Midlands Today

Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.

The headlines tonight: Five new routes announced at the

region's biggest airport, it'll mean 200 new jobs. It really is

good news for the region. It's �100 million of investment in planes

plus the investment we've made, great news we should celebrate.

Binmen consider going on strike for a week at the end of the month.

Which of our region's MPs face the chop as the parliamentary

boundaries are redrawn? And a family's pride in a Black

Country soldier who was killed nearly 100 years ago, tunnelling at

Good evening, welcome to Thursday's Midlands Today. Tonight, 200 jobs

are being created at Birmingham Airport as five new routes are

announced. From next summer, Monarch Airlines will fly to

destinations in Italy, Croatia and Greece. For the first time,

there'll be a direct service to Venice. The expansion comes at a

time when the airport's struggling with falling passenger numbers.

Queuing up to leave a grey, wet day at Birmingham Airport. Passengers

flying to Alicante and Tenerife on Monarch Airlines. Soon there'll

have other holiday getaways to choose from.

The five new routes from Birmingham on Monarch will be to Milan, Rome,

Dubrovnik, Heraklion in Crete, and Venice. The latter is being offered

as a destination for the first time by Birmingham Airport. It is good

news today, among all the gloom, it is a great vote of confidence for

Birmingham. What's more, the expansion will

create 200 new jobs. We obviously need cabin crew, engineers and for

the local economy, an improving number of baggage handlers, check-

in agents, other suppliers we used in the local area.

At the same time, talks are under way to re-establish a direct flight

from Birmingham to Chicago. A delegation from the region has just

returned from a trip there to lobby United Airlines. The previous link

between the two cities by American Airlines collapsed in 2002 after

seven years. The Mayor of Chicago is regarded as the third most

powerful politician in America and he has given me his personal

promise that he will be phoning the chief executive of United Airlines

asking them to resume point two point.

The sense of optimism is a big turnaround in the airline industry

after a turbulent time. Passenger numbers have fallen by a staggering

35 million across the UK in three years, including 700,000 lost from

Birmingham. And it's not just passenger numbers.

Birmingham Airport has lost nine routes in the last 12 months

although it's gained another seven. But the airline industry as a whole

has been battered by the recession and there's real hope that this

announcement will be seen as symbolic. A lot of gloom out there

for the Greek euro debt crisis but there could be a turnaround in 2012

and this could be the first move of So will passengers be returning?

always fly from Birmingham, we usually go to Malaga but if there

is Venice, I may go there. I don't know if we would ever go there.

are from the Channel Islands so we are literally flying back home.

this your first trip to Birmingham Airport? Yes. Would you come back?

Yes, it is all right. And the new routes will take off

next summer. Our transport correspondent Peter

Plisner is at Birmingham Airport now. How significant is it that the

airport has got this new business at a difficult time? It is very

significant. The airline industry has been hit by the recession very

hard. Passenger numbers and routes dropper. More confidence now about

next summer and that is where all the airline effort is being put.

Monarch are doing exactly that but it is still a big risk. The airport

seems fairly optimistic but do you think it will help bring more

airlines to the airport? And think we can expect more airlines to come

here. Still rumours that Air India will based aircraft here. A lot of

investment going into the airport, a new terminal facilities and air

traffic control and ultimately we will get a longer runway and those

things will encourage more airlines to come here. What are the chances

of restarting those direct flights to Chicago again? It is a positive

move, there are closer links between Chicago on Birmingham, not

least because the tie up because of Chicago-based Kraft and Cadbury.

The last time it was dropped it was because it was not profitable but

those who want to set it up, they will want to make sure it is a

profitable route for. Later in the programme...

Remembering a rock and roll pioneer who turned down The Beatles because

they were scruffy Liverpudlians. Children are beginning to behave

like animals. That's the shocking view of nearly half the adult

population in the West Midlands, according to a new poll by the

children's charity, Barnardo's. 45% of those questioned agreed that

youngsters were "angry violent and Nearly one in four said that

children who behave badly are beyond help by the age of 10, with

just one in three believing that children who get into trouble are

misunderstood. Here's our special The August riots. Mainly young

people running amok, chaos and crime on our streets. For years,

anti-social behaviour has been depicted and deplored. Young people

called feral and feckless. Today, the children's charity Barnardo's

warned that those images have gone too far. If crimes have been

committed, they should be called to account but what do we do, just

stop and give up and say that is it? Or do we say that we need to

work with them? Ben is 17 and lives near Dudley in

the West Midlands. Excluded from school for misbehaving as a 14-

year-old, his life was going nowhere. Today he's on a Barnardo's

Wheels project in Stourbridge learning not just how to fix cars

but how to put his own life back together. There's a very good

chance he will go on to paid employment, apprenticeships or

going for qualifications on his road to a successful career. He yes,

things are good. Got a job and a girlfriend. Got a little boy.

In a powerful TV ad, Barnardo's will show how lives like Ben's can

change, seen here in reverse from success back to the troubled child.

Their survey shows most people believe these children can't be

I am scared. Over the past couple of years, Ben has raised his skill

levels and will have a real chance now on the jobs market but

Barnardo's is saying that unless there is investment and help,

teenagers cannot do this sort of thing on their own.

What do teenagers think of how they are seen by the rest of society?

You will end up pregnant or on Jeremy Kyle or a waste of space but

it is not like we are not trying, I check website every day and there

are no jobs anywhere. Not all teenagers are like stereotypes.

They are stereotyped as being thugs but we are not. General is speaking,

they can be quite helpful and I know a lot of nice ones. 70 young

people are currently on the Wheels project. Ben has recently passed

not just mechanics exams but also Binmen in Birmingham say they could

be heading out on strike for a week at the end of this month. Unions

say it's part of a dispute with the city council over changes to terms

and conditions. Our reporter Joanne Writtle joins us now. What's the

latest? Decisions are expected tomorrow from the GMB union about

potential weak on action. It was less than one year ago that a two

day strike happened and leading to piles of uncollected rubbish lying

on Birmingham street. Memories will still be present in Bennion

householders' minds. It was made worse by Christmas disruption --

Birmingham households' minds. I am joined by a member of the GMB union,

would you go on strike or not? way things are looking, it is a

good possibility. We will make a decision tomorrow as to whether it

will be a week-long strike. The city council have not put into

place what we agreed to settle the last dispute. Our members are still

losing money and we have the threat of a further serious cut in pay to

those individuals. How much public sympathy you will get, people do

not like piles of rubbish. Yes, but the people of Birmingham will

understand what they are hearing again happening to those people who

provide an excellent service, another potential cut of �6,000

being paid to some of those members, and acceptable. Sandwell Council

tell us that potential for any industrial action is always

regrettable -- Birmingham City Council tell us and they have a

Plans to cut the number of MPs in the region have been on the agenda

today at a public hearing in Birmingham. The Government wants to

reduce the total from 650 to 600 before the next general election in

2015. In this region, there are currently 63 MPs, but under

proposals from the Boundary Commission, that will drop to 58.

Our political reporter Susana # Super trouper... #

The community choir isn't the only thing this woman's leading these

days. She's also heading up her own campaign to stop the constituency

she votes in from changing. I am proud of the constituency, we are

very close with the four wards. Sutton Coldfield is an affluent

constituency compared to Erdington and there is a real potential that

the people who work and the agencies in Kingstanding will lose

out on funding in the future. But does it really matter where you

vote? Well, here it's a question of

political colour. This side of the street, your MP is Labour's Jack

Dromey, but cross over here and you're voting for Conservative

Andrew Mitchell. But not for long, because this bit of Sutton

Coldfield could end up over there in Erdington. And this shifting

about is happening in most of the region's constituencies, because

the Government wants all of them to have around 76,000 voters.

The plans proposed by the Boundary Commission would see existing

constituencies like Ludlow and Leominster being merged. Others

like Wolverhampton South East and West Worcestershire would disappear.

And there'd be new ones like Smethwick and Kidsgrove & Tunstall.

Kenilworth would end up in a different constituency for the

third time in three elections, and one that crosses the

Warwickshire/Solihull border. would be quite wrong to have

massive constituencies and tiny ones and we have to reflect the

moves in population but it does seem that kennel what is the victim

of this and seems to be the bit that is easier to juggle around --

kennel were. Arriving for today's hearing in

Birmingham were members of all parties, looking to change the

dividing lines. In my own constituency, the community is

split right in two. I don't think that is appropriate or right.

commission has had to ticks and difficult decisions about

constituencies and many exist which are too small to abide by the new

rules. The public consultation goes on

until 5th December, with more roadshows planned this month for

Ludlow, Warwick and Stafford. Susana is here now. So some of our

MPs will be out of a job under these proposals, what have they had

to say? Pat McFadden who is the Wolverhampton South-East is one of

those two potentially could lose his seat and he has been pretty

vocal but not just because he could lose his seat, also because he

thinks people in places like Bilston should not be represented

by a number of different MPs, they should have won. It is that impact

on communities that a lot of people are say they are quite concerned

about -- should have 1. Liam Byrne's seat is one that could go

under these plans and they are suggesting they could do worse than

the Tories but the Government says that this is all about making

politics cheaper in terms of having fewer MPs and making it fairer.

can see why some might be concerned but what about the voters? Yes, not

many people queuing up to get into the hotel one I was at the hearing.

Tomorrow we understand they are being travelled in from various

areas but if you ask people whether or not they want more or fewer MPs,

they will probably save fuel. -- they will probably save fuel. They

start to get a bit more concerned - - they will probably say less. They

are concerned about places they live in. So does this favour any

one particular party? Labour suggest it favours the Tories and

if you look at the West Midlands, there is a suggestion that four

Labour seats could go. But in situations where boundaries have

been withdrawn before, they say the Still to come in tonight's

programme, Shefali and details of some freakish weather. Yes, there

have been reports of funnel clouds and flash floods in parts of the

region today. But it doesn't end there, it could get worse later

The remains of a First World War soldier from the Black Country

could be discovered by a team of archaeologists who've started to

excavate the battlefield where he died. John Lane was killed in an

explosion in the Somme where he was part of a team digging tunnels

under German trenches. His relatives have been paying tribute

to the Royal Engineer whose bravery is still remembered nearly a

John Lane, a miner from Tipton, was already in his mid-forties when he

joined the Royal Engineers in 1915. His skills were put to use in the

Somme, carving tunnels through the chalk to reach No Man's Land and

lay traps for the enemy. The idea was to blow the Germans out of the

trenches by getting underneath them. The only trouble was the Germans

were doing exactly the same. months after he joined up, John

Lane was dead, killed in an explosion. The Germans had then

digging, blow it up and that was it. -- heard them digging.

But now the family may get the opportunity to learn more about his

bravery. A team of British and French archaeologists has started

one of the largest investigations ever mounted on the battlefields of

World War One. Four miles of tunnels, some 100 feet below the

ground, are now being excavated This is the method the original

tunnel has used originally to locate where the enemies were

making this kind of sound. Down here, opposing troops fought.

The shaft is open but not yet safe to enter.

It is very peculiar knowing what the history of this one hole in the

ground is. It is... It is almost difficult to talk about it because

With each step, the team will be able to tell families like the

Lanes far more about the tragedy that unfolded here. He may have

been crushed or gassed because a lot of gas was released from these

explosions so there may not be any remains but it is difficult to know.

It may be 96 years since John Lane paid the ultimate sacrifice but

despite the passage of time, he and millions of other brave men and

women will be remembered at this month's remembrance and Armistice

Isn't that fascinating? Intriguing. It's a busy night of Europa League

football tonight with both Birmingham City and Stoke City in

action. Dan Pallett's here to tell us more. It is approaching halfway

through the Stoke City game. It has not been the best 45 minutes of

football, Stoke nearly took the lead in bizarre fashion. That would

have been claimed if it had sneaked in that it did not quite so it is

0-0. Birmingham City kick off in just over one hour's time in the

home match against Bruges. They know a win will put them on the

verge of qualification. It was feared playing in Europe would see

them return to the Premier League but it has not worked that way so

far. 5,000 Blues fans had a party when

they went to Belgium a fortnight ago and best of all, they came back

with three points. But that should be no surprise because these

players have made a habit of winning recently. Many pundits said

it would be impossible to combine European success with a promotion

challenge but statistics argue Diffin. -- differently.

In fact it's been going so well that Chris Hughton has been

shortlisted for Championship Manager of the Month. No wonder

he's enjoying the European experience. It is a super

experience and certainly the Bruges game, that was the pinnacle so far.

In contrast, when Bruges arrived in Birmingham to train yesterday, they

didn't have a manager. He'd been sacked after poor results. Former

England boss Steve McClaren is tipped to take over but in the

meantime, the caretaker knows he has a fight on his hand. If you

want to play like them on physical strength, then it will be difficult

because we have to keep our own system and try to play football.

Mind you, Birmingham's fans expect their players to heap more misery

The City tonight. 3,000 Bruges fans there.

And you can follow both matches on the BBC.

Athlete Kelly Sotherton says she still has a dream of winning a

medal at next summer's Olympics. Sotherton has just reverted to the

heptathlon and has lost her Lottery funding. But she's aiming for a top

eight finish at London 2012. And says a place on the podium is

improbable, but not impossible. Everything's changed, but nothing's

changed. Today, Kelly Sotherton was in the daily routine. Stretching,

But what's different is that she's ditched the 400 metres to go back

to the heptathlon. And she's loving it. Fantastic. Rejuvenated, I'll

always motivated but I am more motivated because it is what I love.

Pentathlon is my passion so I am enjoying the first month of

training, it is usually hard but it has been fantastic.

The other big change is money, and the lack of it. She's lost her

Lottery funding after a disappointing year, so for now

she's paying her own way. That means no warm weather training or

medical back-up. But that was the case back in 2003. Kelly was a

young, aspiring athlete, juggling two careers. She caught the bus to

the office, and spent 40 hours a week working at a bank and was

still successful. It can be done. I am in a better position than I was

then that I will not be a negative person about this, I will focus on

what I can do and how I can do it. As long as I come to our training

venue, try to get adequate medical support and use might coach, that

is all I ask for. Kelly's recent seasons have been blighted by

injury and she'll be 35 later this month. So what can she achieve in

the heptathlon? If I had been a heptathletes for the past three

years, I would probably be in better shape but I think there is

still an opportunity, possibly for a medal. Realistically, top eight

and anything could happen after that. Kelly won Olympic bronze in

2004. She knows London 2012 will be her last Olympics and she's

determined to make the most of it. Wouldn't it be great if she could

win a medal. Who wouldn't want to be in the home country's Olympics?

That is the point. It will be a long shot but she will not want

regrets. She is so enthusiastic. Beset by

injury as well. Her face lit up straight away and

you can see she is passionate about sport. The injuries are a worry but

she is paying her own way, she loves the sport, how can you knock

that? Good luck to her. A one-off play is being staged to

mark the life of a forgotten pioneer of British rock and roll.

It's been written by the daughter of Reg Calvert, a name few remember

now but back in the Swinging Sixties, he booked some of the

biggest names in rock and roll to play live shows in the region and

was a well-known pirate radio DJ. He also famously dismissed The

Beatles as scruffy Liverpudlians. It was a childhood like no other.

Susan Moore and her sister grew up in a Warwickshire mansion house,

otherwise known as the School of Rock and Roll.

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: Training is available for youngsters,

especially this place near Rugby. remember not being able to go to

sleep at night because they would come back at night and they would

play the drums, the guitars, singing all night long.

At the hub of it all, Susan's dad, Reg Calvert, importer of records

and music manager. He invited only the most promising talent to live

with him and his family, like The One day they were rehearsing in the

kitchen for one of their records and it sent shivers up and down my

spine. Vote for me, screaming Lord Sutch.

Another of Reg's finds, and portrayed in Susan's play. I wanted

to put into words the images that I could put on the stage and tell the

story. I wanted to write a book. The play is about his other passion.

And that was pirate radio. Reg, seen here with Screaming Lord Sutch,

set up Radio City and was shot by a rival pirate radio boss at the age

of just 38. He left behind a much extended family. People like Tanya

Day, photographed here with John Lennon, who together with rest of

the Fab Four were famously overlooked by Reg. But he came back

and said to my dad, you ought to think about managing the Beatles,

they are looking for a manager. He looked at them in Germany and came

back and he didn't want to manage them. I don't want to manage a

scruffy Liverpudlian group, he said. And so it was that Susan was never

kept awake by the sounds of Lennon and McCartney. Thanks to her

father's high standards, The Beatles never came to the School of

Fancy not wanting to manage the Beatles. That goes alongside the

Beatles auditioning for the Decca label. And they said that there was

no future for guitar bands. And that play is on for one night

only at Nuneaton's Abbey Theatre tomorrow.

Here's Shefali with a look at the A lot of freak weather today.

Reports of flash floods in Small Heath and Bearwood and a funnel

cloud in Redditch in Worcestershire which is basically a mini-tornado

that hasn't touched the ground. But nevertheless, as you can see from

these smashed and crumpled remains of a conservatory, it's still

capable of causing plenty of damage. But there's more to come.

Torrential downpours expected later tonight. We haven't had any

recordings for today's rain because of the localised nature of the

showers but we may have some totals by tomorrow with a more organised

band feeding up from the south tonight. The showers from today are

fading in the next hour or so but before midnight we start to see a

fairly widespread band of rain with pockets of torrential rain

spreading up from the south. Lively showers merging to form a spells of

rain. We could get some torrential downpours and the emphasis is

towards the east. It is a mild night with winds, temperatures

topping to a minimum of 12 Celsius. The rain continues through the

morning and it is only through the afternoon it starts to push away to

the north-east, only to be followed by a rash of showers heading from

the south later. Some of those could be quite poky especially in

the east. We could get some high totals out of the rain for tomorrow.

Temperatures ranging from 14 Celsius to 16 in the south. It is a

fairly mild day. The winds light as well so it will feel even milder.

More rain later on Saturday turning to drizzle on Sunday, the showers

are still there for Friday night but it will be a cool weekend,

quite breezy we thought during the But you'll find the winds will be

easing through the night and it's still quite mild with lows of

around 12 Celsius. The heavy downpours continue through the

morning tomorrow. A look at tonight's main headlines:

More confusion in the eurozone as the Greek prime minister scraps his

plans for a referendum on the bail- out.