Meridian Metal Trading employs 170 people at service and sales offices across England and Wales.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Birmingham City councillors have voted to approve a 4% increase in their allowances, taking their basic pay up to £17,227 a year.

Those with special responsibilities, such as the leader or members of committees, will get additional increases in line with the recommendations of an independent review panel.

Some councillors who disagree with the pay rise at a time of council cuts have said they will donate the extra money to charity.

The North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson says he's "completely astonished" that Theresa May is looking to agree a way forward on Brexit with the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Image source, UK Parliament

Mr Paterson, who was a prominent Leave campaigner during the referendum, says he now fears "some sort of compromise, which inevitably will involve some sort of close arrangement like some customs union, which is a total denial of what the 17.4m people voted for".

The PM's move to hold talks has angered some Brexiteers, with two ministers resigning over it, but she has defended it saying the public "expect us to reach across this House to find a way through this".

Mr Corbyn said he welcomed the PM's "willingness to compromise to resolve the Brexit deadlock".

In a talk published online, Dr Kate Godfrey-Faussett said sex education is causing children "harm".

Lovel Bailey appeared in court charged with the murder of Nathaniel Armstrong in Fulham.

A Herefordshire cafe is offering voters a "blind tasting" of political manifestos, ahead of the local elections in May.

The De Koffie Pot cafe in Hereford will allow people to compare the party's policy on issues such as transport, the environment and the local economy, without knowing which parties are making which promises.

The organisers say it gives people the chance to discuss issues on merit and not on who put them forward.

A Wolves fan has made a costly sacrifice to ensure he gets to see his team at Wembley this weekend.

Image source, AFP

Wolves are playing Watford in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Sunday, but back in December Ryan Smith, from Walsall, booked a lads holiday to Thailand for this month.

So he has cancelled it and told Sam and Daz on BBC WM it was an easy decision to make.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are three headlines from the Stoke-on-Trent Live website:

• Police step up search for missing Matthew, external
• Shop worker injured as she tried to fight off knifeman, external
• Man swaps empty baby milk cartons for full ones, external

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

People in Kenilworth are being targeted by phone scammers claiming they're from the Met Police.

They go on to say their payment card's been cloned and action needs to be taken.

Warwickshire Police is advising people to hang up and contact the force on the non-emergency 101 number.

A barn containing 70 tonnes of hay caught fire near Bridgnorth last night.

Firefighters were called to a farm near Wooton at 23:11 and took half an hour to put it out, but had to work through the night raking it down to make sure it didn't reignite.

Image source, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

This summer's RAF Cosford Air Show is going to have a focus on women, organisers have said.

The event, on 9 June, will also feature the RAF Chinook display team and the Red Arrows.

Other aircraft, including the Eurofighter Typhoon, will be putting on displays too, with more aircraft to be announced over the coming months.

This year's event is expected to be attended by 50,000 people.

The coroner in the Birmingham pub bombings inquests has adjourned the hearing for the day and will resume his summing up tomorrow morning.

Sir Peter Thornton QC is going through nearly six weeks of evidence about the explosions at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs in November 1974.

Worcester Warriors are investigating reports that a laser light was used to distract players during last weekend's European Challege Cup match at Sixways.

The club says its studied CCTV evidence and wants to talk to four men sat in the front row of the East Stand.

The green beam can be seen at the top right of this image.

Image source, Worcester Warriors

Warriors say if anyone is found to have used a laser to distract players they can expect a lengthy stadium ban, but added the police are "unlikely to be involved" in Saturday's incident.

Image source, MERIDIANMETALTRADING

Administrators have been appointed to Dudley-based Meridian Metal Trading.

Allan Graham, joint administrator at Duff & Phelps. said: “It is our intention to continue to trade the business until a buyer is found, a process that we do not think will take long as there are already a number of expressions of interest. As of today there have been no redundancies and it is very much business as usual"

The business - which processes steel sheet and coil, and supplies close to 250,000 tonnes of steel to hundreds of customers annually - employs 170 people at service centres in Guildford and Sheffield, and sales offices in Bolton and Newport, South Wales.

A motorcyclist has died in a collision on the Birmingham Road in Walsall.

The man in his 60s is thought to have been travelling in slow moving traffic when he struck a central reservation and was hit by a lorry just after 16:30 yesterday, police say.

The West Midlands force says the lorry continued on its journey and was believed to be unaware of the collision, but has since been located.

There have been delays on the motorway and police are investigating the collision.

Hereford Times

Here are three stories from the Hereford Times today:

• Lucs announce sponsorship deal, external
• Man beat up takeaway worker before taking friend's car, external
• New choir in Ledbury, external

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Stoke City's Charlie Adam says he hopes to be at the club next season, but expects there to be a big clear-out.

The 33-year-old was expecting to leave in the summer, but he's featured more often since Nathan Jones took over as manager.

Image source, Getty Images

With the club 12 points outside the playoff places, another season in the Championship looks likely and Adam said: "It's going to be a big summer because there probably is going to be a lot of players move on and a lot of players will come back from their loans."

Andrew Segal
BBC News Online

Jails in Birmingham, Chelmsford and Exeter (pictured) are among those earmarked to undergo new reviews of progress to ensure the prison service is not "marking its own homework".

HM Inspectorate of Prisons said failing and unsafe jails were to be subject to follow-up assessments under the new scheme, which would see up to 20 independent "reviews of progress" (IRPs) a year.

Following a concerning inspection, the watchdog will return to establishments eight to 12 months later to assess progress made against its recommendations.

The reviews will be based on two-and-a-half day visits, with reports produced within 25 days.

Unlike most HMIP main inspections, prisons will be notified in advance that they are subject to an IRP.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said the reviews would assess if prisons found to be unsafe or otherwise failing "are getting to grips with our key recommendations for improvement".

Last year, the Commons Justice Committee raised concerns HM Prison and Probation Service "are effectively 'marking their own homework'".

The announcement, although unconnected, comes after an inmate at Exeter Prison died at the weekend.

After the death of one of her twins, Joanne Shellum decided to set up a hospital service to support other families.