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The Birmingham Post (England)
The Birmingham Post is the daily newspaper of Birmingham, England. The Birmingham Post covers local and national news, sports, business, and weather.
Articles from February 14, 2008
20,000 City Council Workers to Hold Another One-Day Strike over Pay
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Byline: By Paul Dale Public Affairs Editor Up to 20,000 Birmingham City Council workers are to stage a second one-day strike in the space of three weeks. Unions have called a stoppage for February 26 as part of a continuing campaign against a...
41pc of Ward's Children in Homes Receiving Benefits; POLITICS
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Four out of 10 children in a Birmingham constituency are living in homes which depend on benefits. Government figures show that 41 per cent of youngsters in Ladywood are growing up in families where at least one adult claims benefits designed for...
Action Call as Transport Drive Stuck in Neutral; TRANSPORT DEBATE Birmingham Is One of Europe's Major Cities - and Our Politicians Need to Think in the Same Bold Way as Did Their Predecessors Planning Expert Peter Leaver
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Byline: By Steve Pain Deputy Business Editor Birmingham's political leaders have come under heavy fire in a stinging attack from local property expert Peter Leaver. The planning partner at King Sturge says they should heed Ken Livingstone's example...
Alistair Darling Dismisses Rumours His Job Is under Threat; POLITICS
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Chancellor Alistair Darling yesterday sought to play down claims that his job was under threat, insisting he was "fully occupied". Mr Darling - who has come under fire over a range of issues from his handling of the Northern Rock collapse to plans...
'Angel of the North Set the Benchmark for Public Art'
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The artist behind the Angel of the North has said the statue has set the agenda for accessible art, as his creation turns ten today. Antony Gormley's 200-tonne steel figure, perched on top of a hill next to the A1 in Gateshead, arrived at the site...
Any More for the Property Ride? PROPERTY TRENDS Difficult Times Always Create Opportunities - and the Squeeze on Commercial Property Market Downturn Is No Exception
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Byline: reports Jennifer Hill Billions of pounds have been flowing out of commercial property funds as investors desert a sector that went into freefall when the global credit crunch exacerbated the onset of a cyclical decline in prices. The...
Artistic Groups Welcome Culture on the Curriculum
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Byline: By Jonathan Walker Political Editor Leading arts organisations have pledged their backing for Government plans to ensure every child takes part in five hours of cultural activities each week. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra...
Athletics: Anti-Doping Chief Has Zero Option
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Byline: By David Martin Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson wants a zero-tolerance approach to drug cheats and believes they should receive lengthy suspensions. But the former Paralympian says she will be absolutely impartial when she has to chair a review...
Atkins Says Contract Wins like New Street Help Performance; ENGINEERING
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The UK's largest engineering consultancy, WS Atkins, has said its performance in the year to date has continued to be in line with its expectations, with core markets remaining "robust". The company, which employs around 1,000 people in Birmingham,...
Baggies' Promotion Credentials Still Good Enough for Robson
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Byline: By James Peacock Former West Bromwich Albion manager Bryan Robson is the latest to join a lengthening list of experts who insist that the Baggies will finish first or second in the Coca-Cola Championship. Despite widespread approval of...
Banking Sector Fears Send Market into Red; SHARE PRICES MARKET REPORT
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Disappointing results and news of hefty write-downs from Bradford & Bingley sent the London market into the red yesterday as fears grew over the banking sector. The FTSE 100 Index closed down 29.9 points at 5880.1 after mortgage lender B&B...
BHP Billiton Offer Still Short, Says Rio Tinto; MINING
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A gap still exists between BHP Billiton's improved 3.4-for-one share offer and Rio Tinto's value, it was claimed yesterday. "Our board strongly believes that there is clear water between the offer and the fair value of the company and that's a long,...
Big Rise in Peugeot Citroen Profits; AUTOMOTIVE
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Byline: By Marcel Michelson in Paris Peugeot Citroen reported a big rise in 2007 profits yesterday and boosted its still thin profit margin in line with its targets for 2010 due to new model launches, such as its C4 Picasso, and cost cuts. Europe's...
Bishop Attacks 'Demonic' Government and Its Morals
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A Church of England bishop yesterday compared the Government with a "demonic beast" from the Book of Revelation in an attack on its record of "imposing its morality" upon the nation. The Rt Rev Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle, spoke of the "positive"...
Bradford & Bingley Sees Slump as Bad Debt Bites; BANKING
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Byline: By Russell Lynch Bradford & Bingley sent fresh shock waves through the stock market yesterday after revealing that its exposure to bad debts had contributed to a slump in annual profits. Shares in the FTSE 250 firm slumped by 23 per...
British Bill of Rights on Way, Says Straw; POLITICS
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A British Bill of Rights could be the first step on the road to establishing a written constitution for the United Kingdom, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said last night. In a speech in Washington DC, Mr Straw said the Government's planned Bill of...
Bumpy Ride and Big Blue Yonder; FIRST PERSON Steve Pain Talks to Joe Kelly, Acting MD of Birmingham International Airport, about the Challenges Shaped by a Year of Tremendous Change
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Byline: Joe Kelly Change is what it has all been about over the past year at Birmingham International Airport. Changes in management, changes in plans for the future, changes in its growth strategy and above all, changes in the airline sector itself....
Buoyant Rentals Lift Investor Confidence; BUY-TO-LET the Demise of the the Buy-to-Let Sector Has Been Greatly Overblown, Reports Steve Pain
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Byline: Steve Pain The expansion of the domestic buy-to-let sector is set to slow during 2008, according to new research by Savills. But the property advisers' survey predicts there will be no significant withdrawal of investors from the residential...
Chase Pioneers Four New Developments; COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
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Chase Commercial has acquired four Midlands development sites - totalling 16.43 acres - for around pounds 5 million. The Stratford-upon-Avon based company, a division of property development and construction group Chase Midland, yesterday said that...
City Moves to Get 10,000 Empty Homes Back in Use
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Byline: By Shahid Naqvi A get-tough campaign is to be launched in a bid to bring more than 10,000 unoccupied properties in Birmingham back into use. Owners who fail to heed warnings from the city council will be issued with compulsory purchase...
Collett Keeps It in the Family with New Director; APPOINTMENTS
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A firm of consulting engineers has maintained its family-focus, after appointing the daughter of its founder to the board of directors. GCA (UK), which has branches at the Market Place in Warwick, Stafford, Derby and Leicester, was founded by Geoffrey...
Coventry's Turmoil Grows as Head Coach Davey Calls It a Day
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Byline: By Brian Dick Rugby Correspondent Beleaguered Coventry were last night thrown deeper into crisis following the resignation of their head coach, Brett Davey. The Welshman parted company with the Butts Park outfit just a couple of months...
Credit Crunch Hits Plans for Purchase of New Cars
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The credit crunch is hitting car buying, with planned purchases plummeting to their lowest point for two years, according to figures out yesterday. The number of people intending to buy a car in the next 12 months has fallen from 25 per cent a year...
Cricket: Lions Facing Test of Spin in Quest for Final Place
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Byline: Richard Gibson England Lions entered their Duleep Trophy 'play-off' with West Zone brimming with attacking intent but it will take a defensive rearguard to earn a place in the final, writes Richard Gibson. Conceding a 139-run deficit...
CrossCountry Opts for HQ at Cannon House; COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
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Byline: By Steve Pain Deputy Business Editor West Midlands-based Nurton Developments has clinched another big letting at Cannon House in the centre of Birmingham - just weeks after announcing that a major government agency will be basing its headquarters...
CULTURE: A Young Composer Who Takes Success in Her Stride; Birmingham Conservatoire Graduate Joanna Lee Talks to Christopher Morley about Her New Commission for the Orchestra of the Swan
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Byline: Christopher Morley Born in Beccles, East Suffolk - not far from Benjamin Britten-land - in 1982, Joanna Lee already has an impressive clutch of successes as a composer under her belt. Currently studying for a PhD at Birmingham Conservatoire...
Culture Cinema: Fuel's Gold in This Epic Drama; Mike Davies Reviews This Week's New Releases at the Cinema
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Byline: Mike Davies THERE WILL BE BLOOD CERT 15 158 MINS ***** With Daniel Day-Lewis all but guaranteed to add the Best Actor Oscar to his Golden Globe and BAFTA trophies and writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson vying with the Coen brothers...
CULTURE: Still All Work and Play - but This Jack Is No Dull Boy; Jack Nicholson Has a Rendezvous with Death in His Latest Film but as Alison Jones Discovers, He Is Not a Man to Go Gentle into That Good Night
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Byline: Alison Jones He is famously the last of the great Lotharios.So many notches on the bed post he must be sleeping on sawdust by now. He has fathered five children by four women and was briefly married, to Sandra Knight, in the 60s. But...
Curry Prices Rise with Soaring Cost of Rice; Troubled Times for Birmingham's Balti Belt
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Byline: By Emma Brady Restaurateurs in Birmingham's balti triangle are having to charge more for their curries as the price of rice continues to soar on the world markets. The cost of popular grains have risen by up to 60 per cent year on year,...
Ex-MI6 Spy 'Drew Up Plans' to Kill Balkan Leader
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Byline: By John Ashton An MI6 officer confirmed he drew up detailed plans to assassinate a top Balkan leader suspected of genocide to prevent him coming to power, a British court heard yesterday. The admission from an unnamed agent emerged in...
Expert Defends Plans to Build New M42 Services
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Byline: By Neil Connor Chief Reporter Fresh proposals for a motorway service station situated near a leafy Solihull village would be less damaging to the environment than a previous application which the Government was "minded to approve", a public...
Fears of Steep Rises to Counter Inflation Are Put to Rest; PAY
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Fears that widespread expectations of fastrising inflation could lead to an inflationary spiral fuelled by steep pay increases were allayed yesterday by separate numbers from National Statistics and the EEF. The EEF's finding covered the critical...
Fears over Trading as M&S Gives Vouchers to Staff; RETAIL
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Marks & Spencer fuelled fears yesterday over its trading performance after giving discount vouchers to more than 70,000 current and former staff. The retailer has asked employees and M&S pensioners to spread the vouchers - offering 20 per...
Football: Black Linked to Sky Blues' Return as Money Cools; COCA-COLA CHAMPIONSHIP
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Byline: James Peacock Steve Bruce's right-hand man Eric Black has emerged as the latest name to be linked with the vacant managerial post at Coventry City, writes James Peacock. It is understood that Ray Ranson has sought permission from Wigan...
Football: Jerome Buoyed by England Spirit; BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
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Byline: By Lisa Smith Birmingham City striker Cameron Jerome is hoping to use the confidence he has been given in being selected for the England Under-21 side to push on and help him find the back of the net on a regular basis for Alex McLeish's...
Football: O'Brien's Cash Enables FAI to Land Trapattoni
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Giovanni Trapattoni will take up the reins of Republic of Ire land manager in 11 weeks' time courtesy of the backing of a billionaire benefactor who has helped to turn "a pipe-dream" into reality. One of Ireland's foremost entrepreneurs in Denis...
Football: O'Neill Looks for More of the Same as Carew Dispels Ideas of Crisis
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Byline: By Lisa Smith Confidence and consistency would hardly be qualities you would expect to find lacking in a centre forward who had just found the net with a hat-trick in his last game. But Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill believes John...
From Black Gold to Brownfield Riches; REGENERATION While the Property Sector Wobble Has Prompted Many Developers to Sit on Their Hands, One Public-Private Partnership Which Is Knuckling Down
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Byline: Steve Pain reports The last few decades have seen the industrial landscape of Britain change beyond recognition. As globalisation has taken a hold, so the smoking chimneys that once dominated the skylines of our towns and cities have...
Gambling Legend Statto Has Been Declared Bankrupt
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Gambling expert and TV pundit Angus Loughran has been declared bankrupt, the Insolvency Service confirmed yesterday. Loughran, known to millions of sport fans as "Statto" was unable to pay his creditors and was declared insolvent at a hearing at...
Golf: Happy to Join Women's World
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Byline: By James Peacock It would be fair to say that Jim Robinson has come through his share of tough examinations. Whether that was as a senior executive for Severn Trent Water, or in the front-row during a successful time as prop for Coventry...
Gomarsall Misses Worcester Reunion but Sets Sights on Passing French Exam
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Byline: By Duncan Bech England scrum-half Andy Gomarsall is confident he will be fit for the crucial RBS Six Nations clash with France in nine days' time. Gomarsall suffered a back spasm during last Sunday's unconvincing 23-19 victory over Italy...
Growing Power of Green Office Buildings; PROPERTY TRENDS
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Developers and office landlords will have to put sustainability at the top of their priority list if they are to attract quality tenants, argues one commercial property pundit. Jonathan Carmalt, office agency partner at King Sturge's Birmingham...
Harvest of Aryan Purity Explains the Goose Step; the National Farmers Union Is Celebrating Its Centenary and Chief Reporter Neil Connor Did His Bit for Climate Change the Hard Way by Downing a Glass of Farmers Harvest, a Special NFU Anniversary Eco-Friendly Ale
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Byline: Neil Connor Regular readers to The Birmingham Post would be aware that my views on climate change changed dramatically after an unfortunate experience on a bus involving a perfectly good pair of trousers and chewing gum spat out by a Kappa-tracksuit...
Hindus Stage Protest outside Parliament over Death of Sacred Temple Cow
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Hindus staged a noisy and colourful protest over the slaughter of a sacred temple cow yesterday. More than 100 protesters gathered outside the Commons to raise awareness over the death of Gangotri, a cow kept at the Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu temple...
Horse Racing: Scudamore Backing Osana
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Byline: By Thomas Deane and Keith Hamer Tom Scudamore believes Osana has an "outstanding chance" of breaking the Irish stranglehold on the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival. British-trained horses have failed to...
Housebuilders Buck Trend with Niche Approach; Many of the Largest Housebuilders Have Scaled Back Their Forecasts for the Coming Year amid Fears That We Are about to Slide into a Recession. but a Leading Development Funding Company Remains Optimistic
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It has undoubtedly been a turbulent few months for the residential property market - the mere mention of the phrases "sub prime" or "credit crunch" were enough to turn even the hardiest housebuilder a whiter shade of pale. Depending on who you believed,...
It's a Good Time to Take a Pit Stop on Your Personal Finances; AGENDA
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Byline: KARL GEORGE We have seen a bit of a media feeding frenzy recently in respect of how we provide for future generations. The lovely Nigella Lawson chipped in first of all by saying she wouldn't leave money to her children when she died - it...
Join in the Hunt for Words to Inspire; WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO THE POST ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER
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"If each man could have his own house, a large garden to cultivate and healthy surroundings then, I thought, there will be for them a better opportunity of a happy family life." GEORGE CADBURY Always forward-thinking, for centuries Birmingham...
LDV Halts Production While Waiting for Big Bulk Orders; AUTOMOTIVE
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Birmingham vanmaker LDV is to stop production for a period after bulk orders took longer than expected to materialise. The Russian-owned company has written to suppliers telling them that its Washwood Heath plant will close for a week from February...
Let's Come Together on Climate Change ... AGENDA
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Byline: JOANNA GEARY Well hello readers! I hope you don't mind, but I feel I can address you directly this month because, after the last column, I know you are out there. Thanks for reading! Thanks also... I think... for confirming my fears that,...
Litvinenko Fear over Death of Russian in UK
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Byline: By Sam Marsden, Laura May and Nathan Rees Police are today investigating the "suspicious" sudden death in Britain of a billionaire Georgian businessman linked to leading Russian dissidents. Badri Patarkatsishvili, aged 52, was found dead...
Macca Divorce Looks Set to Get Full Glare of Publicity
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Sir Paul McCartney looked set yesterday to be facing the nightmare of his private finances and life with estranged wife Heather Mills being submitted to the full glare of publicity. His divorce battle with Miss Mills being held in private at the...
MANUFACTURING: Global Pressures on Inflation; BUDGET Manufacturing Industry Champion Russell Luckock Looks at the Build-Up to the Budget
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Byline: Russell Luckock With Budget Day looming on March 12, the Chancellor will be busily at work, trying to prepare a presentation that will please his master, and hopefully, balance the books. Government policy clearly states that inflation...
MANUFACTURING: How the UK Cast Metal Industry Is Turning the Corner; INDUSTRY
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With the general perception that the days are numbered for Britain's traditional industries, one, with its roots in the West Midlands, is finding a new future for itself, according to the latest industry statistics. The cast metals industry says...
MANUFACTURING: National Academy Has Successful First Year; SKILLS
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The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing is claiming a successful first year. It is the body developed by employers in 2007 as a centre of excellence to tackle the skills priorities of the UK manufacturing sector. It has validated the skills...
MIPIM: The Can-Do Cannes Do; It's Crowded, Very Expensive, Is Not Easy to Quantify the Value and Can Be a Lot of Hassle, So Why Exactly Does Anybody Bother with Mipim? Ed Jones, Head of Investment at Lambert Smith Hampton, and Mike Whitby, Leader of the City Council, and Shoosmiths' Joel Kordan, Explain Why Cannes Is So Important for Birmingham and the Midlands
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Byline: Ed Jones Mipim is the commercial property event for professionals. The Marche International des Professionels d'Immobilier, to give it its full title, gets bigger and bigger, with last year's official visitor numbers rising by more than...
Moores Lets Fly in Wake of Hamilton Hammering
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Byline: By Myles Hodgson in Auckland England have been given a severe dressing down following successive one-day beatings by New Zealand. Saturday's surprise six-wicket defeat in Wellington was followed by Tuesday's ten-wicket mauling in Hamilton,...
Mortar Attack Killed Well-Respected Major in Iraq
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A well-respected Army major died from massive neck and head wounds when he came under mortar fire at an outpost in Basra, Iraq, an inquest heard yesterday. Major Paul Harding, from the 4th Battalion The Rifles, who was the chief of staff at the...
Moving Firm Pickfords in Crisis as 1,100 Jobs May Go; REMOVALS
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Byline: By Matt Dickinson Special Correspondent There was uncertainty yesterday for up to 1,100 jobs at Pickfords, the UK's oldest removals firm, after its owner warned the business faced going into administration unless a buyer could be found....
My Rise from Pounds 3 a Week to Millionaire; FIRST PERSON West Midlands Property Magnate Grahame Whateley Is a Man Fuelled by Ambition, as James O'Brien Discovers
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Ambition has been the cornerstone in the business life of Grahame Whateley - and new property developments in some of Britain's major cities are high-rise testimony to his success. Sitting in his large office at Castlemore Securities at Halesowen,...
'No Honda Revenue Growth until 2009'
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Honda is unlikely to see any growth in revenue before late 2009 as it waits for two big factories to come on line to meet demand, its chief financial officer said yesterday. "The new business year was always going to be a difficult one because of...
None of 30 Health Workers Reported Sadistic Sex Abuse on Murdered Baby
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A baby who was beaten and sexually abused before being murdered by her sadistic father had been seen by 30 health workers, a primary care trust said yesterday. Jessica Randall suffered a litany of injuries at the hands of her father Andrew, including...
Number of People in Work Reaches New Record High; EMPLOYMENT
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Byline: By John Duckers Business Editor The number of people in work reached a new record high yesterday - offering a spot of good news on the economy amidst all the gloom. Unemployment and redundancies both fell, but the fear is that the figures...
Numbers of West Midland Owner Occupier Homes Fall Fastest in UK; HOUSING
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The number of owner occupied homes has been falling faster in the West Midlands recently than in any other part of England. Numbers published by Halifax yesterday showed that the number of West Midlands households living in homes they own or are...
Nurofen and Strepsils Keep Things Healthy on Bottom Line; RETAIL
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Byline: By James O'Brien Business Staff Reckitt Benckiser has delivered strong growth from its recently-acquired brands Nurofen and Strepsils which has helped with a 15 per cent rise in full-year profits. The Anglo-Dutch household products firm...
Obama Now Leads Clinton in Race for Democrats; INTERNATIONAL
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Barack Obama took the lead in the race to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee with a clean sweep of victories in the Potomac primary election. Clear wins in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia made it seven straight victories...
Oil Underpins Sudan and China's Relationship; AGENDA Following Steven Spielberg's Withdrawal as an Artistic Adviser in This Summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, Damon Wake Looks at the Relationship between China and Sudan
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Byline: Damon Wake Since Western companies began withdrawing from Sudan in the late 1990s, the troubled west African state has come to lean heavily on China. The communist state's support for Sudan has come in the form of trade, arms and strong...
Planning Must Be Tougher to Save Flood Insurance
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Tougher planning controls are needed if flood insurance is to remain widely available for new homes, an insurance trade body warned yesterday. The Association of British Insurers said a third of the three million new homes the Government planned...
Plenty of Room for Growth in New-Look Budget Hotels; BUDGET HOTELS
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With worldwide markets volatile and the UK still coming to terms with the effects of the credit crunch, the general consensus for the economy is caution. The construction industry is weathering the storm well, however, with most commentators agreeing...
Police Need to Save Pounds 500k for Conferences
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Byline: By Shahid Naqvi West Midlands Police is looking to make pounds 500,000 savings to fund policing two major political conferences in Birmingham this year. The force estimates it will need pounds 4.5 million to ensure security at Labour's...
Police Storm Cocaine Castle to Grab Drugs Kingpin
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Police used a mechanical digger yesterday to smash into the luxury home of one of the suspected kingpins behind a pounds 100 million cocaine empire. Officers swarmed inside after a hole was smashed in a wall surrounding the fortified pounds 3 million...
Prudential Takes Sole Stake in the Green Development; PROPERTY
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Frontier Estates and Opus Land - joint developers of The Green in Solihull - have sold their stake in the 54-acre, mixed use scheme for a figure approaching pounds 4 million. The pair's interest has been acquired by the scheme's funder, Prudential,...
Public Sector Challenge to Make Most of Property Assets; REGENERATION
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Many local authorities are failing to unlock the potential efficiency gains of their current property assets. In comparison with the private sector, a large number of authorities are operating from ageing premises that prevent the effective implementation...
Retailers Keep Ringing Up Big Shed Deals; INDUSTRIAL UPDATE Energy Performance Certificates and Changes to Empty Property Rates Relief Mean the Industrial Market Is Facing a Tough 2008, Says Jonathan Robinson, Associate Director at DTZ
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Byline: Jonathan Robinson This year is certainly going to bring many challenges to the West Midlands industrial market. A less certain economic environment, combined with the introduction of energy performance certificates and changes to empty property...
Review: Trio Are Technical Masters of the Art; Open Loose Mac ****
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Byline: Peter Bacon Theatre For a display of the full technical arsenal used by the 21st jazz musician, this New York trio would take some beating. Double bassist Mark Helias adds strong use of harmonics, bowing, and a hammer-on/pull-off technique...
Rugby Union: Powell Bids to Roar Again for Dragons
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Byline: By James Peacock Not only does Worcester Warriors' Ryan Powell harbour ambitions to heighten his reputation at Sixways, the scrum-half is aiming to force himself back into the frame for Wales. His favoured position is proving among the...
Shadowy Groups with Pounds 123bn Tax Cash Funds
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Byline: By Jonathan Walker Political Editor Birmingham and the West Midlands are under-represented on shadowy bodies which spend pounds 123 billion of taxpayers' money each year, a major new study has warned. An investigation into who really...
Slipway Housing Launches New Era for City
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The winners of an international competition to design cutting-edge housing in Stoke-on-Trent have been announced. Architectural practice RCKa has been named winner of the Europan design competition - the world's largest housing and urban design...
Spielberg Drops Olympic Role over Crisis in Darfur; INTERNATIONAL
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Byline: By Damon Wake Human rights groups yesterday welcomed Steven Spielberg's decision to withdraw from his role in this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. The film director stepped down as artistic adviser to the games over China's lack of...
Tenants Pay Price for Errors; LEGAL UPDATE Too Many Commercial Property Tenants Are Getting It When When They Try to Exercise Break Clauses in Their Leases, Explains Property Litigation Expert James Coles
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Byline: James Coles Midland companies are still failing to extract themselves from property leases they no longer want - and as a result losing thousands of pounds, according to Black Country law firm George Green. In a survey of commercial tenants,...
Terror Is Here to Stay, Says Watson's Grim Report; POLITICS
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Byline: By Jonathan Walker Political Editor Britain is set to experience more terrorism, global warming and increased polarisation as rich and poor lead separate lives, according to a Government report. The gloomy analysis appears in a study...
The Age-Old Problem of the 'Kids of Today' AGENDA
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Byline: CHRIS UPTON Ah, the youth of today, we lament. No manners, no discipline, no GCSEs, not enough parents. . . It's worth remembering that "the youth of today" have often, if not always, been a problem. Let's not go back as far as reprehensible...
THE BIRMINGHAM POST: Why This Quango State Has to Be Dismantled
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Who runs Britain? The question is not as simple as it seems, and some of our greatest academics, journalists and politicians have dedicated themselves to finding out the answer. There are, of course, the politicians we elect, who play the most visible...
The Man with the Pounds 600m Vision for New Street; Following the Announcement That the Pounds 600 Million Overhaul of New Street Station Is to Go Ahead, Public Affairs Editor Paul Dale Profiles the Man Charged with Turning the Vision into Reality
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Byline: Paul Dale Martin Chambers, who is responsible for delivering the pounds 600 million refurbishment of New Street Station, is in the habit of taking guests on a walking tour of what will shortly become Birmingham's largest construction project....
Time to Get Network Rail Back on the Right Track; AGENDA There Might Be Euphoria at the New Street Redevelopment Getting the Go-Ahead, but Issues Still Remain about the Control and Running of Our Railways. Philip Davis Asks Whether the Time Has Come to Reform Network Rail
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Byline: Philip Davis Was the lamentable Network Rail performance over New Year a one-off seasonal snarl-up? Or is it a symptom of deeper management and governance problems at the one rail company we all have to use? Either way, the prolonged closure...
Time to Give Greenbelt Dogma the Chop; HOUSEBUILDING DEBATE
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Controversial Government plans to build hundreds of thousands of new homes in the West Midlands should be met with a bit of give and take - even if it means building on the greenbelt, according to upmarket housebuilder Cala Homes. Darren Humphreys,...
Turbulent Air Ahead for Airlines and Cost of Travel; AVIATION
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Byline: By Holly Williams Special Correspondent Ryanair's warning of a "perfect storm" of rising oil prices and weaker consumer demand suggested 2008 may be a difficult year for the airline industry. The comments from the airline's flamboyant...
Umeco Says Sky's the Limit for US and EU Firms; AEROSPACE
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West Midlands-based aerospace parts supplier Umeco yesterday sounded an upbeat note about Airbus and US rival Boeing's major aircraft programmes and prospects for the civil aerospace market, as it reported encouraging trading since October 1 in-line...
Virgin Must Up Rock Offer to Prevent Nationalisation; BANKING
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Virgin, front runner in the bid to take over crisis-hit Northern Rock, has been warned it must improve its offer or else the troubled bank could be nationalised. The Government is likely to step in only as a last resort because of the burden it...
Welcome for Non-Doms Climbdown; TAX
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Business organisations have generally welcomed this week's partial climbdown by the Treasury on its plans to increase taxes for foreigners domiciled in the UK. It followed confirmation by Chancellor Alistair Darling that so-called 'non-doms' will...
We're in Better Shape Than We Think, Says Governor; ECONOMY
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Byline: By Nevill Boyd Maunsell Economics Editor Much of the British economy is in better shape than depressed London-based analysts realise, according to Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England. Presenting mostly downbeat conclusions in...
West Midland SMEs Buck Market Trend with Optimism; ECONOMICS
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West Midland small businesses are digging in their heels against a tide of market pessimism, it was claimed yesterday. The sector remains confident about sales and profit growth for the year ahead, according to the second NatWest and RBS Small Business...
Whitehall Mixes Up Newcastles in Pounds 2.7m Boob
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Embarrassed Whitehall officials got their Newcastles mixed up and awarded pounds 2.7 million meant for the north-east city to its namesake in the Potteries. Newcastle-under-Lyme, population 74,000, was handed the cash instead of Newcastle-upon-Tyne,...
Why Are We Always Second-Choice City?
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Byline: By Jonathan Walker Political Editor Birmingham received some good news this week, with the announcement that New Street station is to go ahead with the help of pounds 388 million from the Government. But even this is unlikely to end the...
Why France Is a True High-Flier; GLOBAL VIEW: FRANCE Faith in the Strength of the French Economy Has Been Shattered Following the Pounds 3.6 Billion Societe Generale Bank Fraud, So Is the Country Still a Good Place to Do Business for West Midlands Firms? Duncan Tift Looks at the Situation
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Byline: Duncan Tift Whenever a Government is forced to issue a vote of confidence in its banking system then it's normally the sign of a serious problem. There is no doubting that the Societe Generale rogue trading scandal - caused when junior...
Why King May Yet Live to Regret Ascending His Throne Again
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Byline: NEVILL BOYD MAUNSELL It's all in the mind. Or rather, all in the surveys. They show ominously dwindling confidence that the Bank of England will get inflation back to its two per cent target and keep it there. There is also widespread...
Why Market Must Avoid Panic and Idle Hands; PROPERTY TRENDS Caution Rather Than Fear Is the Watchword for the Commercial Property Industry, Steve Pain Reports on Prospects for the Coming Year
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Byline: Steve Pain The commercial property industry has been warned to snap out of its current mood of panic and fear. Experts believe that occupier demand will hold the market - if the industry doesn't sit on its hands and talk itself into a...
Why Mixed-Use Developments Are a Must for Our Sustainable Future; REGENERATION
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Developers and investors should support more mixed-use developments in city centres as they offer opportunities through good architecture and urban design for an improved quality of life for all - and help to promote more sustainable communities. ...
Win a Case of Wine with Your Knowhow; CB RICHARD ELLIS
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Test your knowledge of the cityscape with our Where is it? competition, sponsored by property consultants CB Richard Ellis. Each month we challenge you to identify some of the region's most prominent buildings and win yourself a case of top-quality...
Young Makes His Mark at Villa
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Byline: By Lisa Smith Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill believes there is no-one better at delivering a ball in the Premier League than wing wizard Ashley Young - and has admitted the team are "a lesser side" without him. Young himself recently...
