Birmingham Post

Goodbye Nec Icon - and a Pounds 28m Hello to the New Lg Arena

South Korean electronics conglomerate LG has been revealed as the major sponsor behind a pounds 28 million makeover of Birmingham's NEC Arena which is to be re-built and renamed the LG Arena. The iconic venue, which has hosted artists from across the world for almost 30 years, will be renamed later this year.

Luff Leads Inquiry Into Regional Development Agencies

A Worcestershire MP is to draw up plans to transform the way the Government supports businesses and economic development in the English regions. Peter Luff (Con Mid Worcestershire) is to lead an inquiry into the work of regional development agencies including Advantage West Midlands, which oversees spending of pounds 290 million in the region annually.

Barry's Villa Career Over As Reds Transfer Talk at Impasse

Gareth Barry's career at Aston Villa is effectively over as his protracted transfer to Liverpool rumbled on with the player disciplined for speaking out against manager Martin O'Neill. Barry, fined two weeks' wages for his comments in a Sunday newspaper interview, has been told not to attend the club's start of pre-season training today.

Sullivan Denies Sex Allegations

Birmingham City Football Club co-owner David Sullivan yesterday denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman. The 59-year-old Birmingham City chief, of Theydon Bois, Essex, said he was questioned by police on Tuesday.

Huge Taylor Wimpey Job Cuts On Way

Scores of workers at Taylor Wimpey's Wolverhampton office looked set to lose their jobs last night as the company announced a series of savage cutbacks to try and bolster its flagging business. Shares in the company went into freefall after it announced it had failed to secure the pounds 500 million needed to offset the catastrophic downturn in the housing sector.

Boys Held After Attack ; Crime

Two boys have been arrested in connection with an incident in Stoke-on-Trent in which another youngster suffered life-threatening petrol burns. Staffordshire Police said the boys, aged 13 and 14, were detained on suspicion of assault by detectives investigating an incident in which Jordan Lawrence suffered critical injuries. A force spokesman said the boys had been freed on police bail pending further inquiries into how Jordan came by his injuries. The 13-year-old, from Carmountside, remains ...

Brown Tribute to Banks ; Sport

Public On Speedwatch ; Roads

Royal Show Confident of Full Run After Last Year's Disaster

The agriculture industry's showcase opens in the Midlands today - with organisers confident of no repeat of last year's cancellation. The four-day Royal Show, being held at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, lost one day last year because of heavy rainfall which deluged the showground.

Ann Sumner and Gallery Assistant Kathryn Murray

Eco Town Plans Ghetto Fears by Region's Bosses

Government plans for eco-towns in the countryside could result in the development of isolated "ghettos", business leaders have warned. In a submission to the Department for Communities and Local Government on proposals for new towns at Long Marston in Warwickshire and Curborough in Staffordshire, the West Midlands Business Council said the settlements would turn into "green-build housing estates" whose residents would be dependent on cars for access to jobs and services.

Miscarriage Woman Dies After Knife Attack Near Smith's Former Home

A woman who was stabbed to death outside a supermarket recently lost twins in a miscarriage, neighbours said yesterday. The attack happened close to the road where Home Secretary Jacqui Smith used to live during the week.

What's in a (Sponsored) Stadium Name, Then? ; the Nec Arena's Move to Rebrand Itself As the Lg Arena As a Result of Commercial Involvement Is Not the First of Its Kind. Rhona Ganguly Looks at Other Similar Ventures.

The Ricoh Arena - home of Coventry City Football Club - was officially opened by Dame Kelly Holmes and Sports Minister Richard Caborn in February 2007. Run by Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), it was named after camera and photocopier manufacturer Ricoh as part of a sponsorship deal rumoured to be worth pounds 10 million over 10 years.

Police Finish Search of Houses in 'Extremist Views' Gang Inquiry

Officers investigating a gang suspected of promoting extremist views have now finished searching the last of five houses, police said last night. Staffordshire Police raided the five homes in Stoke-on-Trent under the Terrorism Act yesterday and found a "significant amount" of property, including literature, documents and computers. Four vehicles were also seized.

Jobs Go As Broker Closes City Office

The mortgage broker John Charcol has closed its Birmingham office as part of a wider shakeup that has seen John Garfield, one of Charcol's original founders, return and succeed Ian Kennedy as chief executive. Four people worked in the Birmingham office, which Charcol opened in the mid-1990s when the housing market was starting to recover from its previous setback. In all, 69 of Charcol's 276 staff are losing their jobs, and branches are being closed in Manchester and Guildford as well as Birm...

'Stick Your Vote' Mp Won't Apologise to Voter ; Politics Letter

A Labour MP who told a constituent he could "stick his vote where it best pleased him" has refused to apologise for his remark. David Clelland, MP for Tyne Bridge for the past 23 years, made the comment in a written response to Gary Scott, an IT sales worker from Gateshead.

Pm 'Failing Basic Duty' ; Politics Safety

Tory leader David Cameron accused the Prime Minister of failing in his "basic duty" of keeping people safe as dangerous prisoners were being released early against the advice of probation services. One prisoner returned home, stabbed his girlfriend and later told police he could not believe they had let him out, Mr Cameron told MPs during Question Time.

Business Leaders Asked for Views On Rdas' Successes ; Politics

Business leaders have been invited to contribute to a House of Commons inquiry into whether regional quangos promoting economic development are succeeding. Local councils could also submit evidence to the investigation by the Commons Business and Enterprise Committee, chaired by Peter Luff (Con Mid Worcestershire), which will look at regional development agencies including Advantage West Midlands.

Conservative Councils Must Say 'No' to Labour 'Bullies' ; Politics

Conservative councils should stand up to a "bullying and controlling government" on behalf of their communities, according to shadow communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles. The call for Tory council leaders to "say no" to demands from central government marks a shift in the party's decade-long strategy of working in partnership to provide local services.

Pounds 21m Grant for New Homes Will Transform Kings Norton - Blears ; Politics

A pounds 21 million grant to build new homes in one of Birmingham's most deprived estates will "transform" the area, ministers have said. Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Local Government, was speaking after a longawaited grant for the Kings Norton Three Estates finally received the green light.