09/12/2011 Midlands Today

Hello, welcome to Midlands Today with Mary Rhodes and Nick Owen. The

headlines tonight: Christmas is cancelled. Hundreds

are left disappointed as their festive parties are called off in a

row over money. It is a shame. I mean, that time of the Year

Christmas, you don't expect people to do stuff like that.

Caught on camera, the carer found guilty of trying to steal from a

severely disabled man. A Michelin-starred chef gives

Birmingham City Council a roasting over the future of the wholesale

market. If the market is closed, it will have a massive impact on the

city but on a smaller businesses in and around the city, more important

leave. And for Wembley read Villa Park,

the ground could host next year's Good evening, welcome to Friday's

Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight, hundreds of people are

left disappointed and out of pocket after their works Christmas parties

are cancelled in a dispute over money. Around 800 people were due

to attend the festive events at Birmingham's New Bingley Hall

tonight and tomorrow. Dozens of local businesses handed over

thousands of pounds in deposits to the organisers, a Solihull-based

company called Special Events and Parties Ltd. Managers at the New

Bingley Hall say that cheques paid to them from the company have been

cancelled so they've been left with no alternative but to call the

parties off. Bob Hockenhull reports. Workers at this design company at

Digbeth in Birmingham are among hundreds who've had their Christmas

party cancelled. We had guys from Cambridge coming all the way here

and we had heard tells booked, and we went out of our way and bought

expensive outfits. For 40 years hours' notice, this is pretty poor

for an organisation. We have been trying to get hold of them all week.

Nothing. This dental surgery in Erdington paid �650 for 13 staff to

go to the same event at New Bingley Hall. It has put a bit of a back

cloud over the practice because everyone was looking forward to

enjoying ourselves out of the practice for Stock -- out of the

practice. Tonight and tomorrow nights' cancelled celebrations were

organised by Solihull-based Special Events and Parties. They promised a

meal and entertainment including this fun fair at the back of New

Bingley Hall. Managers at the venue say they've been unable to contact

the party organisers and have called in the police. It is a big

thing. I was talking to a client and they are coming from a very bit

-- big company, and they have already bought their outfits. And

they are really upset, and she was in tears. That has upset as. It is

not just party goers that have lost out, New Bingley Hall estimates it

has lost thousands of pounds by not being able to stage the event. And

bar and security staff that have been hired still need to be paid.

The BBC made attempts to contact Special Events and Parties director

Elaine Reeves this afternoon to no avail. In an email to clients, she

apologised but said, "We simply cannot cover the cost of running

these events, we will be issuing refunds to customers who have paid

as soon as possible." Trading Standards officers have also been

trying without success to contact the party organiser and gave this

advice. I think the first thing to do is to put the complaint in

writing via e-mail or letter. State what the problem is, how much you

paid for the ticket and when the meal was due to go on. If you don't

get any joy, if you are in Birmingham, come to us, or your

local Trading Standards department. New Bingley Hall did manage to

stage one party organised by the same company last weekend. But it

looks like the events have come to a premature end, disappointing

hundreds of would-be Christmas revellers.

And Bob Hockenhull joins us from outside the New Bingley Hall in

Birmingham now. What are the chances of people getting their

money back? Well, the company itself is

promising refunds in the new year. Trading Standards have given advice

and they say that people have got a good case if they want to take

action, not just to get money back, but also for the inconvenience, and

the police are investigating, so this could become a criminal

inquiry. This company, Special Events and

Parties Ltd, it is still taking bookings for Christmas party events

on its website, not just these ones at New Bingley Hall. What should

people do if they are worried? I think the best advice is to ring

the venue where the party is due to take place to see what they have

got to say and whether they believe the party is going to go ahead. We

know that Solihull rugby club... Sorry, Solihull Land Rover club is

due to hold an event in a week, and the ICC are also expected to stage

an event, so the best thing is for people to ring up and the managers

here have been on hand in case any partygoers turn up. They haven't

done so far, but the band did, and they have been turned away and they

are on their way back to Shropshire. A care worker has been found guilty

of trying to steal from a severely disabled man she was supposed to be

looking after. Trevor Thomas from Birmingham relied on 36-year-old

Michelle Warburton. That was until she was caught on CCTV cameras

repeatedly trying to crack the code to his safe where he kept his

benefit money. Ben Godfrey reports. This is care worker Michelle

Warburton. This footage shows her trying to steal from the disabled

man who thought he could trust her. Inside this wardrobe is his safe.

Trevor Thomas is 44 and has dystonia, a neurological disorder

which means he's confined to a wheelchair. Warburton, from Druids

Heath, was one of four carers employed privately by his mother

Pat to provide support at his adapted home. But they suspected

she was taking money. We have invited her in to Trevor's home,

and if they person cannot be safe in their home, they cannot be saved

anyway of. When the family became suspicious, they fitted CCTV

cameras and it was this technology that exposed Michelle Warburton as

the carer who did not care. In March, the single mother of two is

seen entering Trevor's spare bedroom, often closing the door,

and reaching for his safe containing hundreds of pounds.

pretended to be vacuuming, trying to get into the safe. She is

crawling on the floor, looking at my son, to see where he is, before

she tries that again. I mean, it is so undignified for somebody to do

that to them. Warburton claimed she was just trying to find a phone

number. The jury didn't believe her. It has been hard work. And a lot of

strain on the whole family. It is wicked, really. Trevor says she is

evil. Because she has manipulated us all. Trevor Thomas has been in

his own film. Trevor sat through the trial, eager to see the woman

he once trusted face justice. She'll be sentenced next month.

Members of Birmingham's Congolese community have been protesting over

delays in announcing general election results in their homeland.

Around 100 demonstrators marched through the city to the Mailbox

complex. It follows clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo

between police and opposition supporters, who claim the recent

election has been marred by fraud. They also accused the BBC of not

giving enough coverage to events there. We are standing here,

protesting against things that are happening, the rapes, the killing,

every single unfairness, and we need our message to come across and

we have been watching the BBC, and nobody is talking about the Congo.

Everybody is talking about Russia, Libya, Tunisia, but Congo is not

mention. Where is the most dangerous place to be right now?

a statement today, the BBC said BBC News has reported on the elections,

including pre-election and polling day coverage on radio online and

correspondents have been sent to cover the story.

Police in Coventry have launched a murder enquiry after the discovery

of the body of a woman. Two men, aged 50 and 54, were arrested at

the scene in Trentham Road in the city. Both remain in police custody.

A post mortem will be carried out tomorrow. Workers at the Marmite

factory have been on strike today. It's part of a national day of

action by staff over changes to the company's final salary pension

scheme due to be introduced next summer. The company says the

changes are necessary for the scheme to remain sustainable in the

future. A Michelin-starred chef says

Birmingham's flourishing reputation for fine food could be destroyed

over uncertainty for the future of the city's Wholesale Market. Glynn

Purnell hit out after a report suggested the market also supports

thousands of jobs in related industries. Birmingham City Council

says a consultation over the future of the market is underway, but

stresses there are no plans to close it. Joanne Writtle reports.

A regular produce delivery from Birmingham Wholesale Market to

Purnell's restaurant in the city centre. But the Michelin-starred

chef, nicknamed the Yummy Brummie, says uncertainty hanging over the

market could have a dramatic effect on the city's growing gourmet

reputation and thwart small businesses who depend upon it for

supplies. For me, it is going to be a massive threat on ruining our

reputation. It has taken us years to get the standard. Birmingham has

been mocked for being the culinary desert and everybody used to drive

through Birmingham. But now customers, we are a national

destinations. This is the biggest integrated wholesale market in

Europe. 1,100 people work here but a study suggests it supports 15,000

jobs in the wider economy. The study was for the Birmingham

Wholesale Fresh Produce Association as it fights for its future. The

author says the 70 businesses here have a global reputation, as well

as turning over �275 million a year.? The business operation is

the leading one in the world. When we went to a conference in China,

we expected to be treated as a poor relation, when in actual fact it's

markets in Sydney, Helsinki and in China have adopted the Birmingham

City model as a way of integrated wholesale market into the urban

environment. Birmingham City Council said there are no plans to

We want to meet with them, get around the table and sort something

out. We want to be here for the next 150 years. The study claims

uncertainty has caused occupancy to fall by a quarter. So have plans

for expanding rural broadband in Herefordshire stalled? That's what

one organisation is claiming tonight. The Countryside Alliance

says a year after the announcement of plans, there's still no cash

from the Government. So far, Herefordshire Council has spent

�50,000 on a tendering process looking for someone to run the

scheme. Our Science Correspondent David Gregory is here. David,

remind us what the Government announced about this.

OK, so 12 months ago, the Government said there were going to

be four areas in the UK to be invested in rural broadband, to

bring up speeds and access. The money is coming out of the licence

fee. If you cannot remember, here is the answer and. Pilots will go

ahead in Cumbria and Herefordshire, in the Highlands, and all of this

will encourage the growth of industries as a key part of the new

economy we are seeking to build. But that was 12 months ago and

since then nothing has happened, especially in Herefordshire.

what is the problem? We wanted to find that out, so they work -- so

as far as the Countryside Alliance say, things have stalled. The whole

system is stalling and that we need to look at it again urgently,

because the need for super-fast broadband is not going to go away

but it is going to become more urgent. We need to kick-start this

thing. They have found that the tendering process has cost �15,000

-- �50,000, but there is no cash coming from the Government to do

anything. What is the response from the council? Basically, they say

that nothing has happened yet but by late spring next year, they

hoped to have something in night in the tender process. Of is the,

there is huge demand for this. Thanks, David. -- obviously there's

a huge demand for this. The man who brokered the deal which

took Jaguar Land Rover into the ownership of the Indian giant Tata

says the company's at the start of a great revival. JLR went from

being on the verge of needing a Government bail out, to making

billions of pounds in profit in just two years. Lord Bhattacharyya,

who founded the Warwick Manufacturing Group, says he's

confident other Midlands firms can be equally successful. Cath Mackie

reports. From bust to boom. Jaguar Land

Rover is arguably the manufacturing success story of the past five

years. And the man who helped make it happen is confident the best is

yet to come. I think we are at the start of a great revival. Three

years ago, Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, an engineer by trade who founded

the Warwick Manufacturing Group, was key to the transfer of JLR from

Ford ownership to Rattan Tata of India. When I speak to Tata, they

always say this is a Midlands icon, and we need to preserve it. He's

right to be optimistic. In 2008, JLR was on the brink. Now 1,000 new

jobs have just been announced and a new �335 million pound engine plant.

That factory on the i54 site near Wolverhampton will create a further

2,000 jobs. Lord Bhattacharyya says other Midlands firms can be as

successful as JLR. What's needed now is more leadership and courage

and there are calls too for a rebalancing of the economy. We need

to rebalance the economy because manufacturing needs to be a bigger

part of that. We hoped that Government would help export our

way out of recession. It has come grinding to a halt. MP Geoffrey

Robinson was chief executive of Jaguar Cars in the 70s. If you want

to get a general improvement in manufacturing, and in the economy,

you have got to get away from the cuts, from the deflation and

recession. This government isn't turning its back on manufacturing

but in order to rebalance the economy, you need to recognise

first of all the Government itself cannot do this, they can only

create the environment. In which these companies can do well. Just

today, the car component firm Metafin Group Holdings in Walsall

announced an extra 50 jobs. But 220 jobs are under threat at Tucker

Fastners in Birmingham. Manufacturing hope for 2012 will be

a delicate balancing act. And there'll be more from that

interview with Lord Battacharryya plus a look at the economic outlook

for the region in Sunday's Politics Show which starts at midday on BBC

One. Still to come in tonight's

programme: He may be a pop star but he's also

an artist. In fact, if it hadn't been for art, we might never have

heard of the Specials. And we've had a bit of everything

from the weather this week. Rain, gales, sunshine and even some snow

in the Staffordshire moorlands. And next on the menu is the coldest

night of the season so far. Join me On to sport now and Ian Winter is

here with news that a football showpiece event could be on its way

to Birmingham. Yes, Villa Park looks set to host

to next season's FA Community Shield. The game's normally played

at Wembley Stadium but next year the date clashes with the final of

the Olympic football tournament. Nick Clitheroe's at Villa Park now.

This would be quite a feather in Villa's cap, if it comes off.

Absolutely. This was the story that came out today that VeloPark was

set to host the FA community Shield August well for next year. That

date is important because the final of the Olympic football is at

Wembley August 11th, so they couldn't use Wembley for it. Aston

Villa have had no comment on this to date. I spoke to the Football

Association and they said they didn't want to talk about the

process, except to say they were not looking at any cities which

were already hosting Olympic football. That rules out Cardiff's

Millennium Stadium,, it rolls up Manchester and Newcastle, so

realistically that leaves you with the Villa Park at or Anfield in

Liverpool. It seems like this is the front-runner in this. Is it too

early to say? Let's put it this way. Nobody has laughed at me today.

There is a firm no comment all round, but it is not laughed out of

court. So I think it is going to happen, but a matter of when. It is

a 43,000 seating capacity stadium, it is used to hosting major events

from euro 96 to the last cup final, and if you get a London team

playing a Manchester team, it is in the middle, the perfect place for

the host stadium for that match at the beginning of next season, and

if they get that, unlikely as it may seem, there will be no problem

with them playing in the Community Shield by the. -- either.

If you're amongst the 1,400 Wolves fans heading north to Manchester

tomorrow, here's a question for you. What's the biggest crowd that Old

Trafford has ever seen? Today, I met a man who gave me a most

unexpected answer. Hidden away, deep inside the

Wolverhampton branch of Santa's grotto, you'll find a man who's

written many weird and wonderful things about his favourite club.

Jim Heath is a lifelong fan who's got 20-20 vision about everything

and everybody connected with Wolves. We hold the record attendance at

Old Trafford, 76,000. That was in 1939, beating Grimsby five-Zil --

5-0. In an FA Cup final. there's no way that record will get

beaten tomorrow. 13 months ago, Wolves came so close to earning a

point at Old Trafford, only for United to score the winner in

stoppage time. Huge frustration for Mick McCarthy which was transformed

into big satisfaction three months later, when Wolves got sweet

revenge with a 2-1 victory at Molineux. How much do you enjoy the

challenge of pitting your wits against Sir Alex Ferguson? Always.

It is not a tactical battle between me and him. I think the battle is

out on the pitch. I enjoy watching my team are pitting their wits

against those players because there are some wonderful players. And

last year was a wonderful year. It was a fantastic result. I used to

watch Man United with my kids and my family and friends, and I have

been a fan, so to play them was unbelievable and hopefully tomorrow

we can get a good result. It would make my year if we can pull it off.

12 months ago they won at Liverpool, now they hope to complete the hat-

trick against Manchester United. And if they were to pull it off,

the festive season is sure to start with a bang in Wolverhampton. Let's

hope so. Is it 31 years since wolves won at Old Trafford? What

are the chances? There is no good time to play

Manchester United. Mick McCarthy smiled and shook his head, he knows

United are always dangers, because of the fact they have been knocked

out of the Champions League, they don't have Nemanja Vidic, but they

have threat up front, and he has scored many many goals. There is

never such a thing as a lost cause with Mick McCarthy. Never a dull

moment, either. Port Vale say they're taking legal

advice over the collapse of a deal with an American company to invest

�8 million in the club. Vale announced in September they were

planning to use the money from Blue Sky International for ground

improvements and other projects. But the Americans claim they only

offered half a million and the deal is now dead.

And to keep up to date with how your club gets on over the weekend,

including the build-up, full match commentary and reaction, tune in to

your BBC local radio station. Finally, the Warwickshire batsmen

Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott are both in the England Squad to play

three tests against Pakistan in the New Year.

Good for them. Nice to think about cricket and

sunshine. Horace Panter is best known as the

bass player with The Specials, but in his spare time he's also an

accomplished artist. In fact, without his love of art, the band

would never have existed. He met Jerry Dammers when they were both

art students in Coventry and together they formed the band.

Tomorrow, Horace's first art exhibition will open in Leamington

Horace Panter has two passions, art and music. When he's not touring

with the Specials, the chances are you'll find him painting at his

home in Coventry. There is a yin and Yang. The

Specials is frantic and physical activity, whereas I come back here

and I can just relax. After leaving the Specials, Horace became an art

teacher, a job he remained in for 10 years until the band reformed in

2008. But why has it taken so long for him to show his work? I did a

couple of paintings, then a few more. And then the attics started

to get filled up with bits of board and stuff so there was a question

of you have done this, you might as well show it to people. That is

what you do with music, isn't it? Tomorrow, Horace's first exhibition

opens at the White Room Gallery in We had the opportunity to visit

Beijing earlier in the year. And I asked her if I could take a photo,

and she was thrilled. So I took her photo and then painted her.

Sometimes the paintings work and sometimes they don't. But I think I

got the essence of this lovely lady. One day, I want to get a print of

that and find her, and say, thank you very much. Who do you think

will come to see this exhibition? Regular folks. I do not like art

being an elitist thing. People are loath to go to galleries, but I

want people to go, that is nice, I would like one of those. Horace's

exhibition is on until the 24th January.

Why are some people so talented? You would have thought that would

have been in black-and-white... I will explain later.

Now, the weather. We hear of It will be an icy night, and a

chilly night. The chilliest night of the season coming after what has

been a topsy-turvy week. Tonight, it is cold, very cold, and frosty

for all of us. There have been some showers around. They have been

driven in on a north-westerly breeze. Some of the showers fell as

snow. After that, with temperatures plunging away, there is a real risk

of ice on pavement so take care. After further South, where we have

seen the cloud and clear skies, we will see some haze of blue

spreading right across the map, a harsh frost with temperatures

around minus three. Out in the countryside, even colder, so a

chilly start, cold and frosty but bright and sunny. We will see a lot

of sun. After such a cold start, temperatures struggled to recover,

so no better than 5 or 6. The next change comes through tomorrow

afternoon and tomorrow evening with the cloud thickening, the breeze

strengthening. That rain is associated with some weather France,

muttering their way in through Saturday into Sunday. -- some

weather fronts. That rain clears the way to the South, leaving

brighter skies and milder. Next week, another change. A yellow

warning for wind, the potential for some gale-force wind late on Monday

into Tuesday and some wet weather as well. We have some bright

weather, some windy weather, a bit of everything. A topsy-turvy week

continues. A look at tonight's main headlines:

Standing alone, Britain vetoes a new EU treaty though all of the

other 26 countries sign up. And Christmas is cancelled.