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The time is right for city councillor to pay the penalty Jul 27 2009

It is more than a year since Birmingham Liberal Democrat councillor Ayoub Khan was found by the Elections Commissioner to have mounted a “scurrilous and unwarranted attempt” to mislead an election court and to have made “unpleasant, unsupported and unsubstantiated” allegations about the conduct of his Labour opponent, Muhammed Afzal.Read

Government support for metro extension welcomed, but a long way to go yet Jul 24 2009

Birmingham is still some way from getting part of its long-awaited city centre metro extension, but a government invitation to submit an application for funding should be welcomed.Read

Andris Nelsons and CBSO making music Jul 24 2009

Good news has been scarce in recent months, so the announcement that the CBSO and its exciting young conductor Andris Nelsons have signed up for another three years together is particularly welcome.Read

The role of a regional minister has always been poorly defined. Jul 23 2009

Liam Byrne, the regional minister of the West Midlands, described it as “banging heads together” – encouraging and exhorting the various agencies operating across the region to turn their words into action and work in partnership.Read

Clive Dutton's sharp exit raises questions about Birmingham Council employment contracts Jul 23 2009

Local government moves in a mysterious way, its wonders to perform, but there will be people in Birmingham today wondering about the wisdom of the city council handing its chief officers contracts of employment requiring only three months’ notice of intention to leave.Read

Cloud over the future of Advantage West Midlands Jul 22 2009

But the fact remains that AWM, as it is known, is still responsible for spending hundreds of millions of pounds a year in the region.Read

Can flu helpline work without needing a fortune? Jul 21 2009

A new health scare seems to come along every year, and for a while it looked as if swine flu would be no different.Read

Advantage West Midlands' cuts a sign of things to come Jul 21 2009

Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency, has spent most of its relatively short existence attempting to justify itself to critics who maintain that the organisation is overly bureaucratic, slow and under-achieving. AWM can now add a further chapter to its woes – public spending cuts.Read

Familiar failings haunt Birmingham social services Jul 20 2009

A city council inquiry into the failings of Birmingham children’s social services, due to be published in the autumn, is likely to touch on some familiar territory in an attempt to understand why, despite millions of pounds of additional investment, care for youngsters at risk of serious abuse remains inadequate.Read

Public-private partnerships don't have a great record Jul 20 2009

It sometimes takes a politician who has been around for a long time to put events into perspective. We should be grateful to Birmingham Tory councillor Len Clark for gently reminding us that, however many fancy partnership arrangements are foisted on to local government by Whitehall, they don’t seem to make much difference where it matters.Read

UK Government way behind Europe in supporting its car industry Jul 17 2009

MPs have heard the view of business leaders, ministers, civil servants and union officials as they investigated the state of the automotive industry.Read

College funding farce not funny for the victims Jul 17 2009

The college funding crisis is a farce that would not seem out of place in an episode of Yes, Minister.Read

Better rail services the key to West Midlands' economic recovery Jul 16 2009

It is refreshing to see two city politicians calling for action to boost the region’s transport system in a bid to bail the West Midlands out of a recession.Read

Reassurance rather than reaction brings relief to rising birth rates Jul 16 2009

These days we are used to Governments, both local and national, being caught unawares and reacting to crises rather than heading them off.Read

Games bid could get stuck on the starting blocks Jul 15 2009

It is good to learn that Birmingham is thinking big by considering a bid to host the Commonwealth Games, but if the way the city council has handled publicity so far is anything to go by, the project is in danger of failing to cross the first hurdle.Read

Fear of failure no reason to avoid city of culture contest Jul 15 2009

Liverpool has benefitted enormously from its year in the spotlight as European Capital of Culture.Read

We must be told the full costs of providing swimming baths Jul 14 2009

There can be no denying the ambition of city council plans to transform public swimming provision in Birmingham, ranging as they do from the much-debated 50-metre Olympic pool to replacement and refurbishment of smaller baths in the suburbs.Read

Patience is key to recoup bank bail-out cash Jul 14 2009

Warnings that every household in Britain has made a theoretical loss of £1,000 on the bank bail-out sound worrying, but they should not be a cause for panic.Read

It looks like becoming the pride of Birmingham, not to mention a hallmark of British automotive technology and engineering. Jul 10 2009

Jaguar last night was able to set aside talk of financial losses and a possible plant closure to unveil its long-awaited new flagship model, the XJ.Read

Former MG Rover directors making most of inquiry publishing delay Jul 08 2009

As the region waits for a formal verdict on how MG Rover met its end, we are treated to the unedifying spectacle of various parties squabbling over what went on five years ago.Read

Tories cannot assume they have countryside votes sewn up Jul 08 2009

Tory plans to support rural communities contain little that is new.Read

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