:00:03. > :00:07.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.
:00:07. > :00:16.The headlines tonight: Our school is beyond repair - desperate
:00:16. > :00:22.parents take their plea to Downing Street. We were promised it in 2009.
:00:22. > :00:24.It is now nearly the end of 2011. The care home where plants,
:00:24. > :00:31.children and animals are helping Alzheimer's patients to ditch the
:00:31. > :00:36.drugs. Parents appeal after a teenage couple run away together.
:00:36. > :00:41.It does not matter what has happened. It does not matter what
:00:41. > :00:51.the circumstances. Just come home. And the best fun you can have on
:00:51. > :00:53.
:00:54. > :00:57.three wheels, as Morgan cars Good evening and welcome to
:00:57. > :01:02.Thursday's Midlands Today. This morning, schoolchildren travelled
:01:02. > :01:04.to Downing Street to try to get a school fit for them to learn in.
:01:04. > :01:09.They handed in a 3,000-signature petition asking for their leaking
:01:09. > :01:12.and damp school buildings to be rebuilt. The pupils and parents
:01:12. > :01:15.from Richard Lee primary in Coventry say it's no longer fit for
:01:15. > :01:23.purpose. Teachers from the school also met Education Minister Lord
:01:23. > :01:27.Hill, but they left London Sunshine at seven, and optimism was
:01:27. > :01:30.in the air as two coach loads of pupils, parents and teachers from
:01:30. > :01:40.Richard Lee Primary School in the Wyken area of Coventry head for
:01:40. > :01:51.
:01:51. > :01:56.We're on the front page of the papers again. The ceiling collapsed
:01:56. > :02:01.a couple of weeks ago. We had a class told in the corridor for
:02:02. > :02:06.several weeks. The school probably has a shelf-life of three to five
:02:06. > :02:09.years. We do not have the money to build a new school. We need the
:02:09. > :02:14.Government to release their funding to the Council Sobhi Council can
:02:14. > :02:16.rebuild. Eight year olds Georgie and Harvey have been chosen to hand
:02:16. > :02:25.in a 3,000-signature petition to Prime Minister David Cameron,
:02:25. > :02:29.demanding a new school. I hope they say they might do it. It would be
:02:29. > :02:32.really nice. In London, and part of the delegation were joined by their
:02:32. > :02:35.local MP Bob Ainsworth, who'd arranged for them to meet Education
:02:35. > :02:38.Minister Lord Hill so they could argue their case. But afterwards,
:02:38. > :02:45.they were left a little deflated. We were not exactly expecting a big
:02:45. > :02:49.bag of cash. We have not been given any certainty. We still do not know
:02:49. > :02:54.when the rebuild will happen. it was time to head for Downing
:02:54. > :02:57.Street, the weather almost mirroring the mood. After what
:02:57. > :03:00.seemed like an age waiting for security checks in the pouring rain,
:03:00. > :03:10.the children finally made it through the world's most famous
:03:10. > :03:13.
:03:13. > :03:23.door, where they handed over their petition. We want to get a new
:03:23. > :03:24.
:03:24. > :03:30.school. It is cold. When I was little by dad said I was going to a
:03:30. > :03:36.fantastic school. It was so popular. Now I have grown up a little bit, I
:03:36. > :03:41.have discovered that it is not so fantastic. The boiler is break --
:03:41. > :03:49.is broken. Little kids have to get a taut and the corridors. It is not
:03:49. > :03:52.fair. The mood has changed since that meeting. They travel back to
:03:52. > :03:55.Coventry a little less optimistic. This afternoon, the Government
:03:55. > :03:58.issued a statement. There was no promise of a new school, but they
:03:58. > :04:02.did say they were looking at the findings of a review into the
:04:02. > :04:10.country's worst schools - a very small silver lining on a dark cloud
:04:10. > :04:19.We're joined now by Bob Ainsworth, the Labour MP for Coventry North
:04:19. > :04:21.East. The school clearly in a terrible state, and it can't have
:04:21. > :04:31.happened overnight. Why didn't your Government sort this before it got
:04:31. > :04:33.
:04:33. > :04:37.to this stage? We have rebuilt a lot of schools in Coventry. Richard
:04:37. > :04:43.Lee was forced to wait while other schools which needed additional
:04:43. > :04:48.places were built. Some schools had roofs collapse. Richard Lee was
:04:48. > :04:53.right at the top of the programme. It was the very next to be built.
:04:53. > :05:00.Clearly recognised as being in the worst condition. The cap as a
:05:00. > :05:06.programme has been slashed. -- the capital programme. It has been
:05:06. > :05:13.slashed because there was no money left after your Government? It has
:05:13. > :05:18.been massively slashed. Coventry has only got �11 million for the
:05:19. > :05:23.entire city. It will take 10 million to rebuild Richard Lee,
:05:23. > :05:33.leaving absolutely nothing for the secondary sector in Coventry, or
:05:33. > :05:34.
:05:34. > :05:39.for the rest of the primary sector. There is no money, is there?
:05:39. > :05:43.cannot argue that we spend too much money and that we spend too little
:05:43. > :05:48.money at the same time. We do spend too little and did not repair
:05:48. > :05:58.schools like Richard Lee, or we spend too much and there was not
:05:58. > :05:58.
:05:58. > :06:01.enough left. Which is it? Make up your mind. Still to come in
:06:01. > :06:11.tonight's programme, the ups and downs of the band of UB40 as a row
:06:11. > :06:12.
:06:12. > :06:16.A medical trial involving Alzheimer's patients has brought
:06:16. > :06:20.into question the need for mind altering drugs. Almost half the
:06:20. > :06:23.patients at one home were taking the drugs. But when they were given
:06:23. > :06:27.close contact with animals, plants and children, the need for those
:06:27. > :06:30.drugs was virtually eliminated. It's being seen as the way forward
:06:30. > :06:40.for the treatment of Alzheimer's, as Michele Paduano has been finding
:06:40. > :06:42.
:06:42. > :06:47.Brownies regularly keep their promise to help people. Not what
:06:47. > :06:53.you're used to in a care home, but according out pictures of things
:06:53. > :07:00.they have done helps to stimulate the elderly. I can join in. The
:07:00. > :07:07.children are lovely. 10 Hepburn was on a range of drugs for Alzheimer's.
:07:07. > :07:14.Not any more. Rico macro here every day. We can still have some quality
:07:14. > :07:21.of life. Whereas before I thought my life was over. I was down in the
:07:21. > :07:28.dumps. All of a sudden I jumped out of it. 21 patients used to take
:07:28. > :07:33.mind-altering drugs. But now there is just one. A another lady we have
:07:33. > :07:40.here at the moment lungs to take the rap for a walk. -- likes to
:07:40. > :07:45.take the rap. Dash macro Rabbit. You can see the enjoyment on her
:07:45. > :07:50.face. It costs nothing. Implementing this alternative has
:07:50. > :07:56.made such a difference to staff and residents. Academics say it is
:07:56. > :08:00.obvious. The problem says overworked staff become jaded.
:08:00. > :08:06.more like real life you can make things, the better it is.
:08:06. > :08:09.Interaction with animals and children turns what could be an
:08:09. > :08:13.artificial closed setting into something that is more like
:08:13. > :08:16.everyday life. It is more than a little birdie that says this
:08:16. > :08:19.approach is better. We're joined now by David Ash from the
:08:19. > :08:29.Alzheimer's Society This is an incredible turnaround - how did
:08:29. > :08:31.
:08:31. > :08:37.this treatment come about? Really simply, the treatment is about
:08:37. > :08:43.trying to stimulate people in care homes. Often these environments can
:08:43. > :08:48.be quite sterile. Lots of people on anti-psychotic drugs, which means
:08:48. > :08:54.they are not as physically mobile as they can be. By stimulating
:08:54. > :08:59.people, they can have a more fulfilling life. It is not really
:08:59. > :09:05.expensive things. Could it be more expensive to implement this
:09:05. > :09:14.treatment? There are 180,000 people in the UK being prescribed anti-
:09:14. > :09:18.psychotic drugs. Most of those are in appropriate, according to
:09:18. > :09:28.research. The cost of not prescribing those drugs could be
:09:28. > :09:32.easily invested in good training for carers. This is not expensive.
:09:32. > :09:37.It is basic understanding of people with dementia. It is not just
:09:37. > :09:43.understanding them as a manger. It is understanding the individual. --
:09:43. > :09:48.dementia. I would like to see this in all care homes. Anti-psychotic
:09:48. > :09:57.drugs need to go. People need to be stimulated. They would be better
:09:57. > :10:00.off. The parents of two missing teenagers from the Black Country
:10:00. > :10:03.have pleaded with them to get in touch. 15-year-old Charlotte Ford
:10:03. > :10:06.is thought to have run away with her boyfriend, Luke Jarvis, who's
:10:06. > :10:09.16 today. Sarah Falkland reports. Where were they going and why?
:10:09. > :10:16.Charlotte Ford and her boyfriend Luke Jarvis caught on CCTV at
:10:16. > :10:22.Dudley bus station on the evening of Sunday 26 June. It's the last
:10:22. > :10:29.anyone has seen of them. It does not matter what has happened. It
:10:29. > :10:37.does not matter what the circumstances are, just come home.
:10:37. > :10:42.I really miss you. Charlotte's mother says her daughter had split
:10:42. > :10:50.from Look two months ago. Charlotte then moved from Wordsley near
:10:50. > :10:55.Stourbridge to live her aunt in Wales. They were together and then
:10:55. > :11:04.they were not. It is just their age. Luke should have been celebrating
:11:04. > :11:08.his 16th birthday today. We are all worried about you. Not just us, the
:11:08. > :11:15.entire family. Think about what you're doing. We will celebrate
:11:15. > :11:19.your birthday together as a family. I am hopeful about the fact it is
:11:19. > :11:23.his birthday will provide another opportunity for look to make
:11:23. > :11:28.contact with some of his friends and that they will be responsible
:11:28. > :11:34.enough to notify either of the Police or his family where he is,
:11:34. > :11:40.and help us to get in touch with him. Police say it is unusual for
:11:40. > :11:46.young teenagers to go missing for such a long time. There are asking
:11:46. > :11:51.anybody in Tipton, Bilston or Dudley to check their garage as or
:11:51. > :11:54.out houses. One report police are investigating is that the couple
:11:54. > :11:56.were seen yesterday in Prestatyn in North Wales. They're asking anyone
:11:56. > :12:06.with any information about Charlotte or Luke to call police at
:12:06. > :12:10.
:12:10. > :12:16.Sandwell Hospital has failed standards for dignity and nutrition
:12:16. > :12:20.in a Care Quality Commission investigation. On one Ward the
:12:20. > :12:23.system for identifying patients who needed help was not working. It
:12:23. > :12:30.also found Patients warned that adequately covered for decency and
:12:30. > :12:40.some areas were not a single sex. am very confident this is not the
:12:40. > :12:50.situation. The report shows that three out of the four words had
:12:50. > :12:51.
:12:51. > :12:55.adequate standard of care. -- awards. We're confident... It has
:12:55. > :12:59.been the last day of the public inquiry into higher than
:12:59. > :13:03.anticipated deaths at Stafford Hospital. The inquiry is going into
:13:03. > :13:10.recess for eight weeks because the chairman needs an urgent medical
:13:10. > :13:14.procedure. The hearings will resume in September. One of the biggest
:13:14. > :13:24.band Birmingham has ever produced found itself embroiled in a court
:13:24. > :13:29.
:13:29. > :13:32.case today. Five original members of UB40 were facing a bankruptcy
:13:32. > :13:35.hearing. It was expected that a judge would make a final decision
:13:35. > :13:37.surrounding the finances of the record label behind the band, Dep
:13:37. > :13:40.International. A petition for bankruptcy has been filed by
:13:40. > :13:43.creditors. Lindsay Doyle reports. They have been portrayed as an icon
:13:43. > :13:46.for the British working class. UB40 were named after a document issued
:13:46. > :13:49.to people claiming unemployment benefit at the time they formed in
:13:49. > :13:52.1978. There have been many highs over the last 30 years, but today
:13:52. > :13:54.was one of the lows when representatives of five members of
:13:54. > :14:04.the reggae band appeared before Birmingham County Court for the
:14:04. > :14:08.bankruptcy hearing. For the sake of clarity, they are not bankrupt and
:14:08. > :14:13.they are not intending to become bankrupt. The legal action is
:14:13. > :14:17.focussing on their record label Dep International. Each of the band
:14:17. > :14:20.members were directors of the company which went into
:14:20. > :14:25.administration in 2006. The creditors have been trying to get
:14:25. > :14:30.some money back. When frontman Ali Campbell left the band in 2008, he
:14:30. > :14:34.claimed the main reason was concerns about the band's finances.
:14:34. > :14:38.Even when I got independent accountants to ask for the
:14:38. > :14:42.information, I still did not get it. When you're getting letters from
:14:42. > :14:52.the Inland Revenue to say that you were being investigated, that is
:14:52. > :14:56.frightening. UB 40 -- UB40 played their first concert here in 1979.
:14:56. > :15:00.They went on to sell 70 million records, the most successful of
:15:00. > :15:03.reggae act ever. No final decision was made in court this morning, a
:15:03. > :15:06.decision welcomed by the band's legal team Full details of how the
:15:06. > :15:09.band have ended up this position are expected to come to light after
:15:09. > :15:12.the court proceedings are completed. Each of them will continue to
:15:12. > :15:16.dispute the amounts claimed in these proceedings. If Bancroft
:15:16. > :15:22.proceedings are issued following this hearing, we will vigorously
:15:22. > :15:32.oppose them. -- bankruptcy proceedings. But whatever happens
:15:32. > :15:39.
:15:39. > :15:42.in the courts, UB40 will carry on Still ahead, and you look for a
:15:42. > :15:47.Birmingham's Alexander Stadium. -- and you look for Birmingham's
:15:47. > :15:57.Alexander Stadium. And how much longer can the rain and showers
:15:57. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:07.More than 20 vulnerable elderly people face being made homeless,
:16:07. > :16:11.and the 36 staff who help care for them will become jobless, with the
:16:11. > :16:14.closure of a residential home. It's been run by a charity for 20 years.
:16:14. > :16:18.But a series of complex issues is forcing it to shut. The trustees
:16:18. > :16:20.who give up their time to run the home say the decision has been
:16:20. > :16:23.difficult and painful. Joanne Writtle takes up the story. They
:16:23. > :16:27.face moving from a care home they love. These women - here with
:16:27. > :16:36.family and friends - are among 24 residents of The Chestnuts in Ross-
:16:36. > :16:40.on-Wye searching for somewhere else to live. Absolutely disgusted, I am.
:16:40. > :16:42.It is my home. It is terrible. Great grandmother Hazel Childs is
:16:42. > :16:51.regularly taken out by her daughters. She's been here for nine
:16:51. > :16:56.years. The staff at are lovely. She loves the staff. She treats them
:16:56. > :16:59.like her children and grandchildren. It is so upsetting. Volunteer
:16:59. > :17:02.trustees have run the home for 20 years, ever since the local
:17:02. > :17:05.authority announced it was to close. But the lease ends in September.
:17:05. > :17:08.The charity pays a nominal �8,000 rent to Herefordshire Council. The
:17:08. > :17:13.local authority wants to double that, though the market value would
:17:13. > :17:23.be far more - an estimated �70,000. Complex changes in policy
:17:23. > :17:25.
:17:25. > :17:29.nationally on adult care are also among the reasons for closure. The
:17:29. > :17:34.trustees say this home is a fine example of a community taking
:17:34. > :17:40.responsibility for services. The situation they are now in makes
:17:40. > :17:45.them wonder what the so-called big society is all about. With falling
:17:45. > :17:49.funding and the need for the local authority to make the most of us at
:17:49. > :17:55.this, the running of the home will have become more commercial. --
:17:55. > :18:00.make the most of its assets. It is awful. The residents are like
:18:00. > :18:06.family. Herefordshire Council says it's been in talks with the
:18:06. > :18:10.trustees for some time. trustees are in a position where
:18:10. > :18:16.they feel that they cannot continue operating in the way they are
:18:16. > :18:24.operating. This family and everybody we spoke to said this
:18:24. > :18:28.home was excellent. But it could close very soon. You can see why
:18:28. > :18:31.that care home could be seen as an example of the Big Society in
:18:31. > :18:34.action. So what would its closure say now for the Government's Big
:18:34. > :18:37.Idea? Patrick Burns is here with us. Patrick, the Big Society seems to
:18:37. > :18:42.be shrinking before our eyes? there is a textbook answer to that.
:18:42. > :18:47.It is called the big society by Jessie Norman, the Conservative MP
:18:47. > :18:52.whose constituency includes Ross- on-Wye. No guarantee that homes
:18:53. > :19:00.like that will not close. What Jessie Norman would say is that the
:19:00. > :19:06.threat of closure may trigger local business interests to devise their
:19:06. > :19:11.own home-grown strategies to find a solution, in a way that top-down
:19:11. > :19:18.solutions, bureaucratic solutions, demand less on a ship from local
:19:18. > :19:21.people. -- ownership. But when you see what's happening there in Ross-
:19:21. > :19:24.on-Wye and elsewhere, people are bound to say the Big Society is no
:19:24. > :19:30.more than an excuse invented by David Cameron to justify public
:19:30. > :19:34.sector cuts? To which the Government would say that one of
:19:34. > :19:38.the first places he came to as leader of the opposition six years
:19:38. > :19:46.ago was Balsall Heath, where local community activists worked together
:19:46. > :19:49.to get prostitution off the streets. The fastest man in the world this
:19:49. > :19:51.year will lead a star-studded field at Birmingham's first ever Diamond
:19:51. > :19:54.League athletics meeting this weekend. And it's hoped this could
:19:54. > :19:57.be just the start for the city after a �12 million redevelopment
:19:57. > :20:00.of the Alexander Stadium. A major summer championships could be next.
:20:00. > :20:03.Nick Clitheroe reports. This is the crowning glory of the redevelopment
:20:03. > :20:09.at the Alexander Stadium, a 5.000- seater stand on the back straight
:20:10. > :20:12.of the Birmingham venue. Why is it so important? Well without it they
:20:13. > :20:21.wouldn't be staging Sunday's Grand Prix, which is part of the Diamond
:20:21. > :20:25.League series for the finest athletes in the world. It has to be
:20:25. > :20:29.the best in the world. That is the whole thing about being in the
:20:29. > :20:36.Diamond League series. It is the best athletes. In some of the
:20:36. > :20:44.events it can be stronger than the Olympic final. There is a fantastic
:20:45. > :20:47.view for the spectators. And that ground level, very impressive. And
:20:47. > :20:51.it's very popular too with the British athletes who've made this
:20:51. > :20:55.stadium their home over the years. It is amazing. It is beginning to
:20:55. > :21:02.look like a proper world-class stadium. It has always been a great
:21:02. > :21:07.venue. The added bonus of the stand, now we can attract world-class
:21:07. > :21:14.championships. It was the first place I came to, to watch the
:21:14. > :21:17.Olympic trials. I became captivated by it. I have been to the Diamond
:21:17. > :21:21.League in Doha and a New York. This place will have a much better
:21:21. > :21:24.atmosphere. The redevelopment has also seen the stadium brought up to
:21:24. > :21:26.international standards for track and field. That leaves the stadium
:21:26. > :21:30.ready to bid for a European Championships in the future. But
:21:30. > :21:36.the first treat for a sell-out crowd on Sunday will be to see the
:21:36. > :21:39.true stars of world athletics in You can hear more about that on BBC
:21:39. > :21:42.WM tomorrow morning when Phil Upton at Breakfast will be talking live
:21:42. > :21:49.to the President of the Jamaican athletics team, who'll be based in
:21:49. > :21:54.Britain's newest car took to the roads today, and with only three
:21:54. > :21:56.wheels, the new Morgan is something of a throwback. Back in 1909, the
:21:56. > :22:04.Worcestershire company's founder, Harry Morgan, designed his first
:22:04. > :22:08.car, a three-wheeled runabout, and many more were to follow. Three
:22:08. > :22:12.wheelers seem to be linked with this region. It was in Tamworth
:22:12. > :22:15.that Reliant turned out their cars in big numbers. Fondly recalled by
:22:15. > :22:18.many owners but the butt of jokes too. Remember Del Boy's Reliant in
:22:18. > :22:22.Only Fools and Horses? But now Morgan has returned to its heritage
:22:22. > :22:24.with a three wheeler that will put a smile on your face for all the
:22:24. > :22:29.right reasons, as our business correspondent Peter Plisner has
:22:29. > :22:33.been finding out. OK, driving with goggles on doesn't quite do it for
:22:33. > :22:38.me - but the car certainly does. Despite having fewer wheels than
:22:38. > :22:40.conventional vehicles the new Morgan 3 drives extremely well. It
:22:40. > :22:44.represents something of warp back in time for the Malvern-based car
:22:44. > :22:53.maker. This rare footage shows the original Morgan three wheeler being
:22:53. > :22:58.put through its paces in a hill climbing competition. This is one
:22:58. > :23:02.of the originals. It was designed and built in the 1930s. This is the
:23:02. > :23:05.modern version. The company has stayed true to its tradition. At
:23:05. > :23:11.the factory the first cars are already being built - they're
:23:11. > :23:17.expecting to build around 400 each year. It has still got a lot of
:23:17. > :23:23.charm. It does not take itself too seriously. It is a proper sports
:23:23. > :23:26.car. You can have a real laugh in it. And that's exactly what members
:23:26. > :23:32.of the motoring press were doing today at Malvern. By all accounts
:23:32. > :23:38.they like what they saw. Modern cars are too sanitised. They are
:23:38. > :23:42.covered in safety and luxury. This strips of --. We are ahead of
:23:42. > :23:45.Lotus... For Morgan's Chief Executive, the new model has to
:23:45. > :23:50.potential to deliver a new younger market to the 100-year-old brand,
:23:50. > :23:55.with 500 pre-orders already on the books. I think where it is quite
:23:55. > :23:59.interesting is it is like motorbike quarter a little bit. The sales in
:23:59. > :24:09.motorbikes have actually increased enormously over the past 10 years.
:24:09. > :24:12.
:24:12. > :24:16.We hope that the three-wheeler is a bit like that. Like previous cars
:24:16. > :24:20.from Morgan, it should be in great demand. And Peter joins us now. So
:24:20. > :24:27.when are we going to see these Morgan Threes on the road, Peter?
:24:27. > :24:31.At the moment they are in the pre- production stage. Full production
:24:31. > :24:37.starts in September. Only then will you start to see these cars
:24:37. > :24:42.appearing in the showrooms. Having driven the car today, I can say
:24:42. > :24:49.that it probably will sell very well. It is pretty efficient. It
:24:49. > :24:55.does 45-50 miles to the gallon. It will make it popular and good news
:24:55. > :24:59.for the company. Good news for the West Midlands. The majority of
:24:59. > :25:07.parts are made here in this region. Good news for the components of
:25:07. > :25:14.firms who have suffered in the recession. How much will they cost?
:25:14. > :25:20.And do you get the goggles? It is cheaper than the average Morgan.
:25:20. > :25:30.Starting price around �25,000. The average Morgan around 30,000 to
:25:30. > :25:36.
:25:36. > :25:42.40,000. Most of them will be Now the weather. We were definitely
:25:42. > :25:50.over credit by showers. Plenty of them around. Things are improving
:25:50. > :25:53.over the weekend. Temperatures will pick up slightly. Currently we are
:25:53. > :26:01.caught up in the workings of this low-pressure. Once it moves to the
:26:01. > :26:06.North East by the weekend, the way will be clear for a brighter and
:26:06. > :26:10.better weather. At the moment we are plodding the same path. Still
:26:10. > :26:15.some showers out there at the moment. The next sign of activity
:26:15. > :26:21.will be just after midnight as this next band of rain hit in from the
:26:21. > :26:25.West. Heavy pulses of rain overnight. By the end of the night
:26:26. > :26:32.it will reach eastern part of the patch. Temperatures dropping to 20
:26:32. > :26:39.Celsius. It will feel cooler. Tomorrow morning the rain heads
:26:39. > :26:44.east words. It will increase in the east. It will be a wet start.
:26:44. > :26:48.Almost a seamless transition from that rain Clearing to a rush of
:26:48. > :26:53.showers. Some could be heavy and thundery. There will be sunshine in
:26:53. > :26:59.between raising the temperature has to 20 Celsius. Once again it will
:26:59. > :27:05.be a windy day. As for the weekend, we have got some dry weather on a
:27:05. > :27:15.wave. Showers on Saturday. The sunshine will take the temperatures
:27:15. > :27:24.
:27:24. > :27:27.A look at tonight's main headlines: The News of the World - the
:27:27. > :27:30.newspaper at the centre of the phone hacking allegations - is to
:27:30. > :27:33.close. It will print its last edition this Sunday. And pupils go