17/06/2011 Midlands Today

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

The headlines tonight: Why was an inquiry into three deaths at a

hospital emergency department halted just one day after it

started? Alex McLeish finally swaps Blues for Villa, but will he win

over the fans? Until they're in place, you simply don't know. I

think Villa fans have to try and give him a chance. Salad crops

rotting in the fields through lack of demand, as farmers feel the

impact of the E-coli outbreak. And I follow three men from the

Midlands to Ireland for the World Good evening and welcome to

Friday's Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight, questions are being

asked about why an investigation into emergency care at a major

hospital halted the day after it started. The inquiry followed three

patient deaths at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in

Stoke-on-Trent. It was stopped by Cynthia Bower, the head of the Care

Quality Commission, whose job it is June Harriman seen here at her

daughter's wedding. The 52-year-old grandmother died in January 2009

after twice going to accident and emergency in Stoke-on-Trent. We can

reveal that her family has just received a six-figure sum in an out

of court settlement. She wouldn't have died if they had given her a

scan when she first attended A&E. They would have seen what was going

on in her head. She would have had an 80% of surviving if she had had

that scan. But problems with the accident and emergency department

had been identified at an urgent meeting before Mrs Harriman's death,

and again at a meeting three months afterwards. The minutes of that

meeting show there were three deaths and a near-miss. The Kerner

admitted concern over the death of a child and a man. Patients had

also been sent to a hospice with the wrong drugs and several

outbreaks of the norovirus bug. Heather Wood investigated and

uncovered the catastrophic failings at Stafford Hospital. She was at

the meeting about University Hospitals North Staffordshire where

a green light was given to begin an Cynthia Bower, the Head of the Care

Quality Commission, said she felt that they needed to tackle poor

care quickly. Investigations took to long. She felt that Working

together with parties was the best way forward. Campaigners disagree.

We are talking about very serious issues. People who died. People do

die. You have to be quite hard and disciplined. �2 million was then

invested in these facilities and doctors. The hospital's new

chairman says they had had long standing financial problems. This

organisation faces a major financial challenge. We have made

considerable progress. But we have also been clear that we need to

make sure that patient safety is paramount. This family now has

money, but wishes the money had been around when June Harriman

needed it most. University Hospital North Staffordshire accepts that

some aspects of Mrs Harriman's care did not meet the standards it would

have expected. The Trust has made significant changes to try to

prevent such a tragedy happening again. You're with Midlands Today

from the BBC. Still ahead, how the Government's drive to be green

could drive manufacturing here There are fears that manufacturing

jobs in the West Midlands could be lost because of the Government's

race to go green. Last month ministers unveiled tough new

targets on UK carbon emissions, but the Confederation of British

Industry is concerned it could drive some production out of the

It's a question that's been vexing people - and scientists - for well

over half a century. Nowadays, of course, scientists know a lot more

about our changing climate. There's still some debate about what's

causing that warming, and how much of it is down to greenhouse gas

emissions. But whatever your view on that argument, ministers say

it's time to take action. One of the normal standards is the 1961-

199030 year period. Compared to that we are about one degree warmer.

This means that we definitely have got this significantly so -- a

significant signal it is getting The Government admits its targets

are ambitious. We have to take our carbon emissions from 1990. By 2025

we have to have cut them in half. By 2050 they have to be reduced by

80%. For generations, businesses like this forge in Cradley Heath

have been the lifeblood of the West Midlands economy. The work here is

hard, and hot, and - crucially - it's massively energy intensive.

This firm has been here for 100 years. They still have to heed

metal still incredibly high temperatures. Bath takes a vast

amounts of energy. How well a company like this mid- 21st century

target. We have a duty not to wait energy. -- waste. We have replaced

one firm has already. That will save us �15,000 per year. To do

that for the rest of the furnaces, we're talking about an investment

of six figures. As a company just making profits again after three

very difficult years, we do not have the money. Ministers are

promising help for businesses struggling to cut their energy use,

plus there'll be a review of the targets in 2014. But business

leaders in the region say the Government needs to do more. When

he took power last year, David Cameron pledged he'd lead the

"greenest government ever". But as the West Midlands struggles to

recover from the economic downturn, there are fears that instead of

going green, some businesses might just pack up and go. We're joined

now by Richard Butler, regional director of the CBI. How bad and

effect will it have on businesses? It is likely to have a pretty major

impact. The region is still very reliant on manufacturing companies.

They used loss of energy. This is by the backdoor attacks on energy.

What can businesses do to help themselves? Industries and

companies have already tried to cut their energy use. They are

concerned that it is very difficult to cut back consumption Nani more.

-- anymore. If they want to do it, it is difficult to get money from

the bank. It is a popular thing to be green. But you say it is a bad

time to be green when we're coming from -- out of recession? Exactly.

The timing of this is really poor. If you combine this with other

countries in the world not going down the same route, the United

States, China, they are not going down the same route. We're in

danger of making West Midlands companies uncompetitive compared to

other companies elsewhere in the world. There are companies are good

did quite a lot. But Shakespeare, in the package, they cannot do very

much. We had a major energy conference in London this week. We

are maybe not seeking the Government to do a U-turn, but they

certainly to look at changing the legislation. To look at companies

on an individual basis. Bring in exemptions and rebates for certain

companies. And you can see more on this on The Politics Show on Sunday

at 12 noon, when Patrick Burns will also be finding out whether the

Government's new localism bill really will put power into the

hands of the people. A 16-year-old boy has been jailed for life for

murdering a young man found dead on his doorstep. The man was stabbed

in the heart last July in Erdington. His killer was told he will serve

at least 14 years. A former soldier has appeared in court charged in

connection with an arson attack at a mosque in Stoke-on-Trent. Simon

Beech pleaded not guilty to three charges. He was a serving soldier

at the time of the fire, but he was discharged by the 2nd Battalion,

the Yorkshire Regiment. A second man, Garreth Foster, also faces

three counts in connection with the attack. Both men are due to stand

trial in December. Shortly before nine o'clock this morning, it was

finally confirmed that former Birmingham City manager Alex

McLeish had become the new manager of their bitter rivals Aston Villa.

So how is the former Scotland boss going to win over the large number

of Villa fans who were opposed to his appointment? This is the

biggest decision that Randy Lerner has taken since he bought Aston

Villa. He's staking his previously glowing reputation with the Villa

fans on appointing the boss of their biggest rivals. And if he

wasn't sure how controversial it would be, he was left in no doubt

by Wednesday night's angry protests. So is there any way Alex McLeish

can win back the fans threatening to boycott the club? He is making

the right noises. Alec McLeish spoke about the fantastic heritage

of the club. He said, I can understand why the fans have voiced

concerns. It is down to me to convince them I am the right man to

drive the plot forward. Jonathan Fear runs a popular internet forum

for Villa fans. He believes McLeish can turn supporter opinion around.

He has got to spend well. He has to convince Stewart Downing to stay,

make sure Darren Bent is happy. Settle down the dressing room. Get

rid of those not fighting for the cause and then start winning games.

It is all about results. McLeish spent five years managing Rangers,

and being an Old Firm boss should prepare you for anything. So do

those who followed his fortunes in Scotland think he can cope with the

pressure? If you come from Glasgow and have been manager of Rangers

and have been a player on the Alex Ferguson, and you managed to

dominate both Celtic and Rangers and take what you get from the

terraces, you have to be a strong- minded character. There's also the

ongoing anger from his jilted employers at St Andrew's, who say

they feel badly treated by McLeish and will pursue legal action. But

there was support for the new boss today from the most successful

manager in the Premier League. Sir Alex Ferguson says it doesn't

matter how many fans turn against McLeish "because the experience he

has got, believe me, he will prove that he can do the job". If he

fulfils that pledge this And you can see the full interviews

with both Roddy Forsyth and Jonathan Fear on our Facebook page.

Now let's cross live to Villa Park and Dan Pallett. Dan, angry scenes

at Villa Park this week - any sense that the anger is subsiding? Yes.

In general the supporters we spoke to today say they did not want him

in charge necessarily, but ultimately they are Aston Villa

supporters and they want the best thing for the club. The best way to

do that is to get behind Alex McLeish and the team. Others have

returned their season tickets. Not everybody is happy. The Internet

forums are now talking about being anti- Randy Lerner. There is a lot

of pressure. Randy Lerner really wanted Alex McLeish. Alex McLeish

needs to make a good start, and the fixture computer might have done

him some favours? Absolutely. Reasonably kind. Fulham away in the

first fixture. Back here against Blackburn Rovers and a home match

against Wolverhampton Wanderers. It could have been harder. If he gets

a few wins in those first two games, it will be a lot different. Should

they slip off, the fans are unhappy about the appointment, it cranks up

the pressure. We have to see how he gets on. He has eight weeks to get

his feet under the table. We will hear from him on Monday.

touched on Villa's opening games of the new season there. Elsewhere in

the Premier League, West Brom are at home on the first day of the new

season to the champions Manchester United, Stoke welcome Chelsea to

the Britannia, and Wolves travel to Blackburn. And there are two big

games to kick off the Championship, with Blues starting life after Alex

McLeish at Derby, while Coventry entertain Sven-Goran Eriksson's

Leicester. The fixtures from all 11 of our clubs can be found on the

BBC football website. Thanks for joining us here on Midlands Today.

Coming up, why hundreds of children joined together to recreate the

Shropshire Olympian Festival from 1864. There is rain in the forecast

for the weekend but it's not going to be a washout. Find out the drier

Farmers producing salad crops in the region are feeling the

financial impact of the E-coli outbreak in Germany which has

killed more than 30 people. Crops are rotting in fields, as cheap

foreign imports flood the market. The National Farmers Union say it's

costing the industry millions of pounds. It's the height of the

British salad season and the crop pickers are busy at work on

Valefresco in Hampton Lucy in Warwickshire. But not far away is a

field where the lettuces have been left to rot. We can put a brave

face on this but we have definitely seen a downturn in sales. We cannot

quite pinpoint what is causing it. This is why, according to the

National Farmers Union. It began with the very public destruction of

Spanish cucumbers wrongly blamed for the German E-coli outbreak, and

it led to tonnes of foreign produce flooding the market. There has been

a lot of produce not sold in Germany and not been exported to

countries like Russia. You have got a couple of countries worth of

fresh produce that has been floating around the EU trying to

find a market. That theory was borne out by a trip to Birmingham's

fruit and veg market. You can buy a box of tomatoes for a pound from

Spain. You can buy three cucumbers for �1. But not all of the shoppers

though were tempted by that. There is local carrots, cabbage, cucumber.

I shop regularly at the market and everything here is absolutely

splendid. Even so, the NFU say the German E-coli outbreak has cost

British salad farmers �2.5 million pounds so far and it's getting

worse. To give you some idea of the drop in sales, normally at this

time of year there would be six of these trailers out in the fields

being filled with lettuces. Today there are four. You're here in a

lovely field of letters, nothing to do with Germany. You seem to be

paying the price? Exactly. You have hit the nail on the head. All of

the safety quality assurance systems we have in place, we know

that Anne food is probably the safest in the world. -- our food.

The NFU say they hope to access an EU compensation fund to help the

farmers here who've lost out. With lamb prices at their highest levels

since the seventies, sheep farmers finally have something to celebrate

after a decade largely spent fighting off the effects of foot

and mouth and the blue tongue outbreak. It's against that

backdrop that the Three Counties Show opened in the shadows of the

Malvern Hills today. And Joanne Writtle is there now. There is more

cattle here than any of are time. Dozens of different breeds. --

other time. The sheep farmers are turning their back. Demand for

export lamb is high. But sheep numbers are down after a decade of

hardship. Sheep farmers gathered in the shadow of the Malvern Hills

with something to celebrate. Five years ago lamb prices were �35.

They are now �85. We are receiving good prices but costs are going up.

Margins to remain tight. Prices are good. We have not seen prices like

this for 25 years. It is being driven by a strong export market

into Europe. There are other factors. Sheep numbers are down.

Demand has increased and prices are hive. Farmers are cautious. It is

buoyant but the costs are increasing. Feeding is increasing.

Fertiliser prices has increased. And fuel is increasing. Not such

good news for consumers. UK consumption of lamb has dropped by

20%. At this shop, the price is up by a �5 per kilo. Last year we were

probably buying 12-15 lambs per week. That is down to 628. They are

so expensive. -- 628 lambs. I have to think about buying it now.

has increased. But I have bought it for barbecues and special occasions.

The 900 cattle at the show is a record. It is big business for

exhibitors. It is an opportunity to push out your wares. Obviously

people in the leisure industry can link in with our work. Visitors

come from all over the world. There is a lot more for them to see.

Visitors are being treated to a spectacle of entertainment. The

show is aimed at farming, food and the countryside. This show

generates around �15 million for the local economy. For the farmers,

it is their shop window and the chance to display their hard work.

95,000 visitors are expected. The show is on until Sunday. And all of

the cows, did you notice, are lying down. That means bad weather. I

think it is because it is the start of the weekend and they are

relaxing! On Monday's Midlands Today we met three golfers from

Staffordshire who were all facing the biggest challenge of their

sporting lives. Terry Adnams, Norman Kelly and David Bailey have

been competing in the One-Armed Golf Championships in Ireland this

week, taking on the best players in the world. Ian Winter reports. On

the River Boyne in County Meath, with trim Castle largest in Ireland,

the setting for the film Braveheart. Half-a-mile away I found some of

that same fighting spirit were three men from the Midlands are

competing against some of the world's finest one-armed golfers.

Terry Adnams cannot quite believe he is here. In June 1993 Terry lost

his right arm in a car crash. Naturally he feared his sporting

days may be over. The 18 years later he is making his debut at the

World one-armed golf Championships. Countless hours of dedicated

practice have paid off. For Terry, simply competing in it is world

class company is a personal triumph. I did not really believe that one-

armed golfers could play to the standard these guys can play at.

You have players from all over the place on 6, 7 and 8 handicaps.

Watch closely. This is what Terry is talking about. Alex from Sweden

has a handicap of six. Such as Alastair from Tasmania. 250 yards

down the Ferrer. Those of us to hit -- struggle be hit a golf ball with

two arms, can only admire the skill. I was knocked down by a drunk

driver a number of years ago and had my arm amputated. I had not

played golf before the accident. Goth introduced me to

rehabilitation. It has given me a great focus on life. Michael

O'Grady has won the world title twice before. He is playing David

Bailey from Lichfield for a place in the quarter-finals. Dock became

his passion when he lost his arm in a motorcycle accident at 18. --

golf. He is good, very good, but not good enough to beat his high

res opponent. What has been the most enjoyable week -- thing about

this week? Beginners'! Meeting up with some old friends. -- beginners.

Success in the veterans from Norman Caly from Staffordshire. And a big

surprise for Terry Adnams. Not quite good enough to win the world

title, but a hard-earned trophy which he would defend at the 75th

weren't -- one-armed Championships They had a fabulous time. Well done.

Remarkable, the strength and the control. Astonishing. Now as the

countdown to London 2012 continues, children from across Shropshire

have been learning all about the county's connection to the Olympic

Games. For the first time since 1864, The Shropshire Olympian

Festival has been re-created. Limbering up for a festival of fun,

more than 2000 children from 40 schools across Shropshire have been

learning all about the history of the Olympic Games for the last six

months. I did not know that it was invented. It was just one man. He

wanted to make everybody healthy. We are going to watch the Olympics

in London. Nearby Much Wenlock is the town which inspired the modern

Olympics. The Shropshire Olympian Festival came from Wenlock here to

the Quarry in Shrewsbury in 1864. Today is the first time since it's

been recreated. It is the Cultural Olympiad. This is part of the

celebration. This starts an entire year of celebration. It was a

chance to celebrate the sport, arts and skills of the Victorian era,

but with a modern twist. The traditional piglet catching race

became pig shot putt, and the children couldn't run quickly

enough to scoop up their spuds. Providing inspiration was three

times Olympic champion Dave Moorcroft, who's heading the West

Midlands London 2012 campaign. is great for me having been 23

Olympic Games to know that the modern Olympics began here and

these children are having their Olympic moment today. So just like

the Olympics. Medals were awarded and the children got their chance

to shine. And just like the athletes representing their

countries, the children were proud to represent their schools. Well,

the celebrations are continuing all weekend. On Sunday there's a big

closing ceremony with a thousand- strong choir singing the Olympian

Festival anthem. And of course everyone is being invited to attend

It is all very sporty tonight. We It is not looking too bad for the

weekend. But back to this evening. Tonight it is wet and breezy. That

is because of the rain. It has been patchy through the afternoon. It

will become more persistent tonight before clearing away. We are

looking at lows of around 11 Celsius overnight. It is not too

cold. Going into tomorrow, clear spells behind. Sunshine and showers

at the weekend. Some Sunny spells on Saturday. The showers likely to

be heavy. On Sunday, there will be fewer showers. Breezy with highs of

18 Celsius tomorrow. In the sunshine it will feel fairly

pleasant. As we go into Saturday night, we will see those showers

clearing away. Another mild night. Lowe's into double figures of

around 11 Celsius. -- lows. Sunday will see fewer showers because

there is a ridge of high pressure. It will feel warmer. It is drier,

too. Low-pressure returns on Monday. That means the return of more

unsettled weather. You can keep up with the latest weather updates on

your local radio stations and on A look at tonight's main headlines:

Public sector unions threaten mass walkouts over pay freezes and

proposals to raise the retirement age to 66. And here questions are

being asked after an investigation into the running of a hospital