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Transport lessons from the capital

Commuters are shunning buses in the West Midlands, according to a new study. Read

Birmingham Council sickness levels are depressing

Staff sickness levels at Birmingham City Council’s Adults and Communities Department are, by any measure of thumb, appalling. Ten per cent of social services staff are off work at any given time, most for more than four weeks. Read

Orion penthouse sale provides cause for optimism

Estate agents across the country are considering leaping out of the top-floor windows of the tower blocks they can no longer sell, but Birmingham has bucked the trend of misery and desperation by chalking up the city’s first £1 million apartment. Read

Build Pathfinder and accept sensitivities

There was some surprise when the Government launched its Pathfinder anti-terrorism programme in Birmingham and other major UK cities more than a year ago that a title as blunt as Preventing Violent Terrorism should have been chosen for community-based projects aimed at encouraging younger Muslims to reject Islamic radicalism. Read

Regeneration boss treads very thin line

Neville Summerfield, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, is a well-meaning councillor whose promotion to his present elevated position came as something of a surprise to colleagues. Read

Plenty of interest in never-never land

It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good, and even in recessionary times there are businesses able to profit as a direct result of the economic downturn. Read

Hidden costs of longevity far from straightforward

Advances in medical science are of course universally welcomed as a good thing, but the financial impact on public services of greater longevity is not always easily understood. Read

West Midlands faces savage recession

The number of unemployed adults claiming the Jobseekers Allowance in the West Midlands jumped by 15 per cent last year; economists are predicting that the region will lose some 180,000 jobs over the next two years. Read

Bank of England presses panic button

The speed with which financial markets are being gripped by the fear of global recession is underlined by the decision of the Bank of England yesterday to cut the UK base interest rate by one and a half per cent. Read

Great expectations for Barack Obama

Not since John Kennedy burst on to the scene in 1960 has the election of a young and charismatic US president filled so many people with so much hope. It is a cliché, but by no means an over-statement, that the eyes of the world are on Barack Obama. Read

Eco-towns in danger of looking like vanity project

For many months, MPs and other opponents of a planned new town in Warwickshire have warned that it is set to be built in the wrong place. Read

Buck had to stop with Chief Constable in Mosque documentary row

A Westminster inquiry has had an insight into the bizarre behaviour of West Midlands Police over the Channel 4 documentary exposing extremism in British mosques. Read

Broad Street changes will strengthen its hand in an upturn

The manager of the Broad Street Business Improvement District puts a brave face on the number of boarded-up bars and clubs on the city’s Golden Mile, which he says is the result of land acquisition in preparation for some £1 billion of new investment planned over the next year or so. Read

Inquiry into high speed rail is first step

We have before that the Government has been slow to make a decision on the future of Britain’s rail network. Read

Don't forget the crucial role of the little guys in business

It can be easy to overlook the fact that the overwhelming majority of businesses are not big names at all. Read

Risky business of investing in Icelandic banks

Calls for savers who put their money into Icelandic banks to “pay the price” may sound harsh, but they raise important issues. Read

Mr Austin has plenty to do for our region

Ian Austin delivered an upbeat all-hands-to-the-pumps plea yesterday in his first speech since being appointed West Midlands Minister. Read

Last thing we need is panic legislation

Lord Jones of Birmingham would be the first to admit that he is no politician. A successful, charismatic and straight-talking businessman, yes, but without allegiance to any party or indeed with no need to win elections. Read

Softly, softly, but they are still the Tories

When Tony Blair reforged his party in the 1990s, it was sometimes hard to believe he was a Labour politician at all. Old totems such as opposition to private sector involvement in public services or suspicion of the free market went out of the window. Read

Tories must explain where Shires fit in

The future of Advantage West Midlands hangs in the balance after Conservatives indicated it is set for the chop. Read