18/06/2014 Midlands Today

Good evening. the London Mayor, Boris Johnson

A Midlands MP has called on the Government to scrap a key p`rt of

the high`speed rail project. Liam Byrne wants ministers to drop

proposals for the huge inner city rail depot in Birmingham.

He says the land would be bdtter used by businesses to creatd

jobs in one of the country's worst unemployment black`spots.

Washwood Heath just one of the many Midlands battlegrounds in the row

over High Speed Two. This is the site, formerly home to LDV, which in

its heyday employed 800 people. Now it's earmarked for a depot

cleaning and maintaining tr`ins but today the local MP urged thd

government to scrap the ide`. It is enormous and sites like that

don't come on to the market often. The private sector said to le, you

can get thousands of jobs on this site and you can do it in the

short`term. I'm demanding the best for Birmingham and the best for

Hodge Hill. government to scrap the ide`.

Despite his objections the government insists that Washwood

Heath is the best site for the depot.

It is better than other sitds considered.

depot. Liam Byrne claims this site has the

potential for 7,000 jobs, b`sed on figures from Birmingham Citx

Council, but the Governmentt's consultants estimate it to be more

like 3,700. Hodge Hill has one of the hhghest

rates of unemployment in thd West Midlands. If the plans went ahead,

the Government says the depot here would create 640 jobs and more than

800 extra jobs for the rest of the site.

Whilst the local MP has his doubts, this business leader warned that

shunning a depot which could create much needed jobs is the wrong call.

The people have some hope. H feel there is hope now in going with the

maintenance depot as opposed to hope tomorrow which may or may not

happen. much needed jobs is the wrong call.

If the plans went ahead, the Government says the depot here

would create 640 jobs and more than 800 extra jobs for the rest of the

site. Police have arrested a man hn

connection with the killing of a taxi driver in Staffordshird more

than 20 years ago. The body of Steven Johnson was found on a

country lane at Mow Cop in 0990 The 25`year`old father of three had had

his throat cut. On Monday, police arrested a 49`year`old man from

Stoke`on`Trent and searched a number of homes in the city. They've since

released the man on bail. The Prime Minister has praised the

Burntwood teenager Stephen Sutton in the Commons today for his

fundraising efforts. The 19`year`old, who died last lonth,

raised more than ?4 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust. He was awarded

an MBE last week. Mr Cameron was responding to Lichfield MP, Michael

Fabricant who thanked him for his Benefits Street was one of Channel

4's highest rating shows. Btt it It is right that our honours system

reward people that give to charity and that give of their time from the

bottom to the very top. There is probably more we can do to lake sure

that our honours system reflect what the British public want which is

seeing giving, generosity and compassion rewarded.

Benefits Street was one of Channel 4's highest rating shows. Btt it

attracted criticism over thd way people living on James Turndr Street

Now there's concern that Love Productions, the company behind the

Benefits Street, a hit serids, but say many a disaster for thehr

community. Such is the fear of further bad publicity with rumours

of a second series, an emergency meeting was held tonight in the

local school. Many of the rdsidents refusing to speak to us on camera as

they went in. Yes, so go away is what she says and

that's the main feeling frol residents who say they were betrayed

by Channel 4. The broadcastdr has told the BBC it currently h`s no

plans to return to James Turner Street, but it is looking at other

locations in the country for a second series ` something the

founder of the local school is warning against.

I would say to any communitx that is thinking of courting Channel 4, you

will be lied to and let down and the negative image will hangover your

community for a long time. We weren't allowed to film hnside

the meeting, but was told that tension was running high. For Teresa

and her auntie, they said the programme had a terrible impact on

the local children. They were bullied. They had to wait until the

school kids had gone in bec`use they were part of a society that was

thrash and painted black. It is not fair for them and us.

Channel 4 has confirmed that Love Productions has been back on James

Turner Street talking to sole of the people who appeared in the `bout

filming them for other projdcts but many say they don't want thd cameras

back. The residents hope thdir posters will get the messagd across.

The new West Bromwich Albion head coach has pleaded with fans to give

Earlier Alan Irvine gave his first news conference at The Hawthorns.

Some fans say they'll be returning their season tickets.

But Everton's former Academx manager wants time to prove himself.

I understand I wouldn't havd been a name on everybody's lips, btt I ve

got this job now. And I know that the Albion fans are incredibly

passionate, but I think thex will find I'm incredibly passion`te and

hopefully together we can hdlp the team get success.

will be back during Breakfast from just before 6.30am half tomorrow

morning. I'll leave you with the weather from Rebecca. Good night.

Overnight tonight there isn't much cloud about. Still bits herd and

there, but pockets of clear skies. Under those, our temperaturds will

fall away and we will start to see mist and fog patches developing

across the North Midlands as we make up tomorrow morning, but it will

abmild, humid night and sticky with temperatures between 13 Celsius and

15 Celsius. We start off tolorrow with the clear skies still hn place,

but this cold front is sinkhng southwards. It will change the

temperature a bit. A sunny start, some good spells of sunshind, that

will help our temperatures to climb. The cloud starts to fill in. That

will limit our temperatures, but it is going to be a pleasant d`y with

highs of 20 Celsius. The national forecast is on the way next. I will

leave you with an remain dry. Top temperatures of 25

Celsius. The outlook for the weekend is looking pretty good.

If you have outdoor plans, plenty of fine weather, warm nest the south.

Is today, warm nest the north. Normally Perth Australia is renowned

for its heat, but today Perth in Scotland, 27 degrees. Tomorrow not

as warm, but still pleasant enough. High teens, low 20s. That cooler

fresher air behind a cold front Fresh breeze from the north-west.

That the will push the front southwards. A band of cloud and the

odd spot of rain into parts of north-east England later. Otherwise

most places dry. Not desperately cold. Temperatures holding in double

figures. Tomorrow the front will move south.

The odd shower in parts of the Midlands, eastern England and the

south-east later. Plenty of fine weather with increasing amounts of

sunshine. The best of that around coastal areas. The fresher breeze

means its won't be as warm in northern and central areas, but