Lobbying is going to continue into the new year to try and get more support for the struggling hospitality sector, West Midlands politicians said.

Businesses in the area have been forced to close under tier three measures.

Image source, Getty Images

The government said it had extended the furlough wage support scheme until March and offered loans, grants and tax cuts to businesses.

But Birmingham City Council Leader Ian Ward told a regional Covid-19 briefing on Friday the sector needed more.

"We had a meeting earlier of West Midlands' leaders and there was unanimous push for more support, we will keep pushing through Christmas and new year," he said.

The region's mayor, Andy Street, said it was an important industry with 135,000 jobs in the urban part of the West Midlands.

"We have all been doing lots of lobbying but as yet there has been no positive white smoke from government but we are resolute we need to continue," he said.

A new road in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham is to be named after the city's first black councillor, it has been announced.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Alderman Egbert "Bert" Sylvester Carless made history when he was elected a Labour member for Aston in 1979 and later served the Ladywood ward.

Bert, as he was known, migrated to Birmingham from Jamaica when he was 21 years old, and was a well-respected member of the community, said Birmingham City Council.

His work was commemorated with an OBE in 1998. He died in 2003.

Bert Carless Way is situated within the new Perry Barr Residential Scheme, situated on the site of the former Birmingham City University Campus.

Coventry Live

Some of the Coventry Live headlines today are:

• Man whose botched work led to partner being electrocuted is jailed, external
• Tip-off leads to police finding hundreds of cannabis plants, external
• Addict terrorised two vulnerable men to fund her drug habit, external

The patience of teachers is "wearing thin" after it was announced schools must set up and run test-and-trace schemes in their schools.

Image source, Reuters

Danielle Malin, who's head of Spanish at a secondary school in Coventry, said the decision and particularly its timing could be "the straw that breaks the camel's back".

"We've all been working really hard to provide the best quality education we can to our students in these difficult times," she said.

"We've literally just finished for Christmas today... and now [the senior leadership team] has got to go and plan how they're going to set up a mass testing centre in our staff room for the first day back in January."

"We're going to need an awful lot of staff and we just don't have that capacity."

Schools minister Nick Gibb has defended the plans, saying fuller guidance would be published next week filling in any gaps.

A doctor has spoken of an "emotional" day administering the coronavirus vaccine to people who "have hardly left the house for months".

Dr Will Tyler from the Birmingham and Solihull CCG said he and his colleagues had "moved mountains" to get the clinic up and running.

Flood barriers have been put up in Shrewsbury ahead of heavy rain forecast.

Part of the Frankwell car park remains closed.

Defences have also been deployed at Bewdley and Upton upon Severn in Worcestershire - with flood pumps also installed in Worcester.

Daniel Bracher was speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road, prosecutors say.

Matthew Mason admits beating 15-year-old Alex Rodda to death with a spanner but denies murder.

Dominic Casciani
Home Affairs Correspondent

A secure centre for children accused of crimes has been holding them in near solitary confinement - despite having been previously told to stop.

Image source, Google

Three watchdogs have ordered ministers to take urgent action against the Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre near Rugby.

Boys and girls have been locked in their rooms there for almost 24 hours a day as a quarantine measure.

Ofsted, HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the Care Quality Commission say the practice is unacceptable.

Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, now has 28 days to respond.

Prolific songwriter and Walsall fan Becky Hill has made her Premier League predictions with former footballer and now pundit Mark Lawrenson.

Image source, Becky Hill

"My first solo single was called 'Losing' which might have worked, but I'd like to make it clear that was not about the Saddlers!" the singer from Bewdley said.

Saturday sees Walsall take on Port Vale, who count Robbie Williams as their most famous fan, in the big game in League Two.

"Right, we've got some pop star rivalry here haven't we?" Becky added. "I'll have to hit Robbie up and tell him that his boys are going to get beaten. "

The West Midlands Police employee asked the woman to send him photos on Facebook, the watchdog says.

Business and consumers across the UK are still facing worries that Christmas deliveries won't arrive on time.

Image source, Mariusz Luczakowski

Mariusz Luczakowski runs a small chocolate company in Worcestershire and uses Royal Mail to send out orders to customers via first class delivery.

Over the past few days he says he has received emails from customers complaining of delays - sometimes of seven or more days.

"I am feeling frustration, but at least it's not only me," he told the BBC.

"It is a really scary and uncertain time for a small business owner and so easy to destroy the reputation of your own company by not delivering on time as promised."

Royal Mail said all delivery companies were "experiencing exceptionally high volumes" this year.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

Residents of Birmingham can now get rapid coronavirus tests at a walk-in hub at the former National Indoor Arena – even if they don’t have symptoms.

Up to 370,000 lateral flow tests could be carried out at the Utilita Arena in the next 10 weeks, with the aim to diagnose people who are not exhibiting symptoms, but are still infectious.

Image source, PA Media

The service has already been piloted throughout the week for council front-line staff.

The local authority says it is now fully open to the public, although people in close-contact professions such as taxi drivers or those who work in manufacturing are being particularly encouraged to turn up.

Anyone going along needs to take photo ID and proof of address, or place of work if they travel into the city for employment.

Further satellite sites are currently being set up in the city for the rapid tests in workplaces and community settings.

West Ham's WSL game against Aston Villa is postponed after "a small number" of positive Covid-19 cases at their training ground.

A delivery van filled with dozens of parcels has been stolen in Stoke-on-Trent.

The van was taken from Sandon Road, in Meir, at about 12:30 on Thursday, while the driver was delivering a package, police say.

A delivery driver was also targeted in Hanley on Wednesday, when three men made off with parcels from a van.

Sergeant Chris Moss, from Staffordshire Police, said: “At this time of year we see an increased number of couriers in the city and we ask drivers to be vigilant and always secure their vehicles.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

A great grandmother in Keresley was the first to receive the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine at a GP practice in Coventry this week.

Image source, South Warwickshire CCG

The vaccine has been rolled out at five groups of GP practices across Coventry and Warwickshire, known as Primary Care Networks (PCNS).

Anne Wilkinson, 86, received her jab on Tuesday at Keresley Green Medical Centre which is acting as the vaccination hub for North Coventry PCN.

She said: “I haven’t seen my family in long time and this vaccine is the light at the end of a tunnel for me and for so many others."

Express and Star

Some of the Express and Star headlines today include:

• Arrest as woman dies after being hit by car on pedestrian crossing, external
• Wolverhampton address raided amid international heroin smuggling probe, external
• Stephen Sutton's mother joins royal call for charity milestone, external

A 59-year-old dies in hospital after being hit by a car near Brierley Hill, Dudley.

Part of a JCB factory in Staffordshire has been converted into a vaccination centre, allowing up to 40,000 to receive the Pfizer jab.

The Cheadle plant, which normally manufacturers mini excavators, opened to patients earlier today.

Image source, JCB

The GP practices involved include Werrington, all three Cheadle practices, Waterhouses, Alton and Tean.

The first two patients to receive the vaccination were retired refuse collector Jim Walker, 84 and his wife Joan, 80, a former office worker from Werrington.

The grandmother-of-two said: “I didn’t know we were going to be the first patients, so I guess it’s my claim to fame now!

"I would advise everyone to have the injection – you have got to do it, there are no two ways about it.”

A man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into telephone scams, police said.

Officers at Warwickshire Police were investigating, external the case of a woman in her 60s, from Rugby, who was contacted by someone claiming to be from HMRC saying there was an outstanding invoice and she was required to pay more than £3,000.

The woman went to her bank to transfer the money but bank staff spotted it was fraud and contacted police.

A 30-year-old man was arrested in Salford and was questioned by Warwickshire officers and has been released under investigation.