Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carmelo Garcia

People in Herefordshire are set to see their council tax rise by 4% next year, under plans by the local council.

Image source, Google

Herefordshire Council says the increase is needed to balance its budget for 2020-21 and includes 2% ring-fenced for adult social care.

The rise would add an extra £60.60 to the average Band D bill.

A consultation on the budget proposals is running until 4 December., external

A road's going to stay shut in Hereford while more repairs are carried out following a burst water main.

About 5,000 homes and businesses had their supply disrupted from yesterday morning after the pipe on Hoarwithy Road was damaged.

Welsh Water said the repair was finished but Herefordshire Council said the carriageway and footpaths still needed fixing. , external

The road's expected to reopen on Tuesday.

Facebook

The staff shortages affecting West Midlands Railway services between Shropshire and Birmingham have been generating some comments on the BBC Radio Shropshire Facebook page, external.

A number of trains were cancelled yesterday evening, and Sarah Dubois-Scott wrote: "Been happening a lot lately for various reasons - no staff, broken down train, no platform to go in on, signal failure, overhead cable damage. And when the trains do come they are often so crowded you cant get on."

Linda Firth was also unimpressed and commented: "Same old story. Hoped the service would have got better since they took over from Arriva, but it's worse."

West Midlands Railway apologised and said the availability of crew was difficult to predict, but the shortages weren't as bad as they were during half term, last week.

It promised more trains and more staff when it took over the service a year ago, but Matthew Fennell-Fox wrote: "Not sure what the point of the second hourly service is when they cancel them at rush hour. They've been training 200 staff for months."

Robert Parton had been receiving treatment at Heartlands Hospital when he fled.

Worcester News

The Worcester News headlines today include:

• Homeless shelter opens at long last with temperatures to plummet tonight, external
• Hero prevented man from setting himself on fire in Worcester, external
• Three men arrested after spate of burglaries in Worcester, external

Phil McCann
Cheshire Political Reporter, BBC News

Former Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has been selected to stand for the Conservatives in the nearby Cheshire seat of Eddisbury.

Image source, Conservative Party

Mr Timpson (pictured) represented Crewe and Nantwich for nine years before he was unseated by Labour at the last election by 48 votes.

In Eddisbury, he’ll be up against Antoinette Sandbach who’s standing for the Liberal Democrats after the Tories expelled her from their party for rebelling over Brexit.

The others standing in the seat in December's election are Labour candidate Terry Savage, Nicholas Goulding of the Brexit Party and a Green Party candidate who is yet to be confirmed.

The firm and a director face manslaughter charges after four workers died in the blast in 2015.

A water rescue team and boat have been sent from the West Midlands to help firefighters deal with the severe flooding in South Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews rescued more than 100 people overnight, with about 500 calls to its control room between 22:00 and 04:00.

Crews from Shrewsbury have also been part of the rescue effort.

Six severe warnings and more than 100 flood warnings remain in place across England.

BBC Business News

Thomas Cook's slots at Birmingham Airport, along with those at Manchester and Stansted, have been sold to Jet2.com, the official receiver has announced.

Image source, Getty Images

The sale price has not been disclosed.

Earlier, the receiver announced the slots at Gatwick and Bristol had been sold to EasyJet for £36m.

Thomas Cook collapsed in September when the 178-year-old holiday firm was put into liquidation.

Since then various parts of the business have been bought up.

Hays Travel paid just £6m for the 555 high street stores, while a subsidiary of Wolves owners Fosun has paid £11m for the Thomas Cook brand name, as well as two of its hotel brands.

Nicola Goodwin
Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

The Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave has returned to Bromyard in Herefordshire almost 80 years since she was evacuated there during World War Two.

Hundreds of children and veterans paraded through the town this morning to remember the first children arriving in 1939., external

Ms Redgrave was evacuated to Bromyard when she was three years old and told the BBC the memories had stayed with ever since.

She said she came with her little brother and her mother, who then returned to London, and seeing the children today had "made me want to cry".

Bromyard's branch of the Royal British Legion has organised a three-week festival to mark Operation Pied Piper, when three and a half million people across the UK were evacuated to rural areas.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

A Labour general election candidate who apologised for saying she would "celebrate" the deaths of world leaders, including Tony Blair, has been endorsed by the party, following another interview.

Image source, Twitter

Zarah Sultana wrote on social media in 2015: "Try and stop me [celebrating] when the likes of Blair, Netanyahu and Bush die."

She was reinterviewed by the party after apologising for the tweets from a "deleted account dating back several years from when I was a student".

In her apology on Monday, Ms Sultana said at the time she had been "exasperated by endless cycles of global suffering, violence and needless killing".

When she was announced as the Coventry South candidate last week, she wrote on social media: "With your support, I will be a strong socialist voice for working people in this city."

A full list of candidates for the seat will be available on the BBC Coventry South Parliamentary constituency page once nominations close on 14 November.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A road's shut in Herefordshire after a car reportedly hit a pedestrian, the ambulance service has said.

Crews were called at 12:32 to the A438 in Letton, near Hereford, at its junction with Kinley Lane.

Two ambulances and the air ambulance have been sent to the scene and West Mercia Police tweeted the road's blocked in both directions., external

Allen Cook
BBC News

On his club career, Michael O'Neill might appear at strange choice for Stoke City, but it's his success in charge of Northern Ireland which has seen him linked with several clubs in England.

Image source, Getty Images

After his playing career, he was manager of Scottish club Brechin City and then Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland.

But in 2011, he was appointed manager of Northern Ireland and took the relative international minnows to the Euro 2016 finals before narrowly missing out on World Cup qualification.

The 50-year-old will face a tough task with Stoke City as, since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, the Potters have stumbled to 16th last season in the Championship and are currently bottom.

However, they have a number of well-known players such as internationals Jack Butland, Joe Allen and James McClean.

Hereford Times

Here are some of the stories from the Hereford Times today:

• Vanessa Redgrave rememberers being evacuated to Herefordshire, external
• Herefordshire Council plans to increase tax, external
• Life-changing cabin for cystic fibrosis teen, external

A car and a motorbike have been involved in the crash which has blocked a road in Hereford this lunchtime, the ambulance service has said.

The emergency services were called just after 11:30 to Commercial Road, near the Kings Fee pub.

The road remains closed between Union Walk and Bath Street., external

Allen Cook
BBC News

A firm's been charged with corporate manslaughter following an explosion at a wood processing mill where four workers died in 2015.

Three men and a woman died at Wood Treatment Ltd in Cheshire when the four-storey building collapsed.

The Crown Prosecution Service says the company itself has been charged, while one of its directors, George Boden, 64, will also face charges on four counts of gross negligence manslaughter.

The CPS adds that Mr Boden and two other managers for the company have also been charged with health and safety offences.

Cheshire Police says all three are due to appear before magistrates on 2 December.

Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill accepts the Stoke City manager's job but will remain in his international role for any potential Euro 2020 play-off.

BBC Sport

Michael O'Neill has been appointed as manager of Stoke City but will take charge of Northern Ireland for any potential Euro 2020 play-off games.

Image source, Alexander Hassenstein

He will take over at the Championship's bottom club immediately and will manage NI for their final two qualifiers and a play-off in March if they are involved.

O'Neill, 50, succeeds Nathan Jones, who was sacked by Stoke on 1 November.

He guided NI to the Euro 2016 finals and to the brink of the 2018 World Cup during his eight-year reign.

BBC Weather Watchers

Plenty of gorgeous autumn colours around the West Midlands now and our BBC Weather Watchers are busy snapping photos.

These three are from users Jonny in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, Sue Snaps in Codsall, Staffordshire and Z70 in Marbury, Cheshire:

Image source, Jonny

Image source, Sue Snaps

Image source, Z70

BBC News Travel

A serious crash has shut a road in the middle of Hereford.

West Mercia Police was called just after midday to Commercial Road and said the collision happened near the Kings Fee pub., external

The road's blocked from Union Walk to Bath Street and officers said it was likely to be closed "for some time".