Birmingham Post

MP attacks Edgbaston floodlights

Warwickshire Country Cricket Club has misled residents over claims it will be forced to stop hosting international matches unless it builds permanent 150ft floodlights at Edgbaston, a city MP has claimed. Roger Godsiff (Lab Sparkbrook) demanded the club think again over plans to erect the floodlights, as he led a House of Commons debate.

New Speaker a step on the road to reform ; COMMENT

Bercow takes the helm - page 20 John Bercow has taken the chair as Commons Speaker, after beating nine other candidates for the job in a hard-fought campaign.

KEY FIGURE

SHAREWATCH

Who: Stagecoach. Why: The City will be hoping for positive news on the company's dispute with the Government over its South West Trains franchise when it reports full-year results today. While all of Stagecoach's rail franchises are vulnerable to falls in commuters as unemployment rises, SW Trains' position has been exacerbated by the depute with the Department for Transport over revenue support.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Who: Kent Davis Why: The landlord of the popular Digbeth pub The Rainbow has gained huge support after his pub received a noise abatement order earlier this month. A Facebook group called The Rainbow Pub and Courtyard Facing Closure - Save the Rainbow currently has over 20,000 members.

TODAY'S EVENT

What: Seminars for Success: Promoting your Business Where: Faraday Wharf, Aston Science Park, Birmingham, B7 4BB When: 8am to 11am Details: Part four in a series of seven Seminars for Success events aimed at improving all facets of a business. The conference, which is free to attend, will focus on how to make the most of advertising, branding and corporate awareness.

High streets should hold on to their independents

Rise of independent shops - pages 6 - 7 Bring your passport if you turn up to Shrewsbury on July 4 - it's declared independence.

TOMORROW IN THE BIRMINGHAM POST

BUSINESS Commercial Property Midlands-based property start-up Evenacre has got off the mark with its first acquisition, Victoria House in Birmingham's Colmore Row..

24.06.2009

BUSINESS NEWS 4-13 Job opportunity So you've lost your job at the City law firm. One of the Porsches has had to go, and it looks like state education only for any future lovechildren with the mistress. Suddenly a new opening comes up. Page 4 Nurseries sold Britain's largest nursery group Busy Bees has been sold to a Singaporean education firm. Busy Bees, which is based in Lichfield, and has 131 nurseries, was sold to Knowledge Universe Education for an undisclosed amount. Page 5 Electric aven...

We believe a lot of this is down to a false perception that North Staffordshire is an unattractive area ; KEY WORDS

Short-sighted lawyers can't see beyond City ; LEGAL

So you have lost your job at the City law firm. One of the Porsches has had to go and it looks like state education only for any future children. Suddenly a new opening comes up - global company, good benefits, location handy for the countryside...

MAG to pay costs ; UPDATE

The Government yesterday "vindictively" won pounds 35,000 in legal costs from a group of businessmen who tried to block the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB. It fell short of the pounds 62,000 which Business Secretary Lord Mandelson had been seeking from the Merger Action Group (MAG). But the award prompted an angry reaction from the group and opposition politicians.

Setanta in administration with loss of 200 jobs as rescue bid fails ; MEDIA

Struggling sports broadcaster Setanta Sport has gone into administration with the loss of 200 jobs after efforts to rescue the business failed. The firm, hit by the loss of football television rights in England and Scotland, will go off-air to viewers in Britain shortly, administrator Deloitte said. But the administrator said Setanta's international and Ireland businesses would continue to trade while talks with possible buyers are under way.

Singapore firm buys Midland nursery group ; EDUCATION

Britain's largest nursery group Busy Bees has been sold to a Singaporean education firm. Busy Bees, which is based in Lichfield, and has 131 nurseries with space for 11,500 children, was sold to Knowledge Universe Education for an undisclosed amount.

Await 'range of instruments' ; city view

Start with the bad news. Central Birmingham, the B2 postcode, is the negative equity capital of Britain. The credit rating agency Fitch, quoted by the Financial Times, reckons that 31.2 per cent of the mortgages there are secured on homes now worth less than the outstanding loans.

Improved consultancy strength behind Kelway's move for Repton ; TECHNOLOGY

Mid-market IT firm Kelway, which has a Midlands base in Worcester, has bought rival Repton Holdings - four months after its last major acquisition - because the firm's work in enterprise and datacentre infrastructure would improve their strengths in consultancy work, among other areas.. and Repton's proven expertise with major enterprise IT infrastructures made them an ideal addition to the Kelway Group.

Busy Shrewsbury is set to declare its independents ; Nick Howard looks at how one Midlands market town is turning to its non-chain retailers in a bid to weather the worst of the recession

If retailers paid any attention to researchers like Experian, they may not bother getting out of bed in the morning. Earlier this year the research company predicted that as many as 35,000 shops could close before the nation climbs its way out of this recession - a sobering thought for shopkeepers up and down the land.

BoE spending spree starting to work - Dale ; BANKING

The Bank of England sees signs that its immense programme to feed invented money into the economy is starting to ease the credit crunch. Spencer Dale, the Bank's chief economist, said yesterday the Bank has deployed pounds 96 billion of the pounds 125 billion it plans to commit by the end of July and that initial indications are encouraging.

Watchdog says crash lessons quickly being forgotten ; BANKING

The head of the City's financial watchdog warned that banks are already in danger of forgetting the lessons of the financial crisis. Lord Turner, chairman of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), told MPs on the Treasury Select Committee he was worried about a lack of will to drive through reform as memories of the turmoil fade.

Digital access in rural areas 'needs more commitment'

People in rural parts of the West Midlands are at risk of constantly playing digital "catch up" unless there is a firm commitment to improving communications access, a new study has warned. The report, calledMindtheGap- Digital England: a rural perspective, contains a series of recommendations to the government from the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) to ensure an effective and sustainable communications future for rural England.