Birmingham Post

New Twist in Council Pay Row

The wages scandal rocking Birmingham City Council took a new twist last night as it emerged a second highly-paid worker at the street lighting depot, earning nearly pounds 60,000, is also a union official. John Poole joins his Amicus colleague Ian Smith at the top of salary sheet for the depot's 51 workers. In common with Mr Smith, Mr Poole is also officially employed as a street light and traffic light repairer.

Re-Instated Head Sparks Fury Among Parents and Staff

A Birmingham head teacher sacked earlier this year for allegedly forging a signature is being allowed to return to his job. Alastair Sharp was suspended from Brookvale Primary School in Erdington in January and dismissed in June by the governing body. He was reinstated by an appeal panel consisting of different governors.

Marquess Skips Bail

An aristocrat was being sought by police last night after he skipped bail on a dangerous driving charge. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the Marquess of Blandford following his non-appearance at Coventry Magistrates' Court.

Businesses Like White Men's Clubs'

Business leaders in Birmingham are behaving like "white men's clubs" by ignoring the talent of black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs, a leading academic claims today. Professor Richard Scase said firms had to be more international looking and embrace diversity issues if they were to survive.

Sick Pay Farce Leaves Workers Turned Off ; Council Must Have Screw Loose Over Light Bulb Engineer's Salary

Birmingham commuters greeted the news that Ian Smith was paid pounds 91,000 while at home on extended sick leave with shock and derision last night. As a union official for Ami-cus and a street and traffic light engineer for Birmingham City Council, Mr Smith received his basic pounds 71,000 salary plus bonuses and overtime of pounds 20,000 while he has been off work sick for the past year.

Massive Bonuses Not Norm, Says Former Pay Boss

The man responsible for negotiating wages for many local authority workers in Birmingham yesterday defended the salary structure which is being dismantled by council leaders. Councillor Peter Kane, the opposition Labour group's shadow member for equalities and human resources, said the "hysteria" surrounding present wage structures grew from a only a handful of anomalies.

Pounds 91k Man 'Taken Away'

Ian Smith, the union convenor at the street lighting depot paid pounds 91,000-a-year by Birmingham City Council, left his detached house at Harborne yesterday for an unknown destination. Mr Smith was taken away by Amicus officials following intense media speculation about his salary and bonus arrangements.

Majority of Teenagers Dropping Languages

Teenagers are dropping GCSE French and German at more than 80 per cent of state schools in England, according to a major survey. Experts at the national centre for languages (Cilt) have warned that the subjects are becoming the preserve of a middle-class elite.

Blair Admits Being Poor at Science

Tony Blair admitted yesterday he was "very poor" at science when at school and found it hard to grasp basic concepts. The Prime Minister said he now regrets his earlier lack of interest.

The Scottish Play with Shakespeare

Plans for a Scottish exam board to accept answers written in text message language have been praised by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Dr Paul Edmondson, head of education at the trust in Stratford- upon-Avon, said he supported the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), which has angered the Plain English Campaign with its decision. The admission that phrases like "2b r nt 2b" or "I luv u" in exam papers will now be allowed comes in the wake of a report into Standard Grade English.

Art for All in Ambitious Stratford Makeover

These are the first images of the proposed redevelopment of the Waterfront area of Stratford-upon-Avon. Unveiled yesterday as part of a public consultation at Stratford Town Hall, the revamping of the Waterfront forms the first pounds 5 million phase of the multi-million pound World Class Stratford initiative.

Reject Arsonist Jailed for Life

An arsonist who killed three children and their stepfather by torching their home as they slept was found guilty of four counts of murder yesterday. Mark Goldstraw used petrol and a candle to start the inferno which claimed the lives of his ex-girlfriend, 16-year-old Samantha Carter, her seven-year-old brother Marcus, ten-year-old sister Patricia and 44-year-old Roddy Hine.

Killing Was Nothing New to Goldstraw

Killing was nothing new to Mark Goldstraw. Life was a cheap commodity to the 31-year-old bachelor as he started down the path of human destruction as far back as April 2001. It was then that he killed for the first time. He was in love with a married woman and was desperate to set up home with her but she would not leave her husband. They had an on-off relationship for a year after meet in 1994-1995 at a motorcycle show. They met as often as possible but her fateful decision to dump him signe...

There's No Proper Punishment for Him

As Mark Goldstraw began a life sentence for a quadruple murder, the family of one of his victims spoke of their anger at his early release for a previous killing. Robert Hine, whose brother Roddy was killed in the arson attack in April, said: "I'm very angry that he should be allowed out of prison to do this to my brother and these children.

Builders 'Preyed On Elderly in Bogus Work Scam'

An "unscrupulous" gang of builders systematically swindled householders in the West Midlands out of tens of thousands of pounds in a bogus building scam, Birmingham Crown Court has been told. The gang targeted the elderly and the vulnerable during a three- year period, charging them extortionate prices for shoddy work, it was alleged.

Nurses in Nhs Fears Protest

Angry NHS staff voiced their concerns yesterday as hundreds marched to Parliament and lobbied MPs. Eleanor Smith, aged 49, a theatre nurse at Birmingham Women's Health Care Trust who lives in Kings Heath, Birmingham, has worked for the NHS for more than 30 years.

Bbc Star in Suicide Attempt Drama

Comic Lee Hurst threatened to kill himself in a row over his dying father's hospital care. The star of TV quiz show They Think It's All Over made the desperate "cry for help" in a bid to draw attention to his father's plight.

Pounds 1m Cash Boost for Acorns

Acorns children's hospices across the West Midlands have received a pounds 1 million cash boost from the Government. A spokesman for the charity said the money would enable it to re- open the 12 beds it had been forced to close earlier in the year, because of funding shortages.

Pm Enters Chaplaincy Row

Tony Blair urged health managers planning to axe chaplaincy services in Worcestershire to recognise "the tremendous value of pastoral care to patients". The Prime Minister intervened in the row after he was challenged in the Commons by Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff (Con).

Family Murdered in House Inferno

A murder inquiry was launched yesterday after a mother and her four children died in a house blaze. Caneze Riaz, aged 39, and four of her daughters, aged between 16 and three, perished in the early hours blaze at their terrace home in Accrington, Lancashire. Her husband Mohammed Riaz was pulled from the house and is fighting for his life in hospital.