16/08/2011 Midlands Today


16/08/2011

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Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The Riot fightback is underway but

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now it is between the local police a authority chairmen and the Home

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Secretary. Accusations has been made that we are invisible.

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The missing council tax payments that could fund a whole city's cut

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budget cuts. The baby saved by a Birmingham's

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Children's Hospital. It was better than kids at Christmas. And we

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catch up. The Black Country marathon runner and cyclists.

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Good evening. Tonight: Another big policing row. This time it is about

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Police Authorities. The Independent groups whose job it is to make sure

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each force works efficiently and efficiently. The Home Secretary has

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hit out saying that in the riots they were invisible and are being

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scrapped. But her words have infuriated the chairman of the West

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Midlands Police Authority. He says that during last week's riots he

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was anything but invisible. He says far, Surrey personal insult and he

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added he may ask for a personal apology.

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Far a man being accused of being invisible, Derek Webley wins large

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at a press conference. accusation has been made that we

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are invisible. What I did not want as a further accusation to be made

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that that we were quite. He that came from the Home Secretary.

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post-riot speech she turned on the police and authorities. In London,

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the mayor was on the streets of his city. The police authority chairmen

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could not have been clear. Which was inaccurate according to West

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Midlands Police Authority who said the 17 members were working

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tirelessly behind the scenes to restore peace. That is why Derek

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Webley he says he is personally insulted by her comments. What the

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people did not need was a distraction of police and 30

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members wanting the limelight. What we needed was the streets to be

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brought back to a level of normality and that has been

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achieved. This is not just about the who did what and what the

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bottom line is. The Government wants to get rid of police

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authorities and replace them with elected police commissioners who

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they say will be more accountable to the public. It is a plan

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supported by an MP who has written about police reform. The Cabinet

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Office they did reform which showed 7% of those questioned would

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contact the police authority if they had a problem with policing

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our crime in their area. This shows that these are invisible to the

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vast majority of the general public. 93% of the public do not know they

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exist. It was not just about his ability. She said you are unelected.

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That is a matter for the Government. Derek Webley says he does not want

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a fight with the Hon secretary, just the records vetting state. One

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week after the riots, and the political fall-out is raining down.

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Let's go live to our political editor who is at West Midlands

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Police headquarters. First Mr Cameron and the Chief Commissioner

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and Lego heads. What is happening? What we are seeing is a politically

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high octane combination of the power struggle and the

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apportionment of blame. The Government very difficult - and

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that -- and wanting to make sure the police are authorities around

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the country take the responsibility as what they see was an inadequate

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response last three. They want to get the message across that far

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from being the ineffective and spent forces that the Government

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would have you believe, they have been actively involved in working

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behind the scenes. Maybe not popping up in the news all the time,

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but doing their best to restore public order. They will hold the

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chief police constable to account. They have got a job to do. Why is

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the Home Secretary so determined to shake things up?

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Remember, this Government sees itself as a reforming

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administration. It is the last great unreformed public service in

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the country. They think they have become too cosy, that is why you

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need is high profile figure, this crime and police commissioner, to

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halt the police to account and set the budgets. Potentially higher

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gunfire Polish constables. -- hire and fire police constables.

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We asked for your views to cuts. We had a huge response. Your views are

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still coming in. Clive Arnold Greene wrote, I am a

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retired police officer and a Conservative officer but I am

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aghast at the naivety of the Prime Minister in Government. The

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drastically reduce numbers will make in difference to their service

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they can provide. Another one said, are we saying the

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money spent by the police is spent wisely? We all have to save money

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at the moment. Clive run if his rights, -- Clive

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Griffiths says, our police are the envy of the world.

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Helen Gilbert says it is not the Government that is cutting police

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numbers. They have just released the police budget. It is the police

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authority who decides how to implement this budget. They could

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have ring-fenced frontline police and Cup -- made cuts elsewhere.

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That's very much for all your comments.

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A 30-year-old man is still being questioned tonight in connection

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with the deaths of Shazad Ali, Abdul Musavir and Haroon Jahan last

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Wednesday during the Birmingham riot.

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Traders say they fear that a new type of crime may be emerging where

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young people rush shops to grab what they want. The claims have

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been expressed as we were in Birmingham. Our special

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correspondent has been talking to people in Handsworth in Birmingham

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who have experience, not just last week's events, but many other

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rights in the past decades. Last week, the police got to take

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back control of the streets of Handsworth. Traders say they gangs

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co-ordinated their actions with burning tyres to shut off roads to

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the police. In 1985, to my brothers were killed in a Post Office set on

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fire by rioters. At that time, some such the Handsworth riots as are

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not rising against poverty and police raciscm. But Deepak Patel,

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chair of the Local Traders Association believes that pure

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greed sparked last week's events. It is a form of rushing where a

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gang of people pillage as much as they can, as quickly as they can.

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And they have taken it to the next level and developed it. There are

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more of them. A local police station and a bank were targeted by

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rioters, dozens of shops were damaged. Even one week on, you can

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smell the stench of the fire and the smoke and the mob violence was

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like a wildfires that swept through the streets. The community here is

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still trying to piece together exactly what it means and what the

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impact is going to be. 26 years ago, Dave Heeley -- Pogus Caesar was in

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his office next to Handsworth Police Station. He ran alongside

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writers and police to record events. Then in 2005, Lozells erupted in

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violence. Handsworth is a community he loves and respects. Do not

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stereotype Handsworth. Handsworth that I know is A1 of great beauty.

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It is a very rich multicultural area. We have communities from all

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over the world her year. What has happened over the last few days,

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one should not say it is a race riot, it is not. It is people who

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have a fire in them and they have so much confusion. What about the

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young people? Why do they have to say? You her parents kept you

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inside? It was too dangerous. Everyone is greedy and wanted free

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stuff. Your parents were telling you to stay indoors? Keep safe.

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on the streets the message from the people who witnessed and experience

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the riots was also measured and thoughtful. There is so

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unemployment here, people have got nothing to do. It is unfortunate

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for the three-day -- the people who died. The people, if you have been

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to prison, there are no avenues. It does not mean nothing. Although

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last week was frightening, people here and Handsworth have

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experienced it all before. In 1985, there were no mobile phones.

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Instead 100 BMX bikes were stolen. Greed is not new. People here are

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happy that the police restored order but they also say that jobs

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and hope are needed as well. There will be more on this whole

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issue to do with the riots. There will be more discussion between the

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Home Secretary and the West Midlands Police Authority on the

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Phil Upton Breakfast Show on BBC WM tomorrow morning.

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Still to come: The reaction of West Midland commuters with real prizes

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of expected to rise at a minimum of eight present.

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Opposition councillors in Stoke-on- Trent are calling for urgent action

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since it announced -- was announced that the minds of uncollected

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council tax meets the same amount that they need. It is the worst in

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the region for collecting council tax.

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Balancing the budget has been hard for most local authorities this

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year but in Stoke-on-Trent it has emerged that council tax arrears

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stand at �20.1 million while the council is expected to make �20

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million of cuts next year. That is criminal. We have lost seven are

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100 officers. We are all for cutting out waste. What is a bigger

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ways than this? All that money is out there but we have not collected

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it. For among those counting the cost is this woman. She campaigned

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against cuts which led to a swimming pool closing. It was so

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needless. Yes, cuts need to be made. But cuts in the right places. There

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are a lot of things they could be saved. Vital services have been cut

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and affected because of this. debts have arisen mostly because

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people have not paid up. What do council taxpayers make of the

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situation? Make these people pay these. It is terrible. Why have

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they not sorted out before her? Some people cannot afford to pay.

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The council have a difficult job on their hands. Following the protests

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of a cuts this year, the council says it will make improved efforts

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to collect council tax next year. It points out the vast majority of

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people to pay. We are working with some officers about looking are

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what we should be doing differently. About when we should be taking

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action and what the right point is to take action. Having made

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substantial cuts this year, the council accepts that the next

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balancing act may be more difficult. Liz joins us. It seems like an

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embarrassing figure. How does Stoke compare with other parts of the

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region? When we look across our other local authorities, there are

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striking differences. It may appear at a couple of percentage points.

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That can translate into significant amounts of money. The important

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thing to point out is that most people to pay their council tax.

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But now the Government does provide figures so we can compare one

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council against another as far as the collection rates goal. When we

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look at those, we see the Birmingham does not do as well as

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neighbouring authorities such as Dudley and Sandwell. Places with

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the best collection rates include Warwickshire. The best place of all

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Staffordshire Moorlands up in the Peak District. They have a

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collection rate of almost 99%. is the Government's reaction to all

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of this? The Secretary of State has not been available today. But in

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the past he has said that councils to have a good collection rate,

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they can set lower council tax bills. He has also won the councils

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should be sympathetic to vulnerable A former leather factory in Walsall

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will have to be demolished. More than a 60 firefighters from as far

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afield as Coventry were called to the scene, just off the town's ring

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road to stop dozens of were forced to leave their homes, and many

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roads had to be closed off. Police are treating it as a crime scene.

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We had to get water to put on the fire from the arboretum, we had

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firing since transporting the water by way of a relay, we had to close

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the road. As the fire progressed, there was a danger that the

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building itself would start to collapse.

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Rail campaigners here are demanding a better deal passengers after it

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was announced to get fares could rise by at least 8% from January.

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It is all part of the government's agenda of costing the cost of the

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rail network. Our reporter joins us now. Can I ask you, what is the

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reaction? People have not been terribly impressed, especially when

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you consider that the 8% rise we're talking about is just an average,

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and the train companies could put an extra 5% on top of that as long

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as they make reductions elsewhere. So the increase could be around 13%.

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Earlier, we spoke to some commuters. I think it is disgusting,

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personally, considering trains are late. It is a continual kick in the

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teeth, considering the train's speed improvement. Everything is

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going up, so the threats have to do the same, I suppose. It is very bad

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news, I have paid for an annual ticket. The government says these

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rises are essential to reduce the burden on the taxpayer of

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sustaining the Braille service. Earlier we spoke to the transport

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minister, she said the West Midlands would benefit with a

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better trained, better stations and better services. The West Midlands

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and Birmingham is going to benefit from the programme the government

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is introducing, new capacity, extra carriages. Across the country there

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is going to beat 2500 new carriages on the network. Birmingham will be

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one of the beneficiaries. Let's have a chat now to see what these

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prices mean that people in the West Midlands. In terms of somebody who

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goes regularly from Birmingham to London, what does it mean? At the

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moment you might pay �75, it will go up to over �80. You can see the

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impact is quite substantial. Are we getting what we pay for? Valley for

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money is a really big issue, particularly if you are in an

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overcrowded carriage. Do you think people are they to give up on

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trains and get into their cars? That would be a great shame,

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because people are choosing to use the train because they recognise it

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is a better way of travelling, and it is better for the country as

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well. We need to look at the way the system is run, because a lot of

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money goes to the train operating companies, and you wonder whether

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that is necessary, as they get a lot of big bonuses paid to their

:17:57.:18:04.

bosses, that should really go to help travellers. Thank you. Those

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prices, likely to go up in January, and the government says we will

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probably seek similar increases over the next three years.

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Here is someone who is not using the train. Still ahead, a another

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marathon challenge for back-country fund-raising hero Blind Dave.

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:18:35.:18:38.

And there is more rain on the week Well, the inspiring story of Millie,

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a baby from Gloucester who is recovering from the surgery in

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Birmingham after another hospital told her parents but there was no

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hope and they should take her home to die.

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But her parents refused to give up and asked for a second opinion.

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That decision saved her life. Millie Healey is eight weeks old,

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which is an achievement in itself. She is also wearing her first

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pretty dress. And till recently she couldn't, because she was put up to

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an array of machinery. To hear that she made it through her first major

:19:16.:19:24.

open-heart, that was... Yeah. It was better than kids at Christmas.

:19:24.:19:34.
:19:34.:19:35.

Can't really talk! Can't really put it into words. Millie, who is from

:19:35.:19:39.

Gloucester, was first are transferred to the Evelina Hospital

:19:39.:19:44.

in Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, but with an array of problems, the

:19:44.:19:48.

hospital did not operate. Her parents sought a second opinion in

:19:48.:19:53.

Birmingham. Even when we were in the ambulance, we were still

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questioning, am I doing the right thing? Is this in her best

:19:58.:20:07.

interests? Looking at her now, yes. Definitely. And I am just so

:20:07.:20:11.

grateful, I really am. A surgeon's at Birmingham but by children's

:20:11.:20:21.
:20:21.:20:22.

hospital undertook two Hospital -- operations. Any heart surgery with

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children, it takes a lot. We all went into this operation knowing it

:20:27.:20:32.

was going to be complicated. But fortunately, she hasn't had any

:20:32.:20:36.

major complications, she has made a very good recovery. Birmingham

:20:36.:20:41.

Children's Hospital deals with more of these cases than anywhere in the

:20:41.:20:45.

UK. As Boris this operation is concerned, permanent isn't

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Britain's second city, it is one of the best in the world. In the

:20:51.:20:56.

future, children like Millie will be able Dav the first of the two

:20:56.:21:01.

operations at the same time. The planners to get her home to her

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seven brothers and sisters as soon as possible.

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I'm sure she will get a big welcome! Let's move on to football.

:21:11.:21:16.

Walsall are looking to build on their unbeaten start to League One,

:21:16.:21:20.

Jon Macken's penalty helped them draw 1-1 at Hartlepool last

:21:20.:21:27.

Saturday. They are sick. Sheffield United are also among the promotion

:21:27.:21:32.

favourites. You can keep up-to-date with all tonight's football action

:21:32.:21:37.

on your local station to stop led to bring you up to date with the

:21:37.:21:43.

incredible Charity Challenge Blind Dave has taken on.

:21:43.:21:48.

He was embarking on a journey from John A-grades to it Mark -- Land's

:21:48.:21:56.

End, doing in just 10 days. You'll be pleased to know he is two-thirds

:21:57.:22:01.

of the way through, and passed through Worcestershire earlier, and

:22:01.:22:07.

we caught up with him there. Blind Dave, True grit. An epic

:22:08.:22:15.

journey. A 26-year-old at marathon every day, followed by Abele 18

:22:15.:22:21.

miles bike ride. He is a veteran of previous multi- marathon challenges,

:22:21.:22:26.

but he admitted this is one of the toughest. The thing that is

:22:26.:22:30.

catching us all up is to sleep. Again, I was in bed last night just

:22:30.:22:36.

after midnight, up at 4:50am this morning. I have done that into a

:22:36.:22:40.

John o'Groats. Unable to see where he is going, he is attacked --

:22:41.:22:45.

attached to his ruling body by a cord. He get support from a

:22:45.:22:50.

dedicated and extensive back-up team. Everything from fundraisers

:22:50.:22:56.

to videos, out riders to organisers. It is a real pleasure to be on the

:22:56.:23:01.

trip. We just have to hope he can complete the next three marathons

:23:01.:23:05.

and be in Land's End on Friday. Rosemary is the travelling at

:23:05.:23:12.

busier. Strong, soothing hands by him and his fellow runners. I give

:23:12.:23:16.

him a nice painful massage, some stretches, and in the morning, I

:23:16.:23:21.

get up with him, stretch him, start taping his leg up, and getting

:23:21.:23:26.

ready to go. Dave has now completed the 7th of his 10 marathons, but he

:23:26.:23:29.

still has to get from here in Worcester to Bristol by tonight, he

:23:30.:23:37.

bobby doing that on a tandem. And after a well deserved comfort break,

:23:37.:23:42.

off he goes. He is aiming to reach Land's End by Friday. Based on his

:23:42.:23:48.

previous record, it would be a brave man to bet against him.

:23:48.:23:57.

Incredible story. Much more about his challenge on our Facebook page.

:23:57.:24:02.

How about a little bit of knitting now? Slightly more relaxing.

:24:02.:24:06.

Mystery midnight knitters have been taking to the streets of one city

:24:06.:24:11.

in an attempt to soften the surroundings. The idea has been

:24:11.:24:15.

inspired by Banksy of all people. Our reporter has been on the trail

:24:15.:24:20.

of the secret knitters. They call themselves Guerrilla

:24:20.:24:28.

Knitters. This tightly-knit secret group uses wool instead of aerosols

:24:28.:24:33.

piu spread her been knitting graffiti. The idea is something

:24:33.:24:38.

where we have been injecting colour into a cold, grey landscape, and

:24:38.:24:43.

just puts a smile on people's faces. Here it is in Birmingham, in Kings

:24:44.:24:49.

Heath. The canvas for their most recent instalment. No one knows

:24:49.:24:52.

where this originated, but it is thought it was in Texas, when

:24:52.:24:56.

knitting groups were looking at creating ways of getting rid of

:24:56.:25:01.

their projects. Now it has spread worldwide, including here, in

:25:01.:25:06.

Birmingham. While some past it all by, others were drawn to the we one

:25:06.:25:14.

does. It is ingredient -- intriguing! It is wonderful.

:25:14.:25:20.

figured brightens up the area, it is really exciting. Someone has a

:25:20.:25:24.

lot of money to waste, it is ridiculous. Typically, all this

:25:24.:25:29.

isn't legal. We asked Birmingham City Council to comment, but no one

:25:29.:25:33.

was available. For now, the anonymous artists say they will

:25:33.:25:40.

carry on until they get stitched up by the authorities.

:25:40.:25:48.

Either mad, or bonkers! Time for We have had the development since

:25:48.:25:54.

yesterday. I did say everything was dependent on how far this warm

:25:54.:25:58.

front troubles, and it will be to the south of us on Wednesday, but

:25:58.:26:02.

by Thursday, it does move further north. We could see some rain over

:26:02.:26:07.

the weekend for the north and west. But we are still going for those

:26:07.:26:12.

temperatures rising. As far as denied goes, we have got clearer

:26:13.:26:19.

skies developing. -- as far as tonight goes. Temperatures will

:26:19.:26:24.

start to tumble to about eight Celsius. It will be a cooler night

:26:24.:26:31.

then last night. For tomorrow morning, we are set up beautifully

:26:31.:26:36.

for some sunshine and some dry weather. Through the day, we see

:26:36.:26:41.

this cloud increasing because of this warm front to the south. We

:26:41.:26:46.

could see the odd spot of rain, but for that most of us, it will stay

:26:46.:26:53.

dry. An easterly breeze tomorrow, I like wind, but it will suppress

:26:53.:27:02.

those temperatures. -- a light wind. We will see the crowd -- cloud

:27:02.:27:05.

increasing, bringing some rain to southern parts by the end of the

:27:05.:27:09.

night, but during Thursday itself, the rain will spread in, quite

:27:09.:27:19.
:27:19.:27:22.

heavy in places. Friday, though, is There are more devastating

:27:22.:27:26.

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