:00:11. > :00:17.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The Riot fightback is underway but
:00:17. > :00:25.now it is between the local police a authority chairmen and the Home
:00:25. > :00:30.Secretary. Accusations has been made that we are invisible.
:00:30. > :00:34.The missing council tax payments that could fund a whole city's cut
:00:34. > :00:44.budget cuts. The baby saved by a Birmingham's
:00:44. > :00:54.Children's Hospital. It was better than kids at Christmas. And we
:00:54. > :01:00.
:01:00. > :01:07.catch up. The Black Country marathon runner and cyclists.
:01:07. > :01:11.Good evening. Tonight: Another big policing row. This time it is about
:01:11. > :01:15.Police Authorities. The Independent groups whose job it is to make sure
:01:15. > :01:19.each force works efficiently and efficiently. The Home Secretary has
:01:19. > :01:24.hit out saying that in the riots they were invisible and are being
:01:24. > :01:27.scrapped. But her words have infuriated the chairman of the West
:01:27. > :01:33.Midlands Police Authority. He says that during last week's riots he
:01:33. > :01:36.was anything but invisible. He says far, Surrey personal insult and he
:01:36. > :01:44.added he may ask for a personal apology.
:01:44. > :01:48.Far a man being accused of being invisible, Derek Webley wins large
:01:48. > :01:53.at a press conference. accusation has been made that we
:01:53. > :01:57.are invisible. What I did not want as a further accusation to be made
:01:57. > :02:02.that that we were quite. He that came from the Home Secretary.
:02:02. > :02:11.post-riot speech she turned on the police and authorities. In London,
:02:11. > :02:15.the mayor was on the streets of his city. The police authority chairmen
:02:15. > :02:18.could not have been clear. Which was inaccurate according to West
:02:18. > :02:24.Midlands Police Authority who said the 17 members were working
:02:24. > :02:29.tirelessly behind the scenes to restore peace. That is why Derek
:02:29. > :02:34.Webley he says he is personally insulted by her comments. What the
:02:34. > :02:38.people did not need was a distraction of police and 30
:02:38. > :02:40.members wanting the limelight. What we needed was the streets to be
:02:40. > :02:43.brought back to a level of normality and that has been
:02:44. > :02:47.achieved. This is not just about the who did what and what the
:02:47. > :02:50.bottom line is. The Government wants to get rid of police
:02:50. > :02:55.authorities and replace them with elected police commissioners who
:02:55. > :03:00.they say will be more accountable to the public. It is a plan
:03:00. > :03:04.supported by an MP who has written about police reform. The Cabinet
:03:04. > :03:07.Office they did reform which showed 7% of those questioned would
:03:07. > :03:11.contact the police authority if they had a problem with policing
:03:11. > :03:16.our crime in their area. This shows that these are invisible to the
:03:16. > :03:23.vast majority of the general public. 93% of the public do not know they
:03:23. > :03:29.exist. It was not just about his ability. She said you are unelected.
:03:29. > :03:34.That is a matter for the Government. Derek Webley says he does not want
:03:34. > :03:40.a fight with the Hon secretary, just the records vetting state. One
:03:40. > :03:46.week after the riots, and the political fall-out is raining down.
:03:46. > :03:53.Let's go live to our political editor who is at West Midlands
:03:53. > :03:59.Police headquarters. First Mr Cameron and the Chief Commissioner
:03:59. > :04:03.and Lego heads. What is happening? What we are seeing is a politically
:04:03. > :04:08.high octane combination of the power struggle and the
:04:08. > :04:14.apportionment of blame. The Government very difficult - and
:04:14. > :04:19.that -- and wanting to make sure the police are authorities around
:04:19. > :04:25.the country take the responsibility as what they see was an inadequate
:04:25. > :04:28.response last three. They want to get the message across that far
:04:29. > :04:33.from being the ineffective and spent forces that the Government
:04:33. > :04:37.would have you believe, they have been actively involved in working
:04:37. > :04:43.behind the scenes. Maybe not popping up in the news all the time,
:04:43. > :04:50.but doing their best to restore public order. They will hold the
:04:50. > :04:57.chief police constable to account. They have got a job to do. Why is
:04:57. > :05:00.the Home Secretary so determined to shake things up?
:05:00. > :05:10.Remember, this Government sees itself as a reforming
:05:10. > :05:11.
:05:11. > :05:15.administration. It is the last great unreformed public service in
:05:16. > :05:20.the country. They think they have become too cosy, that is why you
:05:20. > :05:24.need is high profile figure, this crime and police commissioner, to
:05:24. > :05:31.halt the police to account and set the budgets. Potentially higher
:05:31. > :05:38.gunfire Polish constables. -- hire and fire police constables.
:05:38. > :05:44.We asked for your views to cuts. We had a huge response. Your views are
:05:44. > :05:48.still coming in. Clive Arnold Greene wrote, I am a
:05:48. > :05:52.retired police officer and a Conservative officer but I am
:05:52. > :05:56.aghast at the naivety of the Prime Minister in Government. The
:05:56. > :06:00.drastically reduce numbers will make in difference to their service
:06:00. > :06:05.they can provide. Another one said, are we saying the
:06:05. > :06:14.money spent by the police is spent wisely? We all have to save money
:06:14. > :06:17.at the moment. Clive run if his rights, -- Clive
:06:17. > :06:21.Griffiths says, our police are the envy of the world.
:06:21. > :06:26.Helen Gilbert says it is not the Government that is cutting police
:06:26. > :06:28.numbers. They have just released the police budget. It is the police
:06:28. > :06:34.authority who decides how to implement this budget. They could
:06:34. > :06:41.have ring-fenced frontline police and Cup -- made cuts elsewhere.
:06:41. > :06:45.That's very much for all your comments.
:06:45. > :06:51.A 30-year-old man is still being questioned tonight in connection
:06:51. > :06:54.with the deaths of Shazad Ali, Abdul Musavir and Haroon Jahan last
:06:54. > :06:58.Wednesday during the Birmingham riot.
:06:58. > :07:02.Traders say they fear that a new type of crime may be emerging where
:07:02. > :07:06.young people rush shops to grab what they want. The claims have
:07:07. > :07:10.been expressed as we were in Birmingham. Our special
:07:10. > :07:14.correspondent has been talking to people in Handsworth in Birmingham
:07:14. > :07:19.who have experience, not just last week's events, but many other
:07:19. > :07:23.rights in the past decades. Last week, the police got to take
:07:23. > :07:28.back control of the streets of Handsworth. Traders say they gangs
:07:28. > :07:34.co-ordinated their actions with burning tyres to shut off roads to
:07:34. > :07:39.the police. In 1985, to my brothers were killed in a Post Office set on
:07:39. > :07:46.fire by rioters. At that time, some such the Handsworth riots as are
:07:46. > :07:48.not rising against poverty and police raciscm. But Deepak Patel,
:07:48. > :07:54.chair of the Local Traders Association believes that pure
:07:54. > :07:59.greed sparked last week's events. It is a form of rushing where a
:07:59. > :08:03.gang of people pillage as much as they can, as quickly as they can.
:08:03. > :08:08.And they have taken it to the next level and developed it. There are
:08:08. > :08:13.more of them. A local police station and a bank were targeted by
:08:13. > :08:18.rioters, dozens of shops were damaged. Even one week on, you can
:08:18. > :08:23.smell the stench of the fire and the smoke and the mob violence was
:08:23. > :08:27.like a wildfires that swept through the streets. The community here is
:08:27. > :08:36.still trying to piece together exactly what it means and what the
:08:36. > :08:42.impact is going to be. 26 years ago, Dave Heeley -- Pogus Caesar was in
:08:42. > :08:50.his office next to Handsworth Police Station. He ran alongside
:08:50. > :08:58.writers and police to record events. Then in 2005, Lozells erupted in
:08:58. > :09:04.violence. Handsworth is a community he loves and respects. Do not
:09:04. > :09:09.stereotype Handsworth. Handsworth that I know is A1 of great beauty.
:09:09. > :09:14.It is a very rich multicultural area. We have communities from all
:09:14. > :09:21.over the world her year. What has happened over the last few days,
:09:21. > :09:26.one should not say it is a race riot, it is not. It is people who
:09:26. > :09:31.have a fire in them and they have so much confusion. What about the
:09:31. > :09:37.young people? Why do they have to say? You her parents kept you
:09:37. > :09:47.inside? It was too dangerous. Everyone is greedy and wanted free
:09:47. > :09:47.
:09:48. > :09:51.stuff. Your parents were telling you to stay indoors? Keep safe.
:09:51. > :09:56.on the streets the message from the people who witnessed and experience
:09:56. > :10:05.the riots was also measured and thoughtful. There is so
:10:05. > :10:15.unemployment here, people have got nothing to do. It is unfortunate
:10:15. > :10:17.
:10:17. > :10:27.for the three-day -- the people who died. The people, if you have been
:10:27. > :10:28.
:10:28. > :10:33.to prison, there are no avenues. It does not mean nothing. Although
:10:33. > :10:38.last week was frightening, people here and Handsworth have
:10:38. > :10:44.experienced it all before. In 1985, there were no mobile phones.
:10:44. > :10:49.Instead 100 BMX bikes were stolen. Greed is not new. People here are
:10:49. > :10:56.happy that the police restored order but they also say that jobs
:10:56. > :11:05.and hope are needed as well. There will be more on this whole
:11:05. > :11:09.issue to do with the riots. There will be more discussion between the
:11:09. > :11:11.Home Secretary and the West Midlands Police Authority on the
:11:11. > :11:19.Phil Upton Breakfast Show on BBC WM tomorrow morning.
:11:19. > :11:22.Still to come: The reaction of West Midland commuters with real prizes
:11:22. > :11:26.of expected to rise at a minimum of eight present.
:11:26. > :11:33.Opposition councillors in Stoke-on- Trent are calling for urgent action
:11:33. > :11:37.since it announced -- was announced that the minds of uncollected
:11:37. > :11:41.council tax meets the same amount that they need. It is the worst in
:11:41. > :11:45.the region for collecting council tax.
:11:45. > :11:51.Balancing the budget has been hard for most local authorities this
:11:51. > :11:54.year but in Stoke-on-Trent it has emerged that council tax arrears
:11:54. > :12:01.stand at �20.1 million while the council is expected to make �20
:12:01. > :12:08.million of cuts next year. That is criminal. We have lost seven are
:12:08. > :12:12.100 officers. We are all for cutting out waste. What is a bigger
:12:12. > :12:17.ways than this? All that money is out there but we have not collected
:12:17. > :12:23.it. For among those counting the cost is this woman. She campaigned
:12:23. > :12:28.against cuts which led to a swimming pool closing. It was so
:12:28. > :12:34.needless. Yes, cuts need to be made. But cuts in the right places. There
:12:34. > :12:39.are a lot of things they could be saved. Vital services have been cut
:12:39. > :12:44.and affected because of this. debts have arisen mostly because
:12:44. > :12:51.people have not paid up. What do council taxpayers make of the
:12:51. > :12:57.situation? Make these people pay these. It is terrible. Why have
:12:57. > :13:00.they not sorted out before her? Some people cannot afford to pay.
:13:00. > :13:05.The council have a difficult job on their hands. Following the protests
:13:05. > :13:09.of a cuts this year, the council says it will make improved efforts
:13:09. > :13:14.to collect council tax next year. It points out the vast majority of
:13:14. > :13:18.people to pay. We are working with some officers about looking are
:13:18. > :13:22.what we should be doing differently. About when we should be taking
:13:22. > :13:27.action and what the right point is to take action. Having made
:13:27. > :13:34.substantial cuts this year, the council accepts that the next
:13:34. > :13:38.balancing act may be more difficult. Liz joins us. It seems like an
:13:39. > :13:43.embarrassing figure. How does Stoke compare with other parts of the
:13:43. > :13:48.region? When we look across our other local authorities, there are
:13:48. > :13:52.striking differences. It may appear at a couple of percentage points.
:13:52. > :13:56.That can translate into significant amounts of money. The important
:13:56. > :14:01.thing to point out is that most people to pay their council tax.
:14:01. > :14:03.But now the Government does provide figures so we can compare one
:14:04. > :14:08.council against another as far as the collection rates goal. When we
:14:08. > :14:12.look at those, we see the Birmingham does not do as well as
:14:12. > :14:20.neighbouring authorities such as Dudley and Sandwell. Places with
:14:20. > :14:22.the best collection rates include Warwickshire. The best place of all
:14:22. > :14:27.Staffordshire Moorlands up in the Peak District. They have a
:14:27. > :14:32.collection rate of almost 99%. is the Government's reaction to all
:14:32. > :14:36.of this? The Secretary of State has not been available today. But in
:14:37. > :14:41.the past he has said that councils to have a good collection rate,
:14:41. > :14:50.they can set lower council tax bills. He has also won the councils
:14:50. > :14:54.should be sympathetic to vulnerable A former leather factory in Walsall
:14:54. > :14:58.will have to be demolished. More than a 60 firefighters from as far
:14:58. > :15:02.afield as Coventry were called to the scene, just off the town's ring
:15:02. > :15:07.road to stop dozens of were forced to leave their homes, and many
:15:07. > :15:13.roads had to be closed off. Police are treating it as a crime scene.
:15:13. > :15:17.We had to get water to put on the fire from the arboretum, we had
:15:17. > :15:21.firing since transporting the water by way of a relay, we had to close
:15:21. > :15:25.the road. As the fire progressed, there was a danger that the
:15:25. > :15:29.building itself would start to collapse.
:15:29. > :15:34.Rail campaigners here are demanding a better deal passengers after it
:15:34. > :15:39.was announced to get fares could rise by at least 8% from January.
:15:39. > :15:45.It is all part of the government's agenda of costing the cost of the
:15:45. > :15:48.rail network. Our reporter joins us now. Can I ask you, what is the
:15:48. > :15:53.reaction? People have not been terribly impressed, especially when
:15:53. > :15:57.you consider that the 8% rise we're talking about is just an average,
:15:57. > :16:03.and the train companies could put an extra 5% on top of that as long
:16:03. > :16:08.as they make reductions elsewhere. So the increase could be around 13%.
:16:08. > :16:13.Earlier, we spoke to some commuters. I think it is disgusting,
:16:13. > :16:16.personally, considering trains are late. It is a continual kick in the
:16:16. > :16:22.teeth, considering the train's speed improvement. Everything is
:16:23. > :16:29.going up, so the threats have to do the same, I suppose. It is very bad
:16:29. > :16:33.news, I have paid for an annual ticket. The government says these
:16:33. > :16:38.rises are essential to reduce the burden on the taxpayer of
:16:38. > :16:41.sustaining the Braille service. Earlier we spoke to the transport
:16:41. > :16:45.minister, she said the West Midlands would benefit with a
:16:45. > :16:48.better trained, better stations and better services. The West Midlands
:16:48. > :16:55.and Birmingham is going to benefit from the programme the government
:16:55. > :17:00.is introducing, new capacity, extra carriages. Across the country there
:17:00. > :17:05.is going to beat 2500 new carriages on the network. Birmingham will be
:17:05. > :17:11.one of the beneficiaries. Let's have a chat now to see what these
:17:11. > :17:14.prices mean that people in the West Midlands. In terms of somebody who
:17:14. > :17:22.goes regularly from Birmingham to London, what does it mean? At the
:17:22. > :17:26.moment you might pay �75, it will go up to over �80. You can see the
:17:26. > :17:31.impact is quite substantial. Are we getting what we pay for? Valley for
:17:31. > :17:34.money is a really big issue, particularly if you are in an
:17:34. > :17:38.overcrowded carriage. Do you think people are they to give up on
:17:38. > :17:41.trains and get into their cars? That would be a great shame,
:17:41. > :17:44.because people are choosing to use the train because they recognise it
:17:44. > :17:48.is a better way of travelling, and it is better for the country as
:17:48. > :17:51.well. We need to look at the way the system is run, because a lot of
:17:51. > :17:57.money goes to the train operating companies, and you wonder whether
:17:57. > :18:04.that is necessary, as they get a lot of big bonuses paid to their
:18:04. > :18:08.bosses, that should really go to help travellers. Thank you. Those
:18:08. > :18:13.prices, likely to go up in January, and the government says we will
:18:13. > :18:19.probably seek similar increases over the next three years.
:18:19. > :18:25.Here is someone who is not using the train. Still ahead, a another
:18:25. > :18:35.marathon challenge for back-country fund-raising hero Blind Dave.
:18:35. > :18:38.
:18:38. > :18:41.And there is more rain on the week Well, the inspiring story of Millie,
:18:41. > :18:44.a baby from Gloucester who is recovering from the surgery in
:18:44. > :18:46.Birmingham after another hospital told her parents but there was no
:18:46. > :18:52.hope and they should take her home to die.
:18:52. > :18:57.But her parents refused to give up and asked for a second opinion.
:18:57. > :19:01.That decision saved her life. Millie Healey is eight weeks old,
:19:02. > :19:06.which is an achievement in itself. She is also wearing her first
:19:06. > :19:16.pretty dress. And till recently she couldn't, because she was put up to
:19:16. > :19:24.an array of machinery. To hear that she made it through her first major
:19:24. > :19:34.open-heart, that was... Yeah. It was better than kids at Christmas.
:19:34. > :19:35.
:19:35. > :19:39.Can't really talk! Can't really put it into words. Millie, who is from
:19:39. > :19:44.Gloucester, was first are transferred to the Evelina Hospital
:19:44. > :19:48.in Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, but with an array of problems, the
:19:48. > :19:53.hospital did not operate. Her parents sought a second opinion in
:19:53. > :19:58.Birmingham. Even when we were in the ambulance, we were still
:19:58. > :20:07.questioning, am I doing the right thing? Is this in her best
:20:07. > :20:11.interests? Looking at her now, yes. Definitely. And I am just so
:20:11. > :20:21.grateful, I really am. A surgeon's at Birmingham but by children's
:20:21. > :20:22.
:20:22. > :20:27.hospital undertook two Hospital -- operations. Any heart surgery with
:20:27. > :20:32.children, it takes a lot. We all went into this operation knowing it
:20:32. > :20:36.was going to be complicated. But fortunately, she hasn't had any
:20:36. > :20:41.major complications, she has made a very good recovery. Birmingham
:20:41. > :20:45.Children's Hospital deals with more of these cases than anywhere in the
:20:45. > :20:51.UK. As Boris this operation is concerned, permanent isn't
:20:51. > :20:56.Britain's second city, it is one of the best in the world. In the
:20:56. > :21:01.future, children like Millie will be able Dav the first of the two
:21:01. > :21:06.operations at the same time. The planners to get her home to her
:21:06. > :21:11.seven brothers and sisters as soon as possible.
:21:11. > :21:16.I'm sure she will get a big welcome! Let's move on to football.
:21:16. > :21:20.Walsall are looking to build on their unbeaten start to League One,
:21:20. > :21:27.Jon Macken's penalty helped them draw 1-1 at Hartlepool last
:21:27. > :21:32.Saturday. They are sick. Sheffield United are also among the promotion
:21:32. > :21:37.favourites. You can keep up-to-date with all tonight's football action
:21:37. > :21:43.on your local station to stop led to bring you up to date with the
:21:43. > :21:48.incredible Charity Challenge Blind Dave has taken on.
:21:48. > :21:56.He was embarking on a journey from John A-grades to it Mark -- Land's
:21:57. > :22:01.End, doing in just 10 days. You'll be pleased to know he is two-thirds
:22:01. > :22:07.of the way through, and passed through Worcestershire earlier, and
:22:08. > :22:15.we caught up with him there. Blind Dave, True grit. An epic
:22:15. > :22:21.journey. A 26-year-old at marathon every day, followed by Abele 18
:22:21. > :22:26.miles bike ride. He is a veteran of previous multi- marathon challenges,
:22:26. > :22:30.but he admitted this is one of the toughest. The thing that is
:22:30. > :22:36.catching us all up is to sleep. Again, I was in bed last night just
:22:36. > :22:40.after midnight, up at 4:50am this morning. I have done that into a
:22:41. > :22:45.John o'Groats. Unable to see where he is going, he is attacked --
:22:45. > :22:50.attached to his ruling body by a cord. He get support from a
:22:50. > :22:56.dedicated and extensive back-up team. Everything from fundraisers
:22:56. > :23:01.to videos, out riders to organisers. It is a real pleasure to be on the
:23:01. > :23:05.trip. We just have to hope he can complete the next three marathons
:23:05. > :23:12.and be in Land's End on Friday. Rosemary is the travelling at
:23:12. > :23:16.busier. Strong, soothing hands by him and his fellow runners. I give
:23:16. > :23:21.him a nice painful massage, some stretches, and in the morning, I
:23:21. > :23:26.get up with him, stretch him, start taping his leg up, and getting
:23:26. > :23:29.ready to go. Dave has now completed the 7th of his 10 marathons, but he
:23:30. > :23:37.still has to get from here in Worcester to Bristol by tonight, he
:23:37. > :23:42.bobby doing that on a tandem. And after a well deserved comfort break,
:23:42. > :23:48.off he goes. He is aiming to reach Land's End by Friday. Based on his
:23:48. > :23:57.previous record, it would be a brave man to bet against him.
:23:57. > :24:02.Incredible story. Much more about his challenge on our Facebook page.
:24:02. > :24:06.How about a little bit of knitting now? Slightly more relaxing.
:24:06. > :24:11.Mystery midnight knitters have been taking to the streets of one city
:24:11. > :24:15.in an attempt to soften the surroundings. The idea has been
:24:15. > :24:20.inspired by Banksy of all people. Our reporter has been on the trail
:24:20. > :24:28.of the secret knitters. They call themselves Guerrilla
:24:28. > :24:33.Knitters. This tightly-knit secret group uses wool instead of aerosols
:24:33. > :24:38.piu spread her been knitting graffiti. The idea is something
:24:38. > :24:43.where we have been injecting colour into a cold, grey landscape, and
:24:44. > :24:49.just puts a smile on people's faces. Here it is in Birmingham, in Kings
:24:49. > :24:52.Heath. The canvas for their most recent instalment. No one knows
:24:52. > :24:56.where this originated, but it is thought it was in Texas, when
:24:56. > :25:01.knitting groups were looking at creating ways of getting rid of
:25:01. > :25:06.their projects. Now it has spread worldwide, including here, in
:25:06. > :25:14.Birmingham. While some past it all by, others were drawn to the we one
:25:14. > :25:20.does. It is ingredient -- intriguing! It is wonderful.
:25:20. > :25:24.figured brightens up the area, it is really exciting. Someone has a
:25:24. > :25:29.lot of money to waste, it is ridiculous. Typically, all this
:25:29. > :25:33.isn't legal. We asked Birmingham City Council to comment, but no one
:25:33. > :25:40.was available. For now, the anonymous artists say they will
:25:40. > :25:48.carry on until they get stitched up by the authorities.
:25:48. > :25:54.Either mad, or bonkers! Time for We have had the development since
:25:54. > :25:58.yesterday. I did say everything was dependent on how far this warm
:25:58. > :26:02.front troubles, and it will be to the south of us on Wednesday, but
:26:02. > :26:07.by Thursday, it does move further north. We could see some rain over
:26:07. > :26:12.the weekend for the north and west. But we are still going for those
:26:13. > :26:19.temperatures rising. As far as denied goes, we have got clearer
:26:19. > :26:24.skies developing. -- as far as tonight goes. Temperatures will
:26:24. > :26:31.start to tumble to about eight Celsius. It will be a cooler night
:26:31. > :26:36.then last night. For tomorrow morning, we are set up beautifully
:26:36. > :26:41.for some sunshine and some dry weather. Through the day, we see
:26:41. > :26:46.this cloud increasing because of this warm front to the south. We
:26:46. > :26:53.could see the odd spot of rain, but for that most of us, it will stay
:26:53. > :27:02.dry. An easterly breeze tomorrow, I like wind, but it will suppress
:27:02. > :27:05.those temperatures. -- a light wind. We will see the crowd -- cloud
:27:05. > :27:09.increasing, bringing some rain to southern parts by the end of the
:27:09. > :27:19.night, but during Thursday itself, the rain will spread in, quite
:27:19. > :27:22.
:27:22. > :27:26.heavy in places. Friday, though, is There are more devastating