Birmingham Post

Clare Miller From Leamington Spa

Nhs Star Ratings System Is Axed

Controversial star ratings for hospitals, primary care services and ambulance trusts are to be axed. The ratings system, where NHS trusts in England are awarded between zero and three stars based on their performance, have been much criticised for providing too simplistic an assessment.

People Don't Like Youngsters Even Existing - Police

Concern about anti-social behaviour has reached such a fever pitch that the public objects to young people 'simply existing', the West Midlands Chief Constable warns. The force receives calls from worried residents who want the police to intervene when teenagers are just walking down the street, said Paul Scott-Lee, adding: 'The gap between young and old is getting deeper and broader.'

Surge in Overseas Visitors to Birmingham

The changing face of Birmingham has led to a surge in overseas visitors in the last two years. According to the tourism organisation VisitBritain, Birmingham leads a host of cities enjoying a boom in foreign tourism.

Politics: Savers, First-Time Buyers and Investors Ask for Chancellor's Help

The Chancellor has been urged to remember homebuyers, investors and pension savers in his Pre-Budget address. With just five days until he delivers the address, organisations and companies are making sure Gordon Brown hears their requests in advance of Thursday's crucial speech.

Politics: Pollyanna Rather Than Prudence for Brown

Gordon Brown's guiding spirit is not Prudence, but Pollyanna, a leading right-of-centre thinktank claimed. Like the optimistic schoolgirl of the novel of the same name, Mr Brown appears blind to the perils facing him and the British economy, said Ruth Lea, director of the Centre for Policy studies.

Politics: Musical Deckchairs, or Follow My Leader? ; in the First of a New Series, Chief Football Writer Hyder Jawad Looks at Issues Dominating News Rather Than Sport.

It was when Alexandre LeduRollin, the French lawyer and politician, tried to bustle his way through a baying mob during the 1848 Revolution that he formulated an identity crisis. 'Let me pass, I have to follow them,' he said. 'I am their leader.' For the past ten years, since Tony Blair assumed the leadership of the Labour Party, Gordon Brown might have had cause to express the same sentiments about his own identity crisis. Worse still, with Blair as presidential as ever and relations between...

Squire Will Ban Hunt From Estate

His family may have founded the Albrighton Hunt, but John Giffard, the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, knows where his loyalties will lie when a hunting ban is introduced. The police chief has never followed a hunt. He has not ridden a horse for 40 years and as far as he is concerned the pursuit will be banned in February.

Murder Charge

A 28-year-old man will appear before Birmingham magistrates today after being charged with the murder of a nightclub doorman. A 22-year-old man who was also arrested in connection with the killing of Ishfaq Ahmed was released without charge yesterday.

No Under-Age Drinkers in Clubs

Police failed to find any under-age drinkers during a crackdown on Birmingham's Broad Street at the weekend. Up to 90 officers from West Midlands Police targeted the city's 'Golden Mile' between 9pm on Saturday and 4am on Sunday in a pre- planned operation to clampdown on underage drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Pub Levy for Policing

Nightclubs should be charged a levy to pay for the cost of policing latenight disturbances involving drinkers in city centres, a senior Labour backbencher proposed today. Former Home Office Minister John Denham said that policing the drink-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour on Friday and Saturday nights cost as much as pounds 1 million a year in one provincial city alone.

Body Is Found

The body of a woman believed to be 84-year-old who went missing after attending church was found yesterday. The woman went missing from Blythe Bridge, Hanley on Saturday after attending her local Methodist church at 9am.

Birmingham Artist's Works Go Under Hammer

Three watercolours by one of Birmingham's favourite sons are expected to fetch a five-figure sum when they are auctioned tomorrow. Walter Langley's fishing scenes are predicted to fetch a total of more than pounds 45,000 at London's prestigious Bonhams auction house.

Education Matters: University Dismisses Admission Fines Fear

Birmingham University has dismissed fears that it will be forced by a new higher education watchdog into changing admission policies. The Office for Fair Access (Offa) has been set up by the Government to boost the numbers of students from ethnic minorities and disadvantaged backgrounds. It has the power to levy seven- figure fines on institutions which fail to increase their intakes from these groups.

Education Matters: Charles Cooks Up a New Debate

The Prince of Wales has intervened again in the national debate about education - this time over the quality of school meals. Charles backed a report from the Soil Association and Business in the Community which said children who eat healthy school dinners behave better in class.

Education Matters: Courses for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs in the West Midlands can boost their prospects with free courses at Coventry University. Students will learn about export markets, international trade, financing a new venture, management and how to introduce products and services to the market.

Education Matters: Woodhead Behind Schools Buyout

Chris Woodhead, the controversial former chief inspector of schools, is behind a company buying a chain of schools with the aim of being the largest provider of private education in the country, it emerged yesterday. Mr Woodhead is chairman of the Cognita group which has plans to buy 24 independent schools over the next two years - teaching up to 10,000 children with a centrally planned education strategy.

Education Matters: Chris Wise in Front of His Exhibit Entitled the Bad, the Ugly and the Good

Education Matters: Teenagers Told to Get Hands Dirty

Disaffected teenagers are being inspired to stay on in the education system by getting their hands dirty in local communities. The scheme, by environment charity Groundwork Black Country, has been launched in Dudley and sets young people environmental challenges.

Education Matters: Head Welcomes Ofsted Job Cuts

The headteacher of a Birmingham secondary school has described plans to sack 500 school inspectors as 'wonderful' news. Jane Hattatt, of Lordswood Girls' School in Harborne, said she hoped the redundancies signalled the start of further cuts to the Government's education inspectorate Ofsted.