West Midlands mayor Andy Street has welcomed universal credit changes outlined in the Budget.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has set out changes he says will give low income families an extra £1,000 a year.

Asked if Mr Sunak had gone far enough to calm his concerns about universal credit, Mr Street said he was "really pleased with what he announced".

The mayor added: "You're right in saying I did have concerns. I said there should be mitigations and he has delivered a really good response to that."

But Labour said the chancellor's universal credit measure would not make up for axing the £20-a-week top-up to the benefit.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street says while Chancellor Rishi Sunak has "got to balance the books over time, he was utterly determined to balance the country as well", following the Budget.

The mayor told the BBC: "We've seen the billion pound for transport investments in the West Midlands and he talked about... investing in skills and of course investing in innovation across the region."

Asked about Coventry being in Priority 2 over the Levelling Up Fund, external, Mr Street said: "It was disappointing that Coventry was put that way. The case will be made."

Local authority areas are placed in categories 1, 2 or 3, depending on their identified level of need, with category 1 representing places deemed in most need of investment.

"But actually... it looks as though some areas in Priority 2 and indeed 3 even did get their funding and that was always said that it wouldn't be a real blanket ruling.

"This does not mean that there isn't substantial government investment into Coventry."

The West Midlands trust raises its risk rating for ambulance handover delays to its highest level.

A Wolverhampton MP is calling on the prime minister for more funding to tackle high rates of youth unemployment in the city.

Tory MP Jane Stevenson, who represents Wolverhampton North East, raised the issue at Prime Minister's Questions and asked Boris Johnson what support was being made available to help young people gain the skills they needed.

"Our unemployment rate, youth unemployment, was unacceptably high pre-pandemic and now sadly is the highest rate nationally," she said.

Image source, PA Media

"Would the prime minister urgently look at how the government can level-up opportunity so that young people in Wolverhampton can get the skills and the confidence they need?"

Joseph Forster is charged after a man was found in cardiac arrest and died in hospital.

The cash will be split between three bids, including a regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent city centre.

John Bray
BBC News

Coventry has welcomed a giant puppet to the city as it nears the end of a 5,000-mile (8,000km) walk from Syria to "rewrite the narrative about refugees".

Crowds of people greeted the 3.5m (11.5ft) puppet, named Little Amal, in the city centre on Wednesday afternoon.

Little Amal represents a nine-year-old Syrian refugee on the journey, in a project called The Walk.

The puppet, whose name means "hope" in Arabic, started its journey in Gaziantep, Turkey on 27 July and has travelled across Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and France.

The aim has been to shine a light on the stories of the millions of displaced refugee children she represents.

Tomorrow, Little Amal will visit Erdington High Street in Birmingham.

Students going out in Birmingham for the first time post-lockdown are a factor, the force says.

The 2022 cycling event for the Commonwealth Games will be staged in Warwickshire.

Abuse by paedophile coach Barry Bennell left a promising player "emotionally stunted", a judge hears.

Nine-year-old Charlie danced at his first Northern Soul and Motown night in Bilston, West Midlands.

Sam McDougal named her duckling "Morri" after the supermarket he came from.

West Midlands Trains says the pandemic has delayed training for more than 100 train drivers.

BBC News Travel

Two lanes have been closed on the M42 northbound after a crash.

Delays of about 40 minutes are being reported between junction five for Solihull and junction six for the NEC.

Motorists have been urged to allow extra time for their journeys.

Five women are held in connection with the fatal shooting of two men at a gathering in Manchester.

Women are planning to boycott nightclubs and bars across the country as part of a call for women to be better protected.

Jasmine Stubbings, a student at Coventry University, is coordinating the Girls Night In in the city following recent reports of people being spiked by injection.

"I'm more scared to go out now," she said. "I know all of my friends are. I know so many people who have also been spiked and it's very scary," she said.

"We've spent years doing things we shouldn't have had to do anyway - buying cup covers, not letting people buy you drinks, only buying short drinks unless you're sat at a table, and these things can't even protect us now because of the recent incidents with needle injections."

A couple from Wolverhampton have raised almost £5,000 for a hospital which cared for them after the loss of their baby.

Image source, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

Abbie Rodger, 27, and her partner Josh Edwards, 25, cycled 94 miles from Wolverhampton to Oxford in memory of their stillborn daughter, Sunny.

The money has been donated to the Willow Suite at New Cross Hospital and will be spent supporting other bereaved families

"The time we got to spend with our little girl in the Willow Suite, and the care, kindness and patience of the midwives and other staff from New Cross was a lifeline in the most traumatic and heart-breaking time of our lives," Ms Rodger said.

"We would like to help ensure the Willow Suite is able to continue to provide other families who sadly find themselves in this situation the same level of care and comfort in what is ultimately one of the most distressing things they will likely experience."

The hospital thanked the couple who they described as "amazing" and "inspirational".

A man's been arrested after trying to evade cops by climbing through a hole in the roof.

Image source, West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said they were called to Digbeth in Birmingham on Tuesday night, however a man had escaped in a bid to evade officers.

With the help of West Midlands Fire Service and drone cameras, police were able to locate the suspect and arrest him.

The force said a man had been held on suspicion of cultivating cannabis.

Little Amal, a 3.5m puppet, is due to arrive in Coventry from 15:00 today.

She'll follow a route up Trinity Street, before turning on to High Street and completing her journey on Priory Street.

Image source, Coventry City of Culture

The giant puppet has been travelling across Europe in a campaign to raise awareness of the plight of young migrants.

She arrived in the UK on 17 October and after her visit to Coventry will continue her journey until its end in Manchester on 3 November.

We'll be bringing you updates and photos from her time in the West Midlands this afternoon.

Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather

It's a blustery start to Wednesday and later on we could get the odd shower too.

There's a lot of cloud around but the occasional bright spell will break through and we can expect mild temperatures for this time of year with highs of 18C (64F).