Birmingham Post

Auto Firms Fold As Aid Is 'Criminally' Delayed

Unfulfilled government promises to the car making industry were branded "criminal" by business leaders as hundreds more companies faced bankruptcy in the West Midlands. Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCI) warned last night an average of three supply chain companies a week were going to the wall while the pounds 2.3billion rescue packaged announced by business secretary Lord Mandelson three weeks ago remains inaccessible.

24 Hours: Awm Poses Crucial Eco Town Questions ; Birmingham Post Comment

Government plans to build 10 eco towns across England could be regarded as precisely one of the public regeneration projects Chancellor Alistair Darling was referring to in his embracement of Keynesian economics to help spend our way out of recession. With the backing of Whitehall, and no shortage of public money to get things going, these developments may be able to offer a lifeline to the hard-pressed construction industry.

24 Hours: New Street Gateway Will Benefit All - If the Figures Add Up

A public inquiry into Birmingham City Council's intention to compulsorily acquire land for the refurbishment of New Street Station has been treated to a wealth of information about the merits of the pounds 600 million scheme. The vastly improved and enlarged station will, it is suggested, deliver pounds 2 billion of transportation benefits through better train services and happier travel experiences for customers.

Solution to Commuting ; Pen Portrait

Name?: Tony Smedley

Is This a Nuisance or Case of Digbeth Having Fun? ; Entertainment Pub Facing Closure Threat After Noise Complaint

A popular Digbeth venue could close because of complaints about music from a small minority of local residents living in newly- built flats in the area. The Rainbow, on the High Street, has been the subject of complaints about noise emanating from the venue and is threatened with the possibility of a noise abatement order, which the pub said could effectively close it down.

Gold Is Again Worth Its Weight in ... ; City View

Gold is back flirting with the thousand dollar-an-ounce barrier that it touched briefly this time last year. The difference is that then stock markets were only just emerging from a curious false dawn supported by hopes that the sub-prime disaster was blowing over.

Company Turning World Green - Apart From Uk ; Automotive Lack of Action by Government Blamed for Lack of Interest

The founder of a growing Midland electric commercial vehicle manufacturer has warned the UK is in danger of being surpassed in green technologies because of a lack of action from government. Coventry-based Modec has witnessed a rapid growth in orders recently and is set to take on staff in the autumn in response to burgeoning international demand for its products.

Security Firm Lays Off Staff Who Give Short Term Cover

Workers at one of the West Midlands' biggest security operations have been laid off without pay as cash-strapped companies pull out of contracts. And under the terms of their contracts of employment, employees affected have to wait at least four weeks before they can leave and claim statutory redundancy pay.

Crash Driver Accused of Being On Her Mobile Phone

A company director who ploughed head on into an oncoming car killing the driver, had been making phone calls for more than half her car journey, a court heard yesterday. The other driver, a hospital radiographer from south Warwickshire, was cut from the wreckage but suffered a heart attack and died as the air ambulance was about to take off.

Victim Had Complained to Police About Husband

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the actions of West Midlands police officers after a woman was found battered to death shortly after her estranged husband's body was discovered on a train line. The IPCC said the 36-year-old, named locally in Marston Green as Helen Findlay, made a complaint to police five days before her body was found in the couple's marital home in Holly Lane.

Severn Trent Defends Decision to Increase Average Water Bill by 5pc

Severn Trent Water customers will be hit with an above-inflation hike in bills this year. The company, which supplies more than a million homes in Birmingham, said the average water bill will increase by five per cent to pounds 305.

Speed Cuts On 38 Warwickshire Roads ; Transport

Work is under way to reduce speed limits on 38 Warwickshire roads. The changes on A and B routes in Stratford-upon-Avon follow guidance set by the Department for Transport.

Hitler's Table Habits Revealed ; History

Newly-discovered secret papers which reveal the disgusting table habits of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler will be auctioned at Ludlow based Mullock's on March 5. The Fuhrer was said by of one his agents to suffer from flatulence and indigestion brought on by over-eating. He bit his fingernails at mealtimes and rubbed the distinctive moustache.

Air Traffic Controllers Handle Fewer Flights ; Transport

Stadium 'Will Be a White Elephant' ; Olympics

Shopkeepers Need More Protection

Shopkeepers need more protection from rising violence after a spate of recent attacks, a business leader has pleaded. Postmaster's son Craig Hodson-Walker was shot dead as he tried to protect his family's store in rural Worcestershire.

Health Trust's Chocolate Treat

An NHS trust has defended its decision to use pounds 13,000 in public donations to buy shares in a chocolate company. Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's General Charitable Fund - which manages donations from patients and supporters - has invested nearly pounds 13,500 in Cadbury.

Smith 'Sleaze' Probe On Second Home Allowance

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is to face a parliamentary "sleaze" investigation over her second home allowance. A spokesman for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, John Lyon, said he had agreed to look at a complaint against the Redditch MP.

Rbs 'State of Finances' Civil Action

A former QC who has takena civil action against the Royal Bank of Scotland accusing it of negligence said he hopes other shareholders will take on the bank. Ian Hamilton, 83, has accused the banking giant of concealing the state of their finances and has brought the case to the small claims court at Oban Sheriff Court, Argyll, and Bute.

Business Plans for Town Centre

Shops and businesses in Sutton Coldfield are coming together in a bid to shape the future of the town centre. Next month a Town Centre Partnership will be launched at a time when the city is consulting on a new regeneration framework which will shape the town over two decades.