Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Trade union leader Len McCluskey has denied any personal intervention with the selection process to fill the positions of two retiring MPs in Coventry.

The retiring MP for Coventry North West, Geoffrey Robinson, has previously called the Labour Party's process to select his successor "shambolic and underhand", saying he'd been contacted by local party members amid fears that candidates would be parachuted in to fight in the next election.

In each of the Coventry constituencies local, trade-union backed, candidates face a straight fight with candidates from London for the party nomination. Both final candidates will be known by the weekend.

Image source, Des Arthur

Mr McClusky, general secretary of Unite, was in Coventry last night to deliver the Tom Mann memorial lecture

"Unite in the region will be supporting colleagues, but it's not for me to intervene in local decisions," said Mr McCluskey, "I just wish our Unite colleagues the best of luck."

"We are backing individuals, it is up to the local people to decide."

"We have a process within my union and I've sent best wishes right throughout the union to the various candidates that are trying to get selected."

A man's admitted religiously aggravated criminal damage after five mosques were vandalised in Birmingham.

Image source, PA Media

Arman Rezazadeh, from Handsworth, is accused of smashing windows at the mosques on 21 March.

The 34-year-old pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to five counts of religiously aggravated criminal damage.

He was given unconditional bail until his sentencing on 28 November.

Allen Cook
BBC News

The report into Stoke-on-Trent City Council's children's services in March was damning, saying vulnerable children were "not being protected".

Ofsted rated them as "inadequate", saying the authority had "seriously declined" since the last inspection in 2015.

Its report found too many children came into care in crisis, too many waited too long to be reunited with their families and social workers' caseloads were too high.

Within two months, Eleanor Brazil was appointed as commissioner to oversee improvements "as a matter of urgency".

Then, earlier this month, the council agreed to redirect £5.5m into children's services by cutting up to 200 jobs in other parts of the organisation.

At the time, it said it cared for a total of 982 children, about 200 more than neighbouring authorities.

A man who struck and fatally wounded his friend in an alleyway has been jailed for four years for manslaughter.

Damien Howl, 42, was punched in the head by Marcus Parchment, 42, in West Bromwich on 5 June.

Mr Howl died in hospital the next day.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Parchment admitted manslaughter and was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Mr Howl's family said they were devastated, describing him as a "much-loved son, father, brother, uncle and boyfriend".

Stoke-on-Trent Live

The Stoke-on-Trent Live website's headlines today include:

• Woman dies after fall wearing 'dangerous' slippers she got out the bin, external
• Mature student horrified by drugs, alcohol and anti-social behaviour outside new home, external
• Sinkhole opens up outside Staffordshire school, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been given until the end of January to reach a formal agreement to improve its "inadequate" children's services or the government will step in.

Image source, Getty Images

A report in March from watchdog Ofsted said vulnerable children were "not being protected" in the city.

A commissioner was appointed to oversee improvements and today the education secretary ordered the local authority to find a better performing council to partner up with by 31 January to deliver improvements.

If the partnership's not agreed, the city council has been told an alternative arrangement will have to be made.

In other cases in recent years, councils have lost control of their children's services and had them delivered through a trust, like Birmingham's, or faced having them taken over by high-performing councils and charities.

Two teenage boys have been stabbed at a Halloween party in Birmingham, police say.

Officers were called to Blenheim Way in the Castle Vale area of the city just after 23:30.

The condition of the victims is so far unclear.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it received several 999 calls to reports of a stabbing at the property.

A spokesperson said a teenage boy sustained serious injuries and was treated by ambulance staff before being taken to hospital for further trauma care.

A second patient made their own way to hospital.

Vicky Norton
BBC Radio Stoke

A fly-over that has been shut since the summer after a large hole opened up in the carriageway could finally reopen next month.

Image source, Google

A faulty joint was discovered on the A53 Festival Park fly-over, in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, in July., external

It's remained shut since then so the city council could check the whole structure and carry out repairs and maintenance at a cost of £154,000.

The local authority says it's now carrying out the last phase of work, replacing the defective joint, and, as long as the weather permits, it should be open to traffic by 8 November.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

Consultants working for Birmingham City Council have told the authority to "stop talking" about improving and "start acting".

The strategic board which replaced the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel earlier this year has delivered its first verdict on the council, external, which has been compared to a "school report" by one councillor.

Image source, Google

The advisors, who have been contracted to do around 12 days' work a year at an estimated cost of £1,000 a day, external, have each been tasked with overseeing and challenging key areas of the council.

In a letter to Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, they said: “It is too early to form a judgement as to the success of the model but our initial response is to welcome and appreciate the openness in which the council has received us and the willingness to take on board the challenges and points that have been put to them. “

"What is crucial now is how and at what pace the council responds to those challenges."

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

Coventry Blaze are facing a play-off to make the Challenge Cup quarter finals, after suffering a shoot-out defeat to Cardiff Devils last night.

The Blaze threw away a 3-0 lead and then conceded an equaliser with just 97 seconds remaining to take the game to overtime and head coach Danny Stewart said afterwards his team gave away too many penalties.

Image source, Dave Williams

Coventry will now play either Nottingham Panthers or Manchester Storm in a play-off for a place in the quarter finals.

Birmingham Live

From Birmingham Live:

• Man guilty of Chinese takeaway stabbing murder, external
• Man killed childhood friend with one punch, external
• Three members of gang jailed after attacking rival , external

Driverless, emissions-free baggage vehicles are to be trialled at Heathrow Airport.

The vehicles, which can carry up to 40 bags in one journey, are designed and manufactured by Coventry company Aurrigo, the autonomous vehicle division of RDM Group.

Image source, Aurrigo

The driverless dollies can memorise the airfield to determine the shortest route to transport luggage, it said.

Wasps winger Marcus Watson is given time off to fly to Japan and support younger brother Anthony in the World Cup final.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Kerry Ashdown

People living near a sink-hole close to a school say the local council still hasn't repaired it after three months.

Residents reported the initial defect on Mount Pleasant, near the entrance to Newcastle-under-Lyme School, to Staffordshire County Council in August.

But they told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the sinking section has fallen away to leave a hole which has been blocked off by barriers.

The council said it's due to be investigated to find out the cause and that will lead to repairs, whether by them or a third party.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A road's been shut in Herefordshire today due to damage caused by flooding.

Image source, Herefordshire Council

The council's made the move, external on the C1001 in Leintwardine, near Ludlow, from the A4113 on the way to Buckton.

Engineers are going to inspect the route but say it'll stay shut until at least Monday.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A fire that destroyed a retirement homes complex in August is believed to have started accidentally on a roof terrace.

Image source, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

Apartments at Beechmere, Crewe, were destroyed in a blaze which left 150 mainly older people homeless.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service today said they now believed it began on a patio or terrace area on the third floor and spread internally up the walls of the timber framed building and into the roof space.

However they are still trying to work out why it spread so fast and that work may take "many months".

CCTV images have been released of a man police would like to speak to in connection with a sexual assault in Birmingham.

Image source, West Midlands Police

A woman was chased down Beach Road in Sparkhill before being pinned against a car and sexually assaulted.

Officers are asking for anyone with information about the 20 September attack to get in touch.

Aston Villa have been drawn at home against Liverpool in the quarter final of the Carabao Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

Villa beat Wolves on Wednesday and Liverpool beat Arsenal in a shootout after a 10-goal thriller.

Here's the draw in full:

• Aston Villa v Liverpool
• Oxford United v Manchester City
• Manchester United v Colchester United

• Everton v Leicester City

The ties are to be played the week commencing 16 December.

You can follow reaction to the draw here.

BBC Midlands Today

A small business hub in Birmingham which helped filmmakers and community groups is closing its doors this week.

The Impact Hub was set up in Digbeth five years ago to bring companies together.

Founders say a planned hike in business rates and increasing rent will see costs rise by an unaffordable sum of about £40,000 a year.

Express and Star

Some of the Express and Star headlines today include:

• Terms agreed for college campus to be taken over by boarding school, external
• Mother of three locked up after taking neighbour's car on armed robbery, external
• Road will close for almost one month in Kingswinford, external