Birmingham Post

Michelin Man

Jlr Workers Face Ticking Clock Over Cuts Package

Thousands of Jaguar Land Rover workers have less than two weeks before a crucial vote on whether to accept a pay freeze and other cutbacks - or risk the loss of up to 1,800 jobs. Sources said unions at JLR have been given a fortnight to digest demands for more job cuts and cutbacks in pay and other working conditions as the credit squeeze continues to wreak havoc in the car sector.

Michelin Salute to Our Homegrown Masterchefs ; 24 Hours Birmingham Post Comment

Where once there was a gastronomic wasteland, there now lies a city of plenty. Birmingham's outstanding triple success in the 2009 Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland is a cause for a triple celebration: for the obsessively hard-working and talented chefs; for anyone with a passing interest in good food; and for the city itself.

Birmingham City Council Is Not Immune From the Credit Crunch ; 24 Hours

Homebuyers are not the only people to have come a cropper after swallowing the myth that property prices could only keep rising. Birmingham City Council, which plans to pay for a large proportion of its capital expenditure by raising money from selling land and buildings, must be eyeing the worst recession for 70 years with increasing nervousness.

The Coventry Border

Plummeting Land Prices Push City Deep Into Red

The credit crunch is taking a huge chunk out of Birmingham City Council's finances, with plummeting land and property prices helping to push the local authority's budget deep into the red. Officials are predicting a pounds 14 million overspend this year, and are warning that borrowing may have to increase dramatically if prestige projects, including the construction of new civic offices, are to go ahead.

Man Found Dead On Pavement Had Head Injuries, Police Reveal

Detectives are continuing to investigate the suspicious death of a man found slumped on a pavement in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on Friday night The 24-year-old was found collapsed in the High Street at about 11pm and was taken to hospital with head injuries where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police closed a 200-metre stretch of the High Street from Addison Road to Heathfield Road until 3.30pm yesterday while they carried out their investigation.

'Inadequate' Children's Services in City Facing Probe

The government is poised to launch an inquiry into Birmingham's children's services department, a month after it was labelled inadequate by Ofsted inspectors. The intervention comes as it emerged that there have been 10 suspicious child deaths in Birmingham since April 2006, with eight of those children known to city social workers.

Customer Cowered in Shop As Son of Postmaster Was Shot

An eyewitness was cowering in a Bromsgrove post office when the son of a postmaster was shot and killed, it has emerged. Four men appeared at Redditch Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with the murder of Craig Hodson-Walker, 29 and the attempted murder of his father Ken. They were also charged with attempted robbery at the family-run post office in Fairfield, North Worcestershire, on January 9.

Hat-Trick of Michelin Stars for Our City Chefs

Birmingham is celebrating a hat-trick of culinary success after three of its homegrown chefs were awarded coveted Michelin stars for their outstanding cooking. The clutch of awards, from the most respected food guide in the world, means the city has assumed the title of the country's regional culinary capital. No other town or city outside London boasts so many top ranking restaurants in the 2009 Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland. Enjoy the score because it is Birmingham 3 - Manche...

Town to Create Own Foodweb

Residents of a Warwickshire town are being asked to take part in a new project to create a foodweb in order to raise awareness of local produce and help boost the economy. The project led by the Campaign to Protect Rural England is being piloted in Kenilworth and will be rolled out to another four locations in the West Midlands. Organisers want people living in the town to record what food they buy and where they buy it from.

Hospitals Winning War Against Superbug As C.Diff Cases Are Cut by 27 Per Cent

Hospitals across the region have reached a turning point in tackling superbug Clostridium difficile (C.diff) according to latest quarterly figures. Numbers reported of patients aged two and over with the deadly infection have been cut at all Midland trusts - except two - compared to the previous quarter.

Mum Gives Ultimate Gift of Life to Her Son

A mother has given her son the ultimate gift by giving up a kidney to save his life in a pioneering move by medics in the region. Craig Clark, who grew up in Pebblemill Close, Cannock, Staffordshire, was desperately ill despite undergoing four kidney transplants over the past 18 years.

Historic Building Restoration Finished

The reopening of an historic landmark is a stepcloser followingcompletionofapounds 7.5million restoration. Contractor Linford Group has handed back the Molineux Hotel to its owners at Wolverhampton City Council.

Boris 'Will Pay' Pounds 2k Hotel Bill

London Mayor Boris Johnson said he would repay almostpounds 2,000 of taxpayers' money spent on his Birmingham hotel room at the Conservative Party conference if it turns out that he has broken official rules. A Sunday newspaper claimed Mr Johnson spent pounds 1,955.25 on accommodation for himself and a small group of advisers at the luxury Hyatt Regency hotel last year - possibly putting him in breach of Greater London Authority rules stating that public money must not be used improperly for ...

Jobseekers Turn to Teaching

Beleaguered workers are registering their interest in becoming teachers in droves. Official figures from the Teaching and Development Agency (TDA) showed that in the past two and a half months, 424,802 peoplemade inquiries through their website.

Mystery Shrouds Old City Landmark

One of Birmingham's architectural and historic gems is being kept under wraps to make money for the owner, it has been alleged. Now the city's planning committee has ordered an investigation of work being done at the Methodist Central Hall in Corporation Street to check it is genuine.

Home Secretary Condemns Fraudster 'Pal'

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has condemned a former political ally and friend who conned nearly pounds 100,000 out of a Midland homeless charity. David Cartwright, who served as Redditch Borough Council Leader and represented the town's Greenlands ward, pleaded guilty to a catalogue of theft and deception charges at Hereford Crown Court last week.

How City Centre Could Become an Art Gallery ; in His Latest Look at the Big City Plan, Paul Dale Reports On Ideas to Boost Birmingham's Cultural Scene

A museum of modern art could be incorporated into the pounds 600 million redevelopment of New Street Station. That is just one of the ideas for a transformation of culture, leisure and sport contained in the Big City Plan.

Hoon Defends Plan to Allow Traffic to Use M6 Hard Shoulder

The transport secretary yesterday defended plans to relieve motorway congestion on the M6 by allowing vehicles on to the hard shoulder. Geoff Hoon said so-called hard-shoulder running was a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way of easing traffic on major roads.