Summary

  • Updates from Monday 14 October to Sunday 20 October

Live Reporting

  1. More Extinction Rebellion protests planned for Midlands

    BBC WM

    A member of Extinction Rebellion has warned people in the West Midlands to expect more disruptive protests in the coming months.

    Extinction Rebellion campaigners in London this monthReuters

    The campaign group, which is calling on the government to do more to tackle climate change, is currently continuing several days of demonstrations in London.

    The West Midlands has already seen protests by Extinction Rebellion this year, including in August when they blocked one of the busiest roads in Birmingham, and more recently blocking rush-hour traffic in Worcester.

    We've got a number of groups active now and, once this international fortnight of rebellion is over, we will be regrouping and reorganising ourselves for campaigning and protesting in Birmingham and around the West Midlands."

    Martin Newell, Member of Extinction Rebellion

  2. Northern Rail could be renationalised

    BBC Business News

    Northern Rail could see its franchise brought back into public hands, under options being considered by the government.

    It is one of the UK's biggest franchises and runs several daily services between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester, as well as key routes in the north of England.

    Passengers on a platformPA Media

    However, it has been under fire for some time, particularly over widespread disruption in the wake of new timetables introduced in May 2018.

    Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Northern Rail's poor performance, with trains regularly arriving late or not at all, "cannot continue".

    Mr Shapps said he had issued a "request for proposals" from the firm and the Operator of Last Resort (OLR).

    This could lead to services being brought into direct government control.

  3. Flyover demolition plans approved by council

    More than 15,000 people had signed petitions objecting to proposals to pull down Perry Barr flyover.

    Read More

  4. Arrests after reports of 'man with weapon'

    Three teenagers have been arrested after armed police were called out to reports of a man with a weapon this morning.

    Evershed WayGoogle

    Staffordshire Police had the reports from Evershed Way, Burton upon Trent.

    The three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill.

  5. 'No money' for railway station improvements

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Improvements to a Coventry railway station have been put on hold because the expected funding hasn't materialised.

    The city council wants an extra 250 parking spaces at the Tile Hill station and in June the authority said it was working with the West Midlands Combined authority on the plans, but it has now admitted the funding has "fallen off the radar".

    Tile Hill stationGoogle

    Councillor Jim O'Boyle told a council meeting; “If we are going to be serious about this, we need the government and the Department for Transport to put their money where their mouth is as there is no money tree.”

    The council has been asked how much money the work is likely to cost, but hasn't replied.

    The reason for the delay is the funding from Transport for West Midlands to fund this – although originally identified within the scheme of works when the combined authority was set up – it seems to have fallen off the radar, hence why meetings are taking place because the money is not available."

    Councillor Jim O'Boyle, Coventry City Council

  7. Stolen gold toilet probe leads to more arrests

    Two men and a woman are held after the £4.8m artwork was taken from Blenheim Palace.

    Read More

  8. MP receives death threat after no confidence vote

    Cheshire MP Antoinette Sandbach said the threats would "not stop me from doing my job".

    Read More

  9. Racist football abuse in the UK has 'moved online'

    BBC Radio Shropshire Sport

    The Shrewsbury Town striker Fejiri Okenabirhie has said racist abuse has moved online in the UK.

    And he said: "It's not so much in stadiums here, but it's still something that needs to be tackled."

    Fejiri OkenabirhieGetty Images

    Okenabirhie joined calls for tougher sanctions against the Bulgarian FA after the abuse England players suffered in their recent European qualifying match, but said he wanted abuse tackled in this country too.

    He said: "Since I've been playing it's more online now, that's probably where the worst of it is. It's more social media, people messaging you that you don't even know."

    He said it was easy for people to hide behind anonymous usernames and he wants social media companies to "put something in place, so people can't make an account, say what they want and then delete the account".

  10. 'Squalid and depressing' prison to shut

    The Prison Service says refurbishing the prison "would not deliver value for the taxpayer".

    Read More

  11. Emergency meeting over MP selection concerns

    Labour Party members in Coventry will be meeting today over concerns about the process to select parliamentary candidates.

    Members have told the BBC there are no local councillors on the long-lists for the Coventry North West and Coventry South constituencies, and Coventry North West MP Geoffrey Robinson is lodging a formal complaint.

    Ballot box

    The current MPs for those two constituencies, Geoffrey Robinson and Jim Cunningham, have announced they are standing down at the next election and the party members have said they fear pro-Corbyn candidates will be parachuted in, ahead of local councillors who had expected to be shortlisted.

    The emergency meeting of Coventry's North West CLP has been organised for this evening at Jubilee Crescent Community Centre.

  12. Rail users asked to be patient with 'real change' promised

    Transport for Wales has asked passengers to be patient and promised there will be "real change" over the next four to five years.

    It took over the Welsh rail franchise from Arriva Trains Wales a year ago and runs services that pass through Herefordshire and Shropshire.

    Transport for Wales trainTFW

    It has promised to run seven extra services from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth, a new service between Liverpool and Cardiff that will stop in Shrewsbury and a fleet of new trains by 2022.

    These investments are part of a pledge to spend £5bn on the network between now and 2024.

  14. Labour MP says selection process 'shambolic and underhand'

    The MP for Coventry North West, Geoffrey Robinson, has called the Labour Party's process to select his successor "shambolic and underhand".

    He said he's been contacted by local party members who are "angered and dismayed" at the party's actions amid fears that candidates will be parachuted in to fight in the next election.

    Mr Robinson has represented his constituency for more than 40 years, but announced in July he would not stand for re-election due to ill-health.

    LetterGeoffrey Robinson

  15. Tunnel closures and car bans 'part of air quality plans'

    Local Democracy Reporting Service
    Carl Jackson

    Birmingham's tunnels could close and cars banned from the city centre, under plans understood to be being considered by the council as part of moves to tackle air pollution, which is among the worst in the UK.

    The Birmingham Transport Plan has yet to be published by the Labour-led local authority, but it has not denied the schemes.

    Cameras look at Birmingham tunnels

    The city council was asked by the government to tackle pollution as a priority after roads in the city were identified as likely to fail legal air quality levels by 2020.

    Robert Alden, leader of the opposition Conservative group, described the alleged plans as "an ongoing war against motorists" and urged bosses to invest in more "green infrastructure" before penalising drivers.

    Birmingham City Council said its long-term vision for transport would focus on "the movement of people rather than vehicles" and would prioritise public transport, walking and cycling, and cutting car use.

    It said the city was "in the midst of a public health crisis due to poor air quality", and that the Birmingham Transport Plan was still in the process of being finalised.

    The plans are due to go before the cabinet on 26 November, before any public consultation.

  16. 'Worst condition' prison set to close

    An open prison in Worcestershire is being closed by the Ministry of Justice "as its current condition is unacceptable and refurbishing it would not deliver value for the taxpayer".

    The Grange is on the site of HMP Hewell near Redditch and holds about 200 prisoners.

    HewellGoogle

    Last month, Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons, said the Grange had the worst conditions of any open, or Category D, prison he'd ever seen.

  17. Apartments and GP surgery plan given green light

    Plans to build retirement flats on the site of Pauls Moss House in Whitchurch have been approved by Shropshire Council.

    They include 70 apartments, a new doctor's surgery and a community room and the plan involves converting the Victorian mansion, instead of demolishing it.

    Pauls MossGoogle

    There had been some objections about the loss of some the mansion's internal fittings, the scale of the development, the effect on the neighbourhood and a lack of parking.

  18. Your photos: Wet fields and umbrellas

    BBC Weather Watchers

    The rain clouds are still hanging over us like, well like a cloud, and that means the ground remains very wet.

    These photos were taken by BBC Weather Watchers near Edgmond, Moseley and Condover.

    EdgmondGrannyAnne
    MoseleyDi's Walk
    CondoverSTFC Goose

  19. Struggling Stoke 'should be near the top of the table'

    Matt Sandoz
    Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    Stoke City have more than enough ability in their squad to climb out of the Championship relegation zone, according to the club's former striker Jonathan Walters.

    Jon Walters when playing for Stoke CityGetty Images

    The Potters return to action this weekend after the international break and off the back of their first league win of the season, although they're still bottom of the table.

    Walters spent seven years with the Potters, scoring 62 goals in 269 appearances.

    I look at the team and I think you've got some great players in there, players that I know pretty well, whether it's through playing with them at Stoke or other clubs. It's a team that should be near the top of the table."

    Jonathan Walters, Former Stoke City striker