Summary

  • Live updates from Monday 19 November to Sunday 25 November

  • Click Related Stories to read news from your area

Live Reporting

  1. Historic guildhall in frame for £7.5m makeover

    Local Democracy Reporting Service
    Tom Davis

    A £7.5m plan is being considered to transform the St Mary’s Guildhall into a "premier" events and conferencing venue in the centre of Coventry.

    GuildhallCoventry City Council

    Coventry City Council is eager to promote the near 700-year-old building ahead of the City of Culture 2021 title, but the venue’s visitor experience is considered "not particularly engaging".

    Proposals include a new bar and lounge area, a new kitchen and back of house and opening up the Medieval kitchen.

    The plans will be considered by the Business, Economy and Enterprise Scrutiny Board on Wednesday.

  2. Have your say on budget cuts

    Budget cuts, an increase in council tax and a rise in other council charges are among the highlights in an ongoing consultation from Birmingham City Council.

    Residents can read more and have their say on the local authority's website.

    The proposals include raising council tax by the maximum 4.99% in 2019-20, which means an extra £65 for an average Band D property.

    CashGetty Images

    There are also new charges or increases for services like pest control and green waste collection.

    The council need to make £18m of fresh cuts next year. That's in addition to the £50m already agreed.

    More than 120 council jobs are set to go, including staff combating fly-tipping.

    However, there will be investment in parking enforcement, particularly outside schools, in the hope it can bolster income by £850,000.

  4. Archbishop vows to 'learn from mistakes'

    Most Reverend Bernard Longley told an inquiry the church will learn from mistakes.

    Read More

  5. Plans to merge mayor and PCC consultation launched

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Proposals to combine the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) with the mayor’s office have been put to the public as part of an eight-week consultation.

    West Midlands Combined AuthorityWest Midlands Combined Authority

    The consultation asks members of the public about the principle of combining the two positions in time for the 2020 mayoral elections.

    Plans to transfer the powers of the PCC to the mayor’s office were part of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) second devolution deal.

    The consultation is the first of two regarding the transfer of powers, with a second on the principles of government due to begin in January 2019.

  6. Bat 'stuck in wall' recovers after rescue

    A bat is recovering in Cheshire after getting stuck in a tiny hole in a wall and having to be rescued.

    Bat after being rescuedRSPCA

    The RSPCA says the mammal got stuck in some cladding at a building in Chester on Wednesday.

    The charity said he was spotted "flapping", 15 feet (4.6m) up the wall, but it had no idea how he got stuck.

    The long-eared bat was rescued and taken to the Stapeley Grange centre, near Nantwich, where staff say he's "on the mend".

  7. Deadline passes for Ricoh Arena judicial review appeal bid

    Simon Gilbert
    Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

    The long-running legal row over the sale of the Ricoh Arena appears to be over, with no appeal issued against the latest ruling.

    Ricoh ArenaGetty Images

    In October, the Court of Appeal rejected a call for a judicial review into the sale of the Ricoh Arena.

    Coventry City's owners Sisu claimed Coventry City Council undervalued the stadium by £27m when it was sold to Premiership rugby club Wasps in 2014.

    But the appeal court turned down Sisu's request, which had already been rejected at a prior hearing.

    A 16 November deadline has passed without Sisu applying for permission to appeal that decision, said the Supreme Court.

    The Sky Blues, who won promotion to League One last season, only have a deal to play at the stadium until the end of the 2018-19 season.

  8. Set-piece worries for Worcester Warriors

    Trevor Owens
    Sports Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester

    Worcester Warriors' director of rugby Alan Solomons has admitted their set-piece let them down in Saturday's defeat at Bath.

    Semesa Rokoduguni's try against WorcesterGetty Images

    He was especially concerned by the line-out performance, which he felt had cost them dear in the 28-13 defeat at the Recreation Ground.

    The result lifted the Blue, Black and Whites above Worcester and Leicester Tigers into the European Champions Cup places after seven rounds of fixtures.

    You've got to give credit to your opposition. They thoroughly deserved their win. The scoreline was a fair reflection of the play. I feel we do have a good set-piece. It's just that today it didn't operate. The positive is that we kept at it defensively. We never threw in the towel. That was commendable."

    Alan Solomons, Worcester Warriors director of rugby

  10. City set for Nativity premiere

    The latest instalment of Coventry-based Christmas film Nativity Rocks premieres in the city tonight.

    Nativity posterMirrorball Films

    The film follows the staff and students from St Bernadette's primary school as they audition for a place in a rock musical competition.

    It's the fourth film in the series from Coventry writer and director Debbie Issit.

  11. Tory MPs urged to 'stop witch hunt' over PM's Brexit plan

    Vicky Breakwell
    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    Conservative MPs have been urged by a Worcestershire Tory MP to stop "this rather unpleasant witch hunt" into Theresa May after her draft Brexit withdrawal agreement was revealed.

    Theresa MayEPA

    There has been widespread criticism of the draft 585-page withdrawal agreement - and a short paper setting out what the UK and EU's future relationship could look like - which is set to be signed off at a summit this weekend.

    Since it was revealed, several Tory MPs have submitted letters of no-confidence in Mrs May, trying to reach a total of 48, which would then trigger a confidence vote on her leadership of the Conservative Party.

    Several of them are part of the pro-Brexit European Research Group.

    I don't want to be any part of this rather unpleasant witch hunt that there is going on by the European Research Group against Theresa May."

    Mark Garnier, Conservative MP for the Wyre Forest

  12. Hunt for WW2 pen pals after son's discovery

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    Hundreds of letters, written during World War Two in reply to ones slipped inside shell cases by a munitions worker, have been discovered.

    Some of the letters and photos

    Alan Williams says he recently found the correspondence, which had been sent to his mother Lenora after she slipped her letters inside the casings while she worked in the Rotherwas Munitions Factory in Skylon Park, Hereford.

    Now, he says he's trying to find out what became of the dozens of soldiers, airmen and sailors who became his mother's pen pals during the conflict.

    There's easily 200-plus, it's absolutely amazing what I've found here. You can see there's a few pictures, they obviously used to pop a picture in and I suppose that was the social media of the day, they used to write letters all the time."

    Alan Williams, Hereford resident

    BBC Hereford and Worcester's Facebook page has a video of some of the men's photos.

  13. Wolves defender Otto out for six weeks

    Wolves and Spain defender Jonny Otto is set to be out for six weeks after suffering a knee injury on international duty.

    Read More

  14. City centre mugging victim critically ill

    A man remains in a serious condition in hospital after being mugged by two men and a woman as he walked to meet friends.

    Sheepcote StreetGoogle

    The 23-year-old was kicked in the face and body by one of the men, before being robbed, as he lay near The Distillery pub in Sheepcote Street, Birmingham.

    The gang fled along the canal towards the International Convention Centre (ICC) at about 18:20 on Friday.

    Police said the victim needed emergency surgery for head injuries and was in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

  16. Under fire hospital boss 'not going to run'

    The under-fire boss of Shropshire's main hospitals has told staff he is "not going to run" and that it was about "seeing this through together".

    Simon Wright, chief executive of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, was briefing staff this morning in one of a series of events.

    The hospital trust was put in special measures earlier this month due to concerns over care.

    Hospital wardSaTh

    It was already reporting to a watchdog over maternity and emergency services care at both the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal hospitals.

    Last week it emerged more than 200 families had raised concerns about maternity care following a review launched by then health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

    Mr Wright told staff those numbers represented enquiries and were very different from saying harm had been done in every case.

    He also told staff stillbirth and perinatal death rates were in line or in some cases better than the national average.

  18. Residents get value for money, says Severn Trent boss

    BBC Business News

    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is addresses the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference this afternoon, and has in the past talked about nationalising water companies.

    TapGetty Images

    Liv Garfield, the Severn Trent boss, defended the business, saying it provided value for money at one pound a day.

    There is controversy about the amount of dividends that water companies, particularly ones owned by private equity companies, pay to shareholders compared with the amount they use to invest in service to customers.

    Ms Garfield said that Coventry-based company had invested four times more in its business than it had paid in dividends.

  19. Your photos: A battle between blue skies and clouds

    BBC Weather Watchers

    There have been all kinds of clouds over the West Midlands this morning, from the photos we've received from our BBC Weather Watchers.

    These three are from users Bidfordjude in Broom, Warwickshire, Pix Elated in Leominster, Herefordshire and Skye in Clee Hill, Shropshire:

    BroomBidfordjude
    LeominsterPix Elated
    Clee HillSkye