BBC Midlands Today

Public parks in the Midlands are at risk of decline and some of the facilities in them could close, according to a new report by the Heritage Lottery Fund. , external

Findings showed that 78% of councils across the region anticipate budget reductions of 10% or more over the next three years with nearly half their parks expected to deteriorate. 

Paul Fletcher
BBC Sport

Wales midfielder Joe Allen says he feels "refreshed and positive" following his summer move from Liverpool to Stoke City.

Allen scored his first international goal on his 32nd appearance in Wales' 4-0 win over Moldova in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier.

Image source, Getty Images

The 26-year-old joined Stoke City from Liverpool for £13m in July after only starting eight league games in 2015-16.

"I think it had come to the point where I needed to move on," Allen said. "Personally, it was pretty obvious."

We now have data examining the impact of the badger cull on the incidence of TB in cattle.

Wales midfielder Joe Allen feels "refreshed and positive" following his summer move from Liverpool to Stoke City.

Follow live text coverage from the Premier League match between Stoke and Tottenham at the Britannia Stadium.

Bidders for the West Midlands rail franchise are being given permission to remove seats and create more standing room to fit more passengers in.

An A&E unit hit by staff shortages should have an emergency service for children with minor injuries within weeks, doctors hope.

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates says the club's current group of players is the best in the club's history.

Image source, Stoke City

Wilfried Bony, Joe Allen and Bruno Martins-Indi are just three of the additions made by Mark Hughes this summer.

A sailor from Cheshire says he's confident he could win gold at this years Paralympic Games in Rio. Niki Birrell, from Knutsford, and sailing partner Alexandra Rickham won a bronze medal at London 2012. The five-time world champions will compete together in the Skud 18 class for a third time.

BBC Travel

There's slow traffic on the M6 southbound between J13, for the A449 (Stafford South) and J12, at the A5 (Gailey), because of an earlier broken down vehicle.  

A woman has quit her job in the West Midlands to move to Poland, saying she is choosing to emigrate following the referendum vote to leave the EU.

James Jones strikes late to earn Crewe their first home success of the campaign as they beat Doncaster in a frantic finish.

James Vaughan scores twice on his Gigg Lane debut as Bury ease to a comfortable victory over Port Vale.

A victim of the Smiler rollercoaster crash calls for the Alton Towers ride to be shut after 30 people are trapped in a new incident.

Daniel Wainwright
Data unit - English regions

Amelia is the most popular girls name in the West Midlands while Muhammad is the most popular for boys, according to the Office for National Statistics. 

Only London had Muhammad as the most popular choice in 2014 but the new figures show the West Midlands has joined the capital in 2015 for having the most babies with that name. Oliver was most popular overall across England and Wales.

There were 649 Muhammads born in the West Midlands in 2015 compared with 622 Olivers. An alternative spelling - Mohammed - is also in the top 10.

For girls regionally, the top choice, Amelia, was the same as the overall favourite in England and Wales.

The data also shows the West Midlands to have a higher proportion of girls named Jessica than anywhere else. It ranks third for popularity in the region.

A fanatic threatens to hang a Jewish Labour MP, prompting a counter-terrorism police investigation.

Stoke and England keeper Jack Butland could be out of action for a further two months as he needs an ankle operation.

Police are given more time to question five men arrested in Birmingham and Stoke on suspicion of terror-related offences.

The Smiler rollercoaster is closed after reports debris fell from a carriage - 14 months after it crashed leaving five people seriously injured.

Stoke's Mark Waddington and Swansea's Oliver Davies return to their clubs as Kilmarnock cut short their loans.