29/11/2011 Midlands Today

Welcome to Midlands Today, with Suzanne Virdee and Nick Owen. The

headlines tonight: What will the Chancellor's Autumn

Statement mean for us? Tonight business leaders give their verdict.

One thing we were looking for was some sort of help or some sort of

move to controlling inflation a bit better.

"We'll do it anyway", say defiant strikers told to stump up thousands

or be banned from marching through a city centre. We've got teachers,

social workers, dinner ladies, nurses who want to take part in a

lawful, democratic protest and the council are putting obstacles in

their way. A delicate operation to help

thousands of salmon stranded because of the dry conditions.

And what does it feel like to be a Paralympian? The children who got

Good evening, welcome to Tuesday's Midlands Today, from the BBC.

Tonight, what does the Chancellor's Autumn Statement mean for jobs and

business in this region? One of the main headlines from George

Osborne's speech was the boost for road-building projects. In this

region, the busy Tollbar traffic island in Coventry will be rebuilt.

There'll be a new bridge over the West Coast Main Line, to help

improve roads around Birmingham Airport and the NEC. And a bridge

at Evesham, in Worcestershire, will be rebuilt. Elsewhere, there was

grimmer news, with a forecast that unemployment will continue to rise

over the next 12 months in a region which already has a higher-than-

average number of people out of work. Business leaders here

welcomed the statement, saying they don't think there will be a return

to recession in 2012. Our business correspondent, Peter Plisner, joins

us now from the Heathcote Industrial Estate in Warwick, where

we've been tracking the fortunes of companies there for Midlands Today.

Are firms there confident about avoiding another recession, Peter?

I think so. Certainly many have welcomed today's announcement.

Tonight, we are at a haulage depot, where, as you can imagine, they

will be pleased at the fact that they have scrapped the idea of

increasing fuel duty next month. Today, I have spent the day gauging

opinion on the Chancellor's statement.

Surviving one of the toughest recessions in living memory. This

firm and makes metal cases for balconies. It has thrown an

incredible load on us, trying to basically stand still. Elsewhere,

another firm which has weathered the economic storm. Dennis Eagle

Ltd makes dustcarts and exports them all over the world. Although

orders are up, long-serving workers like Tony Cowley are still

concerned about the fragile state of the economy. Prices seem to be

going up and up but our pay is not. Enter the Chancellor and his Autumn

Statement. Something not to be missed for Dennis Eagle Ltd. Here,

they have recently been recruiting but did the Chancellor to enough to

persuade them to take on any more staff? We will be keen to help and

participate in any way possible along those lines. We take on a

regional number of apprentices now and we realise the importance of

young people coming in, being trained up for the workforce of the

future. With the state the economy is in at the moment, it is hardly

surprising there are empty buildings here. We have been

monitoring the system but it -- this estate for 12 months but here,

it is not all doom and gloom. At this printing firm, they are busier

than ever, with many orders coming from new businesses. There are a

lot of people setting up new businesses, even in this

environment, so with some other things I have heard today, they

help to those who are setting up, it has got to be good for my

business. But not everything announced today went down well.

Plans to encourage the young unemployed back to work by

threatening to remove benefits got a definite thumbs down. Would you

want to employ somebody who has been forced to take a job? No, I do

not think it is a good idea. It is like being a prisoner of war.

most firms on the estate having business come to them, this did

provide good news. But with economic growth will slow, the

struggle for many firms is far from over. Joining me here at the depot

are two people with views on the news heard today. You must be

pleased that the fuel duty increase in January has been scrapped?

We were very worried we were going to pass a psychological barrier

because threepence would have meant the highest ever diesel price,

which would have been dreadful for our industry. Did you think there

was anything that could help you as a business? Not so much help but

there was nothing that would hinder us. It means we will go ahead with

plans in terms of some more recruitment, so another six jobs we

will be putting out in January. Many thanks. Richard Butler, you

are from the CBI. The Chamber of Commerce have said they feel what

has been announced will stave off recession. Is that you're feeling?

We hope so. It is a package for business that will help. There is

some money for infrastructure project. The roads near the airport

and the NEC. But they are hardly earth-shattering and they will

hardly get the Midlands moving? many ways, they are not. The

Government does not have much wriggle room. But there are some

schemes, banking schemes for small businesses, which Rob very

worthwhile. And also youth credit and encouragement to take on young

people. What about unemployment blackspots? Is there anything in

the announcements today to deal with those? I think there is. The

enterprise zone mainly in Wolverhampton, there are some

excellent tax credits that have been announced. Do you think we

learned much today? Apart from how bad the economy is! As you say,

there is much that has been leaked in the past couple of days. But

there are some worthwhile things coming out. Thank you. Anything

that helps deliver growth has to be a good thing, I suppose.

There was some welcome news for motorists from the Chancellor today.

Plans to increase fuel duty by 3p next month have been scrapped. The

rise in rail fares will also be less than originally expected and

pensions will also be going up. Our political reporter, Susana Mendonca,

joins us now from the German Market in Birmingham. What have people

there made of it? A lot of the people I have been speaking to

around the bars here are very happy at the prospect of the fuel duty

increase being delayed until the summer. But there is a lot of

apprehension about what this will mean for growth and jobs here in

Birmingham and across the West Midlands. We heard the Chancellor

talking about how things could be far worse if the eurozone crisis is

not solved, so we have come to our own little bit of Europe, here in

Birmingham, to find out what people think. You cannot be overly

optimistic at the moment. But you have always got to believe things

are going to get better. Rather nervous. I don't know what is going

to happen. Whatever they say, I am not sure what is going to happen so

we have to wait and see. The price of bills and food are continually

going up. I think it will be a struggle for a lot of people in the

future if they don't do something about that.

There we have a flavour of what people in the German market think

of the Chancellor's announcement. I am joined by a couple of people

with their own views. I have Allen, who runs the cider store, and also

Michael Ward, who runs the Chamber of Commerce. There were a lot of

announcements for small businesses. For you, what difference do you

think today's announcement will make? A lot of things announced

were good for us. The apprentice scheme, we will probably take

advantage of that in the new year. The only cloud on by horizon for us

is, if the Chancellor has reduced the tax take up on petrol, he is

going to look for somewhere else to make it up, and I suspect we will

be hit with some alcohol of duty, which happens every year. That is

my only concern. I know the Chamber of Commerce says we will not have a

recession. The OECD figures we had yesterday were not looking good. Do

you think the West Midlands has what it takes to come out of this?

All the figures are showing that we expect there to be growth in the

economy, albeit less than 1%, so it will feel relatively flat but it is

not a recession, it is growth. And in terms of the proposals from the

Chancellor, he is addressing the issues around increasing finance.

Thank you. We must leave it there. That is a flavour of how people in

Birmingham city centre of feeling about the statement. Thank you. We

will be joining Patrick Burns later to get the political take from

Westminster. Good to have you with us this

evening. Later in the programme, we'll be meeting a former Olympic

marathon man who could become this year's Unsung Hero.

A man's been killed after a car and lorry collided early this morning.

It happened on the A49 near Preston Brockhurst, in Shropshire. The

lorry jack-knifed and caught fire, blocking the road for several hours.

The lorry driver wasn't injured. A march by thousands of striking

public sector workers through the streets of Birmingham will go ahead

tomorrow. Unions have accused the City Council of trying to erode

democracy after they demanded thousands of pounds to pay for road

closures. A senior councillor today accused the unions of acting

irresponsibly, as Sarah Falkland reports.

It's a fight to save pensions from government cuts. But unions in

Birmingham have had another battle - with the City Council over a

proposed march. The last time unions marched through the city,

they paid just a few hundred pounds. They marched on a weekend. But the

City Council said loss of revenue from on-street parking, combined

with road closures, would mean tomorrow's march would cost them

�8,000. Only a few weeks ago, we have the racist thugs of the EDL

protesting in the city centre and they did not have to pay a penny.

We have teachers, social workers, dinner ladies and nurses who want

to take part in a lawful, democratic protest, and the council

is putting obstacles in their wake. The council points out that none of

the EDL actually marched and that the fees are standard practice. On

the eve of the march, they are going ahead anyway, without paying

the council is single penny. Tomorrow, this car park will be

full with the cars of union members, going to the arena. They are acting

irresponsibly, encouraging this to take place, having not followed the

criteria. Unions say even without the council's co-operation, the

march will be well-managed and safe. We will have hundreds of stewards

said the demonstration will be absolutely safe. Whether there of

road closures or not, it will be saved. A magnificent demonstration

took place on 30th June and nobody was hurt whatsoever. Up to 5,000

people could join in. One union leader has said

tomorrow's strikes could be the biggest walk-out since the General

Strike of 1926. Our reporter Giles Latcham joins us.

What's the impact likely to be in this region, Giles? It's going to

be big for employers, of course, and for those trying to run council

services. It's going to be a testing day for many parents. By

our reckoning, just over 1,270 schools, academies and colleges

across the Midlands will close. That figure incorporates

Gloucestershire and it's for complete closures. Others will be

partially closed. In Birmingham alone, 160 are shutting, a third of

the city's schools. We went to one in King's Heath this afternoon at

picking-up time, to ask parents what they think of the strike.

think they should have turned around and got everybody to vote

first before they actually turned around and decided to go on strike.

I've been some other public sector staff, if they were really aware of

how the private sector staff got paid than their pension

contributions, I think it is more similar than people realise. It is

horrendous, what is going on in the public sector, and I think it is

right they should stand up and strike. It just means I get to

spend an extra day with him! How well supported do they think

the strike will be? It's difficult to predict, but according to the

public sector unions taking part, they have about 10,000 members in

the Birmingham area. In Staffordshire, the council is

expecting just under 3,500 to strike. That's out of a workforce

of 28,000. Interestingly, there are professions taking part who haven't

gone on strike before. Headteachers, for example, and some health

specialists. So appointments will be cancelled and hospitals like

Warwick and Stratford expect to run limited services. In Shropshire,

they're likening it to what you'd expect on a bank holiday.

And you can keep in touch with all the details about what the strikes

mean where you live on your BBC A race is on to try to save

hundreds of salmon trapped in the River Teme because of low water.

It's been the driest year in the region since records began. The

Environment Agency have been working to help the fish reach

their spawning grounds. Joanne Writtle has been watching rescue

operation. These fish are facing a crisis

brought on by nature. The Atlantic salmon need to work their way 50

kilometres north of here in Ludlow to spawn. But they now barely have

the energy to leap upstream. The River Teme is too low for them to

make their journey. If they don't get upstream of here, they will not

be able to lay their eggs, and if they can't do that, that is the

future progeny of this would have gone. They will lose their eggs and

dive. There is not enough spawning in the River here for them. -- and

die. We used an underwater camera under the supervision of

Environment Agency experts, to avoid disturbing the fish. Some

weigh up to 30lbs and may have travelled from Greenland. Some of

the females are carrying up to 10,000 eggs. The Environment Agency

has made temporary modifications to two weirs to try and help the fish

through. The salmon crisis has attracted many onlookers. We have

been watching them nearly get up but then falling back. They have

wanted to get up into the upper reaches of the river. I have never

seen the river as low as it is now. This was the River Teme on the

Herefordshire-Shropshire border in May, looking more like a farm track.

It dried out earlier this year than in the hot summer of 1976. This

weir in Ludlow was restored by a charity. The Teme Weirs Trust is

backing the temporary work being carried out to two other weirs by

the Environment Agency. It is a huge crisis for the future of

salmon in this river. And it really needed to be seen to straight away

and we have done everything we can to help the Environment Agency

progress with the alteration of the weirs. Along with work to help them

continue their journeys, the salmon are under 24-hour surveillance, to

avoid illegal fishing, though they are unsuitable for eating at this

stage in their life-cycle. But there is a twist in detail. It

might be raining now but the temporary modern -- modifications

can only work if there is significant rainfall to allow the

fish to get through. That is an incredible rescue

operation. A miserable day, but for the salmon

there was some of that much-needed rain. Shefali, what's in store for

tomorrow? Unlike today, it's a much drier picture, but that's not to

say there isn't more rain on the way. A lot more in fact. I'll tell

you when later. 200 school children in Birmingham

enjoyed a games lesson with a difference today. They all got the

chance to have a go at a Paralympic sport. It's hoped that one of the

lasting legacies of 2012 will be to encourage more youngsters to play

sport. Ian Winter has been to the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham

to find out more. Warming up for a new sporting

experience. 200 children from 16 special schools across the region,

all set for a big surprise. They'd come together to have a go some

Paralympic sports. And everywhere you looked, the youngsters were

having fun, encouraged by some exceptional role models. Gymnasts

like Sarah Whitehouse, from Wolverhampton, who won gold and

silver medals at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in

Athens just a couple of months ago. This really means a lot. My mum

nominated me to go there. I get to carry the Olympic Flame. When do

you find out? Next month. Spend a couple of minutes in Sarah's

company and her passion for sport comes shining through. And the same

applies to Paul Jacobs. Two years ago, Rifleman Paul was left blinded

by a bomb whilst on patrol in Afghanistan. He won a George Medal

for bravery. And now, he's become a big fan of goalball, a popular

Paralympic sport for the visually impaired. Sport for me has been on

top of my agenda. As a soldier, you have routine, and once you have

been thrown out of that, it is difficult. For me, going into sport,

swimming, whatever it may be, it has been a top, top thing. You just

look at them and see the joy on their faces as they experience

something new. As they carry on, that could do a lot of good and

take them to new places. You will feel proud you are part of that.

Mickey Bushell is one of Britain's best medal hopes at London 2012.

The wheelchair racer from Telford is off to Australia in the New Year.

There's a lot of hard work ahead if he's to go one better than the

silver medal he won at the 100 metres in the Beijing Paralympics

three years ago. The ultimate goal is gold. I guess it is for

everybody. I have to make sure I am the one that is there. Only the

chosen few will win medals at London 2012. But today everyone

enjoyed their first taste of the Paralympics in Birmingham.

That was inspirational! 1.5 million tickets are still

available for London 2012 Olympic football matches. They include the

12 games being staged at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, which is being

re-named for the Olympics as the City of Coventry Stadium. Coventry

is understood to be the second most popular venue outside London.

They've sold more than 80,000 of their 250,000 allocation.

All this week, we'll be revealing who our five finalists are for this

year's BBC Midlands Sports Unsung Hero Award. It recognises those

unpaid individuals who devote countless hours and energy to

helping others take part in sport. And first up is former Olympic

marathon runner Bill Adcocks. Since injury forced him to retire from

competition, he's spent more than 50 years as a coach and

administrator with Coventry's Godiva Harriers. Kevin Reide's been

to meet him. It's hard to quantify Bill Adcocks'

contribution to grass-roots sport. But when you consider he's been

helping to run Coventry's Godiva Harriers since the age of 18, you

start to get the picture. Even so, his response to be nominated is

humbled. You have these schemes and you look at what people have put in,

you think, well, obviously somebody thinks that of me, and it is very

gratifying. It is amazing to think that Bill has been active here for

more than 50 years, and in that time, he has literally helped

thousands of athletes. He likes things to be done right and he

knows people are putting a lot of effort in, and so does he, so he is

a great person to have in your corner. A marathon runner himself,

for 35 years he held the record time racing from Marathon to Athens,

and came second in the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.

Harriers friend and colleague is David Moorcroft. He is one of the

most outstanding marathon runners Britain has ever produced. He left

no stone unturned, and as a young athlete, it was wonderful to have

somebody like him to look up to. Back at the track, the night may be

over for those training, but for Bill, work is just beginning. First

there are meetings to attend. Then at home, more dedication, as he

spends hours keeping the website up-to-date with literally thousands

of race results. I have to sort of call him if I want him! Or and

looks through the hatch when it is time for coffee. He is always on

there. -- or I look through the hatch. I want to be involved in

trying to create an environment where people do things to help, and

if they do that, that is payment enough.

Now back to our main news tonight, and major road construction

projects across our region are set to benefit from the national

infrastructure plan unveiled today by George Osborne. There's also a

significant tax break for new businesses setting up in the Black

Country enterprise zone. Our political editor, Patrick Burns,

has been watching developments at Westminster. How well have we done

here in the Midlands out of this mini Budget? To judge by the number

of times the Chancellor mentioned the West Midlands, you would think

we had done rather well. He pointed out that, incidentally, employment,

and that should have been going down during the boom years with

this strategy and the road building projects. But the problem is, where

is the money coming from? The �5 billion the Government is putting

into it is coming from elsewhere in their current spending plans. I am

joined by Shabana Mahmood, the Labour MP, and Sajid Javid, the

Conservative MP. You are just storing up yet more paint in years

to come for the sake of these road- building schemes and other

projects? That is not right atoll. We are bringing forward capital

spending projects that were already there and finding savings elsewhere

and using it for these projects, both in the West Midlands and

elsewhere. At a time like this when we are facing an economic challenge

and the rest of the world is facing an even bigger one, it is important

we do what we can to boost growth. Infrastructure projects is

something we can do. We also have local enterprise partnerships and

local enterprise zones. You have got a welcome all this. The schemes

just mentioned, it gives 100% capital allowances for firms to

locate into the zone. That is good news? And of course bringing

forward long-term investment projects, that is part of our plan,

so I am glad to hear this. But it does not go to any way to say this

is a reckless economic policy and is having a devastating impact on

hard-working families up and down the country. Briefly, talking to

some bankers, they say business does have a lot of money in their

accounts. It just lacks the confidence to release it into new

opportunities and job creation. What can you do about that? We need

to boost confidence. We have a lot more in Britain than in any other

country in Europe. The Government needs to focus on growth. OK, more

about that roll-out of high-speed broadband in rural areas tomorrow.

Thank you, Patrick. It's been a really dank, dark day.

Shefali, what's in store for After today's rain, we will see

further rain later this week. The wind is quite prominent and the

temperature will start to drop as we head into December. More

particularly, Thursday night into fried it will be quite a busy

picture. -- in to Friday. You can see the cloud is already breaking

up and we are seeing a cluster of showers to the north of the region.

Later, they will move south. Not an entirely dry picture and there will

be bricks in the cloud, so temperatures will fall down to four

or five degrees Celsius. Tomorrow, a chilly start to the day, or a

chillier start than today. A lot drier than today and sunny as well,

with a few showers just dotted around, but they will fade away,

leaving it much drier in the afternoon. A colder day than today.

Slightly less of a breeze as well. It is through tomorrow night that

we see this heavy band of rain spilling out from the South and it

will become patchier as it moves north. But a few hours of heavy

rain, with things feeling quite breezy. On Thursday night, we get a

A look at tonight's main headlines: More years of pain. Britain's debt

is bigger, its growth lower. A grim warning to families across the UK