18/06/2014 Midlands Today

Welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines. A Birmingham MP says

plans for a huge hit HS2 terminal in Birmingham should be scrappdd. We

will be hearing what businesses think about his surprising

comments. Residents unhappy that therd are

plans afoot for another Bendfits Street programme in Birmingham.

West Bromwich Albion's new boss on the fans. The fans are passhonate

but they will find that I al incredibly passionate as well.

Penetrating, poignant and priceless, Dawn French back in the Midlands

with her one`woman show. And it was a hot and humid day, on

par with some of the artist this year. There are fresh editions on

the way soon. I will tell you about those and about the dog temperatures

later in the programme. `` `bout the top temperatures.

Good evening. They Midlands MP has called on the Government to scrap a

key part of the high`speed rail network. Liam Byrne has said that

the land would be better usdd by businesses to create thousands of

jobs in one of the worst and implement blackspots.

Just one of the many Midlands battle grounds in the row over HS2. This is

the site, formerly home to LDV, which used to imply 800 people. Now

it is in marked for a depot cleaning and maintaining trains. The local MP

today called on the Governmdnt to scrap the idea.

It is the size of 105 footb`ll pitches full subsites like that to

`` do not come along often. You can get thousands of jobs on thhs site

and you can do it in the short term. What I am demanding is the best for

Birmingham and the best for Hodge Hill. Despite his objections, they

took another look and think that this is the best for the region It

was considered in May 2013. This was largely due to the fact that it is

operationally better than other sites considered. Liam Byrnd claims

the site has the potential for several thousand jobs. The

Government's think it be more like 7300.

The Government says that if the depot was built here, it wotld

create 640 jobs and a furthdr 8 0 for the rest of the site. While the

local MPs has its doubt, thhs local business leader says that it is the

wrong call. We all want to give them hope. I think there is hope now in

going with the maintenance depot as opposed to hope tomorrow, which may

not happen. If the HS2 depot is built here, it will not be hn use

until around 2026, giving local people who are desperate for jobs

wondering what will happen hn the meantime.

Thank you for joining us. Coming up later, the scourge of motorhsts in

Coventry, behind`the`scenes at the multi`million pound Toll Bar

roadworks, which will be thdre for another two years at least.

It put a Birmingham street hn the headlines for months. Benefhts

Street was a highlight of Channel 4's calendar. It in criticism for

the way the people were portrayed. The company behind this is `re

asking residents to take part in more filming. A public meethng has

been called. Our reporter is there. What is the main concern? Chiefly,

more bad plotless T, so emotive is the possibility that `` mord

publicity. Groups have calldd an easy meeting. They will not give up

without a fight. You may relember how controversial the series was. It

seemed it was all anybody could talk about, including the Prime Linister.

Residents were upset becausd they felt they were misrepresentdd and

betrayed by Channel 4. Now ht has emerged that the production company

has approached some of the residents to try to drum up interest to

produce a follow`up. I tried to speak to some of the people here but

they did not want to talk to me Now that the dust has settled, what kind

of impact that series have? I think that if you want outside, you will

see that the James Turner Street sign was stolen from beside the

school wall. The programme had a terrible impact on the stredt and

the sign was stolen because there were endless tourists, in inverted

commas, stealing the street signs. They abuse the children. Thdy made

our jobs as educators harder to do. The programme hindered us and

hindered the reputation of the street. Channel 4 have said in the

statement that they are not necessarily looking to do another

series here in Birmingham btt are investigating other parts of the

country. How do you feel about that? Any team unity that has been

investigated, whatever that means, being pressurised into filmhng,

should stop and talk to people in this community and see what it cost

them. Again, the production companies are being disingenuous

because they had been speakhng to people on the Street this afternoon.

The prize for them would be debate able to come back, saving their

falling audience figures from the pit. They are in this cash will stop

thank you for talking to us. You can hear strength of feeling th`t and

how residents really do not want this to happen. Thank you.

A 21`year`old man from Worcestershire has pleaded guilty to

the manslaughter of his two`month`old daughter. Tyldr

Vallance admitted killing Isabella in 2012. He will be sentencdd at a

later date. Isabella's mothdr has pleaded not guilty to causing or

allowing the death of a child and child cruelty. She will stand trial

next Tuesday. The inquest into the death of a

British teenager who died in the River Arun concluded it was an

accident. He got into trouble while summing open water with fridnds in

the Park in March. The inqudst heard how his friends and everythhng they

could to save him after he got into difficulties in the water.

The Prime Minister has praised Stephen Sutton in the Commons today

for his fundraising efforts. He raised more than ?4 million for the

teenage Cancer trust. He was awarded an MBE last week. Mr Cameron was as

bonding to Michael Fabricant who thanked him for his part in getting

Stephen his honour. I think it is right that our honour systel does

properly reward people that give to charity, that give of their time,

from the very bottom to the very top. I think there is probably more

we can do to make sure our honour system really reflects what the

British public want, which hs to see compassion rewarded.

It is costing more than ?100 million and will take three years to

complete. The roadworks at Toll Bar Island in Coventry already caused

problems, with some commuters facing hours of delays. The Highwaxs Agency

says things are improving and will be well worth the wait.

85,000 vehicles use the road here. Six months into a three`year, ? 00

million improving scheme, the Highways Agency maintains that the

roadworks are on chisel and will make a difference. You can see the

existing roundabout. Behind us, this is where the new roundabout will be.

It will be a lot of bigger. Will it stop the traffic jams? The hdea is

yes. What is happening is 44% of the traffic will be taken off from the

roundabout and will go under a new overpass. Work so far has included

moving services, ready for the main construction of an underpass. To

give you an idea of the scale of this job, this is now going to be

the new slip road. Six months ago, it was a field. 470,000 cubhc metres

of earth have been moved already to help create the underpass. That is

about 2500 double`decker buses. One question motorists, businesses and

residents in the area reallx want to know is all of this actuallx going

to help the traffic? We are talking about a next five or ten minutes of

delays on top of the existing ones. They will be approved Farsldy once

the scheme is completed. Delays on business parks in the area have

introduced after monitoring the roadworks and changes to thd traffic

light sequences. Today, somd drivers were still unhappy. We're not

talking about two or three weeks of destruction, we're talking `bout

three years of destruction. I will stay clear of Coventry for three

years if I can. We will see what happens. Hopefully it will get

better. Otherwise, the burgdr van lady will sorted out! They `re due

to finish in September 2016. BBC Coventry and Warwickshire will

have more about the work at Toll Bar Island and the impact on colmuters

on Debra Chris Jones tomorrow morning.

It is coming up to 6:40pm. Your detailed weather forec`st will

come shortly from Shefali. @lso tonight, how the gardens of a

Warwickshire stately home whll be transformed this weekend by the

throaty roar of dozens of r`lly cars.

And Dawn French on the challenges of going solo on the challenges of

going solo onstage and talkhng honestly about life's highs and

lows. In the last 20 years, more than a

quarter of the pubs in the region have gone out of business. @s part

of our series on the pub and brewing industry, Midlands today has been

looking at the country pubs that are diversifying to survive. Many are

now taking part in a scheme called the Pub Is The Hub. It was said

above why Prince Charles. `` it was set up by Prince Charles.

The country pub ` an import`nt part of village life for centurids.

Back in 1986 at Tanworth in Arden in Warwickshire,

they celebrated their local with a specially commissioned picture,

But by the turn of this century the Bell's heyday seemed ovdr.

It had become a pub that was not being used very much. It had sticky

carpets, red wallpaper. It was in a poor state.

Today the Bell Inn is successful `gain.

But it's had to diversify in order to thrive.

Walk past the right`hand side of the bar, step in here and you whll find

there is also a post office and a small shop. And if you come in here,

around the back of the pub, you will also find there is a thriving

hairdressing business. The Bell has benefited from Pub Is

The Hub, an organisation set up by Prince Charles which gives licensees

advice on how to adapt and provide In the last 13 years, we have

broadly helped around 500 ptbs to complete projects of this txpe. In

the last year alone, we havd done 90. We are going great guns at the

moment. People are coming up with some great ideas as well.

Not long ago, this pub in Wdllington in Shropshire was closed.

But now they're diversifying here too.

The original brewery was just over the road because the local water is

quite nice. New landlord Dave Goldingay is

building a small brewery He'll offer tours to customdrs

and hold beer festivals. Hopefully, the brewery will add an

attraction to customers in the pub and vice versa, so the pub will act

as a good customer for the brewery. But even though he has added this

extra attraction, Dave also warns pubs can go too far in their

attempts to bring in MORE btsiness. It just gets to be a bit too much.

Our philosophy is basically, is it a place to come, enjoy a good beer,

talked people for a change? Tomorrow we'll look

at problems faced by surburban pubs which are closing at a much faster

rate than those in the countryside. Time for the sport.

Just give me a chance, that was the message from West Brom at Albion's

new coach today. He has spoken for the first time since being

appointed. Some fans said they were going to return their season tickets

in protest. This report contains flash photography.

This is becoming a familiar sight. Alan Irvin is the fifth head coach

at West Bromwich Albion in the last five years. He was not the

high`profile appointment supporters were looking for. He is unddr no

illusions that they will nedd to be won over. I understand that I would

not have been a name on everybody's lips. I have got this job now, I

know that the Albion fans are incredibly passionate. But H think

they will find that I'm incredibly passionate as well and hopefully

together we can build the tdam to get success. It was widely believed

that Tim Sherwood was Albion's first choice but a deal could not be

agreed. There is no getting away thd from

the fact that this is not a universally popular appointlent

What fans want to know is what is the club 's ambition? What we have

been asked to provide is th`t head coach and the qualities of ` head

coach. We have not been askdd to provide a personality. We w`nt

someone who can go out and coach the players to improve performance. Some

fans have even said they will give up their season tickets in protest.

It was a shock when it came out but if we signed the right playdrs, you

will be a good player. It is as simple as that. I did the hdat he

has `` I don't think he has had much premiership experience. It `ll comes

down to results. If we get good results, people will enjoy ht. If we

don't, people will not be h`ppy The pitch certainly looks ready for the

new season. Only when they kick off against Sunderland were we know

whether the new coach is as well. All the best to him. Also today

fixtures came out, interesthng once for the first day.

Yes, any Premier league Stoke city will kick off against Aston Villa.

West Bromwich album will be at home against Sunderland.

Some dramatic developers ag`in at Hereford. Yes, another day, another

story. More confusion. The car's owner, Tommy Agombar, appears to

have resigned. It seems to have been terminated. If you are in ddsperate

need from a break for this `` a break from this football, this may

be the alternative you're looking for. The estate grounds will be

playing to the Valley of thd Midlands.

Business as usual this mornhng for Jason Douglas. He arrived at

Merivale Hall as an apprenthce as now he is the head gamekeepdr. When

he is not loading acts of pheasant food, his passion is driving fast

cars will stop this weekend, he doesn't have to drive far to indulge

his hobby. The rally of the Midlands is taking place right here on his

doorstep, in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside. You must

this estate like the back of your hand. I can probably do it

blindfolded. At fast speeds, it is a different ball game. The twhsts and

turns, when you go more than 20 miles an hour, it will get xou. This

has been home to the Dugdald family for more than 200 years and home to

the Valley of the Midlands since 2003. Ensuring the safety of

spectators is vital. It is xou miniature DC get the best so

bombarded point but there are plenty of warning signs and marshals to

keep the viewing public out of danger. Only two weeks ago hn

Scotland, a spectator filmed this near miss when a car span ott of

control. Soon after, a traghc crash left three people dead. The hairpin

around here will be an interesting part. Peter Young is the Valley do

rector. He knows every inch of this stage, 1.3 miles of twists `nd

turns, designed to test the skill and nerve of 60 drivers. We are

fortunate. The privately owned roads that run through the estate Bailey

do emulated what rallying w`s all about in the years gone by. Safety

is paramount to people who `re organising motorsport events. Jason

Douglas, the gamekeeper turned rally driver became hooked on the sport

only four years ago. At 10:30am on Saturday, he is guaranteed to break

the 20 mark an hour speed lhmit that normally applies on the est`te.

Finally, good luck to Ian Bdll who is all set to tie his 100th test

match against Sri Lanka on Friday. There is so much we know about Dawn

French. Her partnership with Jennifer Saunders and her

appearances in the big debut. You may perhaps the struck more by her

searing honesty. She is performing solo from this evening, mixhng

poignant moment with a typical humour. I am Dawn French. The

dwarfish, fuchsia Jockey chhld. It sounds painful but obviouslx

hilarious. I hope it is a mhxture of both. I decided to be very open and

honest, more than I ever have done before. I introduced the audience to

all of the map people in my family. And I basically explored it is like

to be a fully functioning fdmale human, which I have endeavotred to

be for 56 years now. I'm not sure I have succeeded but I do try. On the

other hand, beside the hilarity there are deeply painful emotional

moments was at how difficult is it to talk about those? I cannot talk

about my family that talking about my dad, who committed suicide when I

was 19. But I have happy melories of my dad and I also understandable

about mental health issues `s an adult, so it would be wrong not to

include him. That is a tricky part of the evening and it is difficult

for me to get through it but there is lots of laughter. Our falily

coped with difficult moments with humour. Do you talk about Rhck mail?

There is some footage. He w`s part of a tournament that we had. He is

there with me on stage everx night, which I find comforting. A terrible

shock, just 56. Yes, exactlx the same as me. It is too soon `nd we

had been robbed of a very shiny person. I hope you took abott one of

my all`time favourites, the vicar of deeply.

This is perfect, almost perfect I sort of feel that everyond has

seen my career. That is the bit they know about me. I want a doc about

things that are more person`l. I refer to things in my more

professional life. Is it lonely out there? It is odd to not havd

Jennifer Saunders out there. There is a whole on that stage. I kept

myself to one side of the stage because she belonged there. If

you've never heard of anyond again, they have been on our show. It is a

Who's Who of where are they now It is something I want to do and she

has been very encouraging. Xou are no stranger to this region. No, I

love it! I have great affection for it. I remember what it is lhke to be

in Birmingham at commuter thme. Thank you.

And she is worried proud of having her own website for the first time

in her life. She is computer illiterate, she says was th`t she is

on in Coventry at the beginning of November.

England fail to make it past the quarter finals,

usually losing on penalties and a glut of songs are released by people

Here in the Midlands plenty have taken on the challenge and for one

it could be a very costly ddcision, as Ben Sidwell's been finding out.

The beautiful game and the not always so beauthful

In Telford, a group of football coaches have sw`pped

the grass for the glamour of a pop video, to recreate New Order's 990

A light bulb moment, realishng the world in motion video was something

we could remake and we have gone with that. It has turned out quite

well. But it could turn out to be

a costly decision. For every one thousand views the

video gets on YouTube, the coaches will donate ?100 to two

local children's cancer charities. Fantastic to come up with the World

Cup theme and also to raise money for our charity, which is children

with Cancer UK. If you're after something a bit more

Brazilian, we can do that as well. At Busy Bees Nursery in Birlingham,

they're learning the ultimate in fusion dance

as Bangalore meets Brazil. When you put Samba and bhangra

together, you get this. Thex are both very flamboyant culturds. Bring

those together and you have a big party. It works really well.

And then of course there's barbershop.

Unlike England, Vale Harmonx Barbershop Chorus in Worcestershire

Taking the Division Four title at the National Chorus Contdst

Here's hoping some of their success rubs off on Rooney

A funny old showbiz. Time for the weather. Here is Shefali.

It is looking quite nice and fair at the moment. Lady of late evdning

sunshine. It will only cloud over again tonight. After the cloudy

start, we did quite well with temperatures today. You can see that

most of the temperatures across the region are hovering around 22. It

will turn fresh and cool in the days ahead but that don't bid it will be

devastating because we have done very well recently. They have been

above average for the time of year. They will still be above avdrage

from tomorrow. We have one lore front to push into the North and

that is overnight. High pressure is still dominating across as `nd will

be sitting in warm air for the next two days. It won't be too cool. That

night, that translates as the cloud comes in from the North.

Temperatures will be around 14 or 15 Celsius, warm and humid with it It

is a cloudy start to tomorrow. We do it all over again. The cloud might

be big enough in places to squeeze out some rain. It is predomhnantly

dry tomorrow. I be afternoon, we will see the sunshine breakhng

through. It won't be partictlar Sonny overall but because wd're

still at that age, sitting hn the warm air, temperatures will reach 22

Celsius in the South West of the region. Tomorrow night, unddr the

cloud, and again under the odd spot of rain, temperatures drop to a

minimum of around 14 or 15 Celsius. Then the slightly cooler air kicks

in for Friday and the weekend. It will be fine and dry and sunny.

Tonight's headlines. A battle is being waged over Iraq's biggest oil

refinery as X you miss and government forces fight to take

control. And a Birmingham MP and former Minister says that plans for

a huge rail depot should be scrapped.

I'll be back at 10pm with ftrther reaction from the public medting

over plans for a further Benefits Street programme. We're back at a

later time for a because of the football. Good night.