to your eyes. Read

Birmingham City Council workers in strike ballot

As many as 17,000 Birmingham City Council workers could strike over plans to switch their pay from weekly to monthly. Read

Motorists prefer road charging to road tax, survey finds

Three out of five people would rather pay a road pricing charge every time they use their car than buy an annual tax disc, according to a survey. Read

Austin tells construction firms to stop doubting housing plans

Construction firms with doubts over plans to build 445,000 new houses in the West Midlands are promoting a “counsel of despair”, the region’s new Minister has said. Read

West Midlands begins rising the skills league table

The West Midlands no longer has the least skilled workforce anywhere in England, according to official statistics. Read

John Alden having trouble with his sums

John Alden, whose lifelong ambition is to keep asking awkward questions about Birmingham City Council’s labyrinthine financial processes, is not for the first time in his life feeling a little confused. Read

Birmingham short of home-grown managers

Birmingham is being run by outsiders because most people living in the city lack the skills necessary for managerial jobs, a survey has revealed. Read

Birmingham council defends amount spent on consultants

The chief executive of Birmingham City Council has defended the amount of money the local authority spends on consultants. Read

West Midland councils fear for cash invested in Iceland

At least five West Midlands councils are among scores of local authorities feared to have lost three quarters of a billion pounds in the melt-down of Icelandic banks. Read

Birmingham council 'doesn't know' how much it spends on consultants

A probe into Birmingham City Council’s use of consultants has concluded that officials have no idea how much money is being spent on outside help. Read

Business aid for science firms and SMEs 'too complicated'

Businesses in Birmingham are drowning in a sea of complex council and Government-backed support organisations, a major report has claimed. Read

Solihull Borough Council loses £3m in Icelandic banks

Solihull Borough Council has admitted it has £3 million frozen in Icelandic banks following the collapse of the country’s economy. Read

Birmingham developers too slow with community payments

Birmingham City Council is increasingly resorting to legal action to force development companies to pay millions of pounds worth of planning fees. Read

Swimming club kids miss out on free access to pools

Children taking part in Birmingham swimming club events will miss a Government offer to provide free pool access to all under-16s. Read

Birmingham schools in denial over gang violence, council told

Head teachers in Birmingham are in denial over the number of children in their care who are joining vicious gangs, a senior police officer has claimed. Read

Housing plan for the West Midlands slammed as 'pointless'

Plans to build 445,600 new homes in the West Midlands have been condemned as “pointless and dangerous” by the leader of the region’s councils. Read

Green belt to be used for 445,000 new homes in West Midlands

A consultants’ study ordered by the Government suggests that sufficient land can be identified in the West Midlands to build 445,000 new homes over the next 18 years – a quarter more than the maximum amount proposed by local councils. Read

Author Profile

Paul Dale has been writing about local government in the West Midlands for more than 20 years. The Post's public affairs editor, he is a previous political editor of the Coventry Evening Telegraph and Local Government Correspondent of the Oxford Mail.

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