'Systemic' failures hinder school transportpublished at 19:26 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
A report exposes a raft of failings in Birmingham including pupils being taken to the wrong schools.
Read MoreSummary
Updates on from Monday 23 November to Sunday 29 November
'Systemic' failures hinder school transportpublished at 19:26 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Our live coverage across the daypublished at 19:00 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Andy Giddings
BBC NewsWe'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow.
Council forecasting £14.8m overspendpublished at 18:53 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Local Democracy Reporting ServiceHerefordshire Council is projected to overspend by £14.8m this financial year, with £11m of that due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A report by the local authority shows government grants have helped it cover 70% of the costs of Covid-19, but it is looking for more money.
The costs include the purchasing of personal protective equipment and adapting offices to make them safe, plus spending to help vulnerable adults and young people.
Image source, GoogleThe council has also seen revenue from venues like leisure centres fall this year.
Christmas Eve bell ringing urged 'after a rubbish year'published at 18:41 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Allen Cook
BBC NewsPeople across the world are being encouraged to ring bells for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Stafford town crier Peter Taunton started a group on Facebook earlier this year calling on people to "give Santa some help" as it had been a "rubbish year".
Image source, Peter TauntonThe Ring a Bell for Santa group now has more than 7,500 members from 42 countries and 100 town criers have signed up to take part at 18:00 on 24 December.
Among the criers will be Adrian Holmes, Sandwell's town crier, who told BBC Radio WM he wanted to spread some happiness at the end of the year.
"It has not been a great 2020 to say the least, we have all had various ups and downs, and it was just something that I thought might just evoke a bit of a collective act," he said.
Campaigners make progress on calls for safer bridgepublished at 18:20 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Local Democracy Reporting ServiceCampaigners who want a safe crossing over the River Lugg at Lugwardine have been told it will be be looked in to by Herefordshire Council.
People living there have complained the existing road bridge isn't safe for pedestrians and cyclists, but have been encouraged by the local authority's move towards a more environmentally friendly transport policy.
Image source, GoogleThe cabinet member for infrastructure and transport John Harrington said the county council was aware of the issue and is looking for a solution.
Spending Review: Faster broadband wantedpublished at 18:06 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Alongside today's Spending Review, Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled the government's National Infrastructure Strategy - setting out plans for faster broadband, new roads, cycle lanes, upgraded railways and zero emission buses.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe chief executive of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce particularly welcomed plans for faster broadband, saying it could help rural businesses bounce back from the economic downturn.
Richard Sheehan said broadband and better mobile reception would also benefit the extra people working from home.
Secondary school closes in week-long 'firebreak'published at 17:51 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
BBC Midlands TodayMore than 1,000 pupils at the Blue Coat School in Coventry have been advised to have a precautionary Covid-19 test, as the site closed for a week-long “firebreak”.
Parents have been told it's because of a number of cases across all year groups at the secondary school.
The school said it was following public health advice by closing until 2 December and that all teaching would move online.
Parents' plea after wrestler dies with Covid-19published at 17:45 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
The death of 19-year-old Cameron Wellington shows coronavirus can affect anyone, his parents say.
Read MoreBridge height to be reduced to stop lorry crashespublished at 17:36 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
A bridge that has been repeatedly hit by dozens of lorries is going to be lowered to try and cut the number of collisions.
Image source, Sandwell CouncilThe crossing on the A4034 Bromford Road, near Sandwell and Dudley railway station, will be reduced in height from 4.4m to 4m from 1 December.
Sandwell Council said, external the bridge, which carries the West Coast Mainline, has been hit 57 times since 2017 with 24 of those happening in the 12 months up to March.
New signs will be installed on the bridge and roads leading up to it.
Spending Review: HS2 backing urgedpublished at 17:16 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
The government is being urged to reaffirm its commitment to the HS2 rail project in full by business leaders in Birmingham.
The Chancellor Rishi Sunak laid out his Spending Review today including a new £4.6bn package to help people back to work and a new £4bn "levelling up" fund to finance local infrastructure projects, like by-passes.
Formal approval for construction work on HS2 was given by the government in April and work has begun on phase one from London to Birmingham.
But Raj Kandola, from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, external, said businesses wanted a swift commitment from ministers about delivering the project in full.
"The lack of reference to the eastern leg of the second phase of the project is very concerning and simply undermines the government’s supposed commitment to levelling up the country,” he said.
Spending Review: Aid cut criticised by ex ministerpublished at 17:03 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
BBC Radio WMFormer aid minister Andrew Mitchell has criticised Chancellor Rishi Sunak for cutting the overseas aid budget.
Image source, PA MediaMr Sunak said the new 0.5% target - which adds up to about £4bn in savings - would be "temporary".
But Mr Mitchell, the MP for Sutton Coldfield, said the 0.7% target was in the Conservative election manifesto.
"His proposed breaking of the 0.7 promise and the 30% further reduction in cash will be the cause of 100,000 preventable deaths, mainly among children. This is a choice I for one and not prepared to make."
You can read the key points from the chancellor's Spending Review here on the BBC website.
Around the web: Arrests after police chase on estatepublished at 16:29 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
The Dudley News has these stories today:
Your photos: Rain clearing away this afternoonpublished at 16:10 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
It looks like the rain is clearing away this afternoon and here are a couple more photos from the BBC Weather Watchers,
These ones were taken at Rushbury and Clee Hill.
Image source, Peter Steggles
Image source, Shropshire_LadCrewe boss unhappy with 'schoolboy defending'published at 15:55 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
BBC Radio Stoke SportThe Crewe Alexandra manager has accused some of his players of "schoolboy defending" in their 1-0 defeat to Accrington last night.
David Artell was unhappy about the way they approached what became the game-winning free kick and added: "There was more than one player stood on the edge of the box pull their socks up or picking their nose."
Image source, Getty ImagesAfterwards he asked reporters: "How young were you when you got told to follow in from free kicks?"
He said failing to follow up in this way was "gifting opposition goals."
Around the web: Road closed after water leakpublished at 15:38 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Here are three stories from the Worcester News website:
- Road closed after water leak, external
- Takeaway in row over 'raw chicken' curry, external
- More details of Malvern Hills National Park, external
Police seize £40k of cannabis plants in raidpublished at 15:22 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Cannabis plants with an estimated street value of about £40,000 have been seized by police in a raid.
Image source, Staffordshire PoliceThey were found yesterday in a search of a house on Yoxall Way, Lichfield, Staffordshire Police said. , external
Two men, aged 34 and 40, from Lichfield and Tamworth, were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and released under investigation.
Attempted murder arrests after house firepublished at 15:02 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Four people were rescued from the house in Stoke-on-Trent and one remains in a critical condition.
Read MoreMPs question population growth assumptionspublished at 14:57 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Local Democracy Reporting ServicePopulation estimates for Coventry, which have been used to justify the building of thousands of new homes on green belt land, have been criticised by local MPs.
Coventry City Council believes it must accommodate 42,400 homes by 2031 based on ONS figures which suggests a growth in population by 31%.
Image source, UK ParliamentLabour's Taiwo Owatemi and Zarah Sultana have put their names to a letter alongside Conservative colleagues Jeremy Wright, Mark Pawsey and Craig Tracey, who represent Warwickshire constituencies.
The letter, from the countryside campaign group CPRE, challenges the assumptions behind the population growth estimate and asks why it is more than double the average estimated growth of 14% in the West Midlands.
Taiwo Owatemi, the Coventry North West MP, said it "would be tragic to tear up these green spaces".
Man critical after electrical substation break-inpublished at 14:44 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
A man is in a critical condition in hospital after a suspected burglary at an electrical substation.
The 28-year-old was believed to have been using cutting equipment when he touched a live wire at the site on Willenhall Road, Wolverhampton, yesterday, West Midlands Police said. , external
Officers think he was with two other men who fled when paramedics arrived.
Covid tiers could 'end hospitality industry as we know it'published at 14:20 Greenwich Mean Time 25 November 2020
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom DareNew Covid restrictions after the end of this lockdown could spell "the end of the hospitality industry as we know it", dozens of venues in Birmingham have said.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe group of 37 venues, including Original Patty Men, Bonehead and The Hare and Hounds, have written to West Midlands mayor Andy Street urging him to "actively lobby government" on their behalf.
Tomorrow, the government is due to say which restrictions will apply to each area under a strengthened three-tier system from 2 December.
Hospitality venues in tier-three areas will have to close except for deliveries.
The Birmingham venues said the next two days would be "critical" for the future of Birmingham's hospitality sector and questioned the science behind closing hospitality firms but keeping supermarkets open.
