:00:08. > :00:12.Welcome To Midlands Today. The headlines: the growing gap between
:00:12. > :00:19.the cost of living in the Midlands and pay rises. When we asked them
:00:19. > :00:23.for pay rises, it is the economy, the industry is not good.
:00:23. > :00:30.�20 million facelift for Birmingham's n I a venue. We get
:00:30. > :00:34.the cultural and economic benefit. Then the multi-million pounds
:00:34. > :00:39.football training academy hoping to turn out stars of the future.
:00:39. > :00:49.And the teenager who had the surprise of her life when a Harry
:00:49. > :01:01.
:01:01. > :01:05.Potter stuck turned up to meet her Good evening. Has the cost of
:01:05. > :01:10.living changed life in the Midlands? The consumer price index
:01:10. > :01:15.figures showed inflation of 4.8 % this month, down slightly from last
:01:15. > :01:21.month. But in the Midlands, inflation is 10 times the average
:01:21. > :01:26.salary increase. Annual earnings before tax have increased by 0.4 %
:01:26. > :01:36.year-on-year. An average full-time salary is now �19,981, what does
:01:36. > :01:42.that mean for us in the region? Is all this stopping spending ahead of
:01:42. > :01:48.Christmas? Figures are encouraging, up 10 % the number of shoppers
:01:48. > :01:54.coming here. A similar picture elsewhere. Crown Gate in Worcester
:01:54. > :02:00.up 6% and the boring up 5.5 %, this despite the widening gap between
:02:00. > :02:04.wages and inflation. Inflation rising 10 times faster than wages
:02:04. > :02:08.and that means some people are struggling.
:02:08. > :02:11.Even with today's slight fall in the rate of inflation, prices are
:02:11. > :02:17.still rising and that means continued pressure on family
:02:17. > :02:23.budgets. We have to figure out which week we can do the Christmas
:02:23. > :02:28.shopping. Dean and Mandy are feeling the pinch. Petrol, gas,
:02:28. > :02:33.electricity has gone up and wages have not increased with inflation.
:02:33. > :02:40.That has meant drastic action including only running one car.
:02:40. > :02:44.What we save on insurance and tax just with one car and with petrol
:02:44. > :02:50.just running the one car it is cheaper. They had been forced to
:02:50. > :02:56.change the way they shop. We now do a big shop once a month whereas we
:02:56. > :03:00.used to do it once a week. We go to the supermarket and filled the
:03:00. > :03:06.freezer up with the meat because it is cheaper. This is why they are
:03:06. > :03:14.doing that. According to figures, pay packets only rose by 0.4 % in
:03:15. > :03:22.the last financial year, while the consumer price index was up by 4.5
:03:22. > :03:26.%. But the region's businesses have been hit also. This Foundry is
:03:26. > :03:31.where Dean works. Here most workers have not had a pay rise in four
:03:31. > :03:36.years. When we asked them for pay rises, it is the economy, the
:03:36. > :03:42.industry is not good. Cost of electricity, it still which has
:03:42. > :03:47.come in. Prices are rising and bosses are facing a massive 32 %
:03:47. > :03:54.rise in their energy bill. That height in energy prices means the
:03:54. > :03:58.cost of producing something like this has gone up by 15p and that
:03:58. > :04:03.might not sound like much but when you consider they produce 3 million
:04:03. > :04:11.cars like this every year it mounts up. So also does the impact on the
:04:11. > :04:14.profit margins. It will affect our profit by the end of �330,000.
:04:14. > :04:21.Which means that sparks could be flying here next year if there is
:04:21. > :04:26.no money in the pot for a pay rise. It is not just rising prices in the
:04:27. > :04:31.shops that are worrying. There are increasing levels of fuel poverty.
:04:32. > :04:37.Per troy is going up, food is going up, everything is going up and the
:04:37. > :04:43.wages are still the same. You are left with less. I cannot save money.
:04:43. > :04:48.I am not planning on holidays or anything like that. The price of
:04:48. > :04:53.petrol is ridiculous. It seems to go up. They say they bring it down
:04:53. > :04:59.but it does not appear so. We do not have the heating on in our
:04:59. > :05:06.house in case the bill is sky high. It is hard to live. Perhaps a bit
:05:06. > :05:10.of a worrying sign, Santa is not very busy here. With me is Michael
:05:10. > :05:14.from the independent retailers Association. Inflation has gone
:05:14. > :05:20.down but prices are rising. What effect is that happening? Prices
:05:20. > :05:24.are rising faster than in comes and that is causing sales to be subdued.
:05:24. > :05:29.Are you surprised we are seeing rising levels of at fault but
:05:29. > :05:36.people are not spending much? have been counting the backs of
:05:36. > :05:42.people coming to the tales, not as much. There are fewer bags on
:05:42. > :05:47.people's arms here. How will Christmas 2011 be remembered?
:05:47. > :05:53.will be remembered as a subdued Christmas. Sales are down for
:05:53. > :05:58.independents. What about 2012, there are concerns about the
:05:58. > :06:04.economy for them. What a member saying? They have the same worry
:06:04. > :06:08.that the government does, they need growth but will it arrived? Will we
:06:08. > :06:15.see more empty shops in 2000 and fog? We may do in the early part of
:06:15. > :06:19.the year because they are under pressure. Thank you. It is 11 days
:06:19. > :06:24.to go until Christmas, so plenty of shopping to be had and plenty of
:06:24. > :06:28.bargains to be had also. We would like to know how this is
:06:28. > :06:35.affecting you. Have you had to cut back? You can comment on our
:06:35. > :06:40.Facebook page or e-mail us. We would love to hear your thoughts.
:06:40. > :06:48.Still to come: we hear from a doctor who says thousands of lives
:06:48. > :06:53.could be saved if more medics knew how to spot blood poisoning.
:06:53. > :06:57.New plans for a �20 million facelift at Birmingham's National
:06:57. > :07:01.Indoor Arena had been unveiled. The NIA celebrates its 20th anniversary
:07:01. > :07:07.and it has hosted more world championship sports events than any
:07:07. > :07:13.other arena in Europe. It can hold more than 14,000 people, it has
:07:13. > :07:19.staged concerts by international superstars.
:07:19. > :07:24.Col play, Sir Paul McCartney, Eurovision - not forgetting a long
:07:24. > :07:29.sporting pedigree. 420 years the National Indoor Arena has been
:07:29. > :07:37.entertaining the public of the West Midlands and beyond. Maybe it is
:07:37. > :07:41.starting to look tired around the edges. Time then for a �20 million
:07:41. > :07:47.facelift. Two years of work to create a huge glass frontage making
:07:47. > :07:51.the most of its canalside location. Now is the time to invest in the
:07:51. > :07:56.NIA. We are doing this to protect the market share, the number of
:07:56. > :08:01.great events we attract to the city and through that we get the
:08:01. > :08:06.cultural and economic benefit. We get the employment benefit as well.
:08:06. > :08:09.Together with a new library it forms part of the council's Big
:08:09. > :08:14.City vision for a revamped Central Birmingham and it is the council
:08:14. > :08:24.that is landing the NIA the Monday -- money. Its leader Mike Whitby
:08:24. > :08:27.
:08:27. > :08:31.The point is is where the money comes from. With the council
:08:31. > :08:37.cutting millions in spending, not everyone thinks the loan is wise
:08:37. > :08:43.off their. This venue brings investment into the venue -- region,
:08:43. > :08:48.why not invest in it? Their run many thousands of people losing
:08:48. > :08:53.their jobs, we are talking about the council learning 20 million to
:08:53. > :08:57.a press these project that could have got the money somewhere else.
:08:57. > :09:01.The arena is planning to sell its naming rights to pay off the loan.
:09:01. > :09:08.Building work should start late next year.
:09:08. > :09:12.I am joined by Emma Gray from Marketing Birmingham. Why do this
:09:12. > :09:18.at a time when public money is so tight? It is important that
:09:18. > :09:23.Birmingham remains competitive and with this new plant it will help us
:09:23. > :09:27.for the future. It is a plan about the future and how we can remain
:09:27. > :09:32.competitive as a business and leisure location. We have had a
:09:32. > :09:36.year on year increase on visitor numbers but we need to reinvent
:09:36. > :09:44.ourselves and create new products that will bring people back and get
:09:44. > :09:47.our profile high. Will the ordinary people of Birmingham benefit?
:09:47. > :09:51.benefit is massive. It will provide jobs are but alongside that, when
:09:51. > :09:57.you have the big sporting events that happen with in this stadium,
:09:57. > :10:01.you get benefits within the hotel sector, restaurants, it is very
:10:01. > :10:06.widespread and there is a massive ripple effect. When will all this
:10:06. > :10:12.dark? It will start at the end of next year and it is a two year
:10:12. > :10:16.project. We think it will fit in well with the major plans that are
:10:16. > :10:21.happening within the city in terms of infrastructure. Will there be
:10:21. > :10:26.any closures to the NIA well this is going on? There will be
:10:26. > :10:31.information about that throughout the website on the NIA to keep
:10:31. > :10:35.people up-to-date. It is important that the work happens because it
:10:35. > :10:43.really does help from an economic perspective and it helps revitalise
:10:43. > :10:46.the city force DUP meanwhile, there has been a further boost to the NIA
:10:46. > :10:50.with the news that one of the world's top athletes will be
:10:50. > :10:55.competing next year. Four Mar 100 metres record holder
:10:55. > :11:02.Asafa Powell has announced his intention to compete in the Grand
:11:02. > :11:05.Prix. He will be based in Birmingham with the Jamaican team
:11:05. > :11:08.in preparation for the London Olympics.
:11:08. > :11:11.A Birmingham bookseller has been sentenced to three years in jail
:11:11. > :11:16.after being found guilty of encouraging others to carry out
:11:16. > :11:20.violent terrorist attacks. Kingston Crown Court was told some of the
:11:20. > :11:25.material sold by Ahmed Faraz contained instructions on how to
:11:25. > :11:30.make explosives and kidnap people. The 32-year-old round the Maktabah
:11:30. > :11:34.bookshop but it has now closed down. Hundreds of patients will have to
:11:34. > :11:38.wait too long to be admitted to hospital according to the West
:11:38. > :11:43.Midlands Ambulance Service. Yesterday more than 80 patients had
:11:43. > :11:47.to wait more than an hour for the handover from ambulance to hospital.
:11:47. > :11:51.All of England's 11 ambulance services experienced delays in
:11:52. > :11:55.handing over patience. 10,000 lives could be saved every
:11:55. > :12:00.year if doctors and nurses recognise the early signs of sepsis
:12:00. > :12:04.all blood poisoning. One doctor is petitioning the government to do
:12:04. > :12:11.more. Ron Daniels started his campaign after watching a man died
:12:11. > :12:16.following a simple operation. At 37, gem Abbott was fit and
:12:17. > :12:20.healthy but he started to feel ill and his body shut down. His wife
:12:20. > :12:24.Karen from near Sutton Coldfield is still trying to piece together how
:12:24. > :12:30.a vasectomy could lead to the death of her husband, leaving her with
:12:30. > :12:34.two young children. The doctor said, there is nothing we can do for him.
:12:34. > :12:41.He will lose his hands, arms and legs and he will be her brain
:12:41. > :12:46.damaged. The choice was not mind to turn the machine off, the hospital
:12:46. > :12:51.made the choice for me. This intensive care doctor was also
:12:51. > :12:55.shocked by Jem Abbott's death. By employing specialist staff and
:12:55. > :13:01.identify infections early, he believes they are saving 80 lives a
:13:01. > :13:05.year. Sepsis is a complex condition which can present to any health
:13:05. > :13:09.worker and we need to engage everybody and work with everyone to
:13:10. > :13:15.ensure we make this difference. Each year across the UK, 37,000
:13:15. > :13:21.people die of sepsis. Sepsis UK believes 10,000 of those could be
:13:21. > :13:25.saved and that would save the NHS �170 million in treatment costs.
:13:25. > :13:29.The good ideas are being rolled out across Solihull and Coventry but
:13:29. > :13:36.things move slowly be in the NHS and the plan now is to lobby
:13:36. > :13:40.government. We have an electronic petition. The idea is to engage
:13:40. > :13:44.ministers, particularly the Secretary of State for Health to
:13:45. > :13:53.ask them to persuade the Department of Health that sepsis needs to be
:13:53. > :14:03.taken seriously. All that is in Karon's gift is to try to raise
:14:03. > :14:03.
:14:03. > :14:06.You're with Midlands Today this chilly Tuesday night. Still ahead:
:14:06. > :14:12.a magic surprise for one school, as the Harry Potter star Rupert Grint
:14:12. > :14:15.pays an unannounced visit. And with the first bout of stormy
:14:15. > :14:19.weather out of the way, it's a question now of how bad it could
:14:19. > :14:28.get on Thursday night. I'll have an update for you of all the warnings
:14:28. > :14:30.later. Six Midlands towns and cities are
:14:30. > :14:36.set to experience local television for the first time under plans
:14:36. > :14:40.unveiled today by the Government. Birmingham is one of 20 "pioneer
:14:40. > :14:41.areas" where broadcasting is due to start in 2013. Others are planned
:14:41. > :14:49.for Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-upon- Avon, Kidderminster, Malvern and
:14:50. > :14:57.Hereford. Our Political Editor Patrick Burns is here with us now.
:14:57. > :15:06.Why are ministers so keen on local TV? They clean kit ties together
:15:06. > :15:12.the big themes of this government - localism and the Big Society.
:15:12. > :15:16.Instead of the big guns of the corporate world. So the want to
:15:16. > :15:20.limit the independent production companies to no more than 25%
:15:21. > :15:26.ownership of one of these licences. This has been tried before in
:15:26. > :15:31.Coventry and it flopped. Why do they think it will work this time?
:15:31. > :15:36.And think those earlier examples were on shoestring budgets. It is
:15:36. > :15:41.an expensive business. In this case the BBC has agreed to put �25
:15:42. > :15:46.million to support the start-up costs. So the government hoped
:15:46. > :15:53.there will be properly resourced and will attract a level of
:15:53. > :15:56.advertising and sponsorship. What happens next? Ofcom consult over
:15:56. > :16:03.the award of licences on a competitive tendering system which
:16:03. > :16:05.should be completed by the summer. After 20 years in a Birmingham tram
:16:05. > :16:09.depot, a collection of vintage buses and commercial vehicles is on
:16:09. > :16:11.the move. The Aston Manor Transport Museum is relocating to a former
:16:11. > :16:17.dustcart production line in Aldridge after the city council
:16:17. > :16:20.said it could no longer afford to subsidise its rent. Sarah Falkland
:16:20. > :16:26.reports. The last time this old girl was out
:16:26. > :16:28.on the open road was 1945. This Morris Dictator is one of several
:16:28. > :16:38.renovation projects that needed a low loader to take it from its old
:16:38. > :16:40.
:16:40. > :16:44.home in Aston to a new home in Aldridge. They will look after her.
:16:44. > :16:51.Where she is going there are people who do lot of preservation work so
:16:51. > :16:54.they know what to expect. There will be no more bits falling off!
:16:54. > :17:04.It will have taken six weeks in total to clear the Aston museum of
:17:04. > :17:08.exhibits. It's the end of an era. I am sad about it but the city
:17:08. > :17:10.council put us in a position where we had no other option. And this is
:17:11. > :17:13.where the new museum will be created. A former dust cart
:17:13. > :17:20.production line in Aldridge soon to grow from a bus refurbishment
:17:20. > :17:23.business to a bus manufacturing site. The majority of the buses in
:17:23. > :17:30.the collection have managed to get you to Aldridge under their own
:17:30. > :17:34.steam. Although a few did have some problems. This 1964 bus broke down
:17:34. > :17:37.try to get up the hill. The company's given the museum an
:17:37. > :17:45.initial six months rent free - with the hope of a ten year lease to
:17:45. > :17:49.follow. The museum will be located in this part of the building and
:17:49. > :17:53.the other side is where the production line will go in. There
:17:53. > :18:03.will be viewing areas were you can actually see the production in
:18:03. > :18:04.
:18:04. > :18:08.process was DUP The vision is that traditional street setting will be
:18:08. > :18:11.created as a backdrop for these trusty stalwarts of our highways.
:18:11. > :18:14.It's cost around �100 million. And it's been a political hot potato
:18:14. > :18:17.for more than 10 years. But now, the National Football Centre in
:18:17. > :18:21.Staffordshire is almost finished. It's due to open next summer, by
:18:21. > :18:27.which time England could be the new European Champions. Ian Winter has
:18:27. > :18:32.been to Burton-on-Trent for a look round.
:18:32. > :18:36.Wellington boots, hard hats and yellow jackets. We are all dressed
:18:36. > :18:43.up and champing at the bit for our first glimpse of the most famous
:18:43. > :18:47.building site in Britain. The new national football centre covers the
:18:47. > :18:54.site of 330 acres in the National Forest and will be a state of the
:18:54. > :18:58.art facility. It is the first time anyone has ever built at facility
:18:58. > :19:02.quite like these with the whole of the eastern wall all reinforced
:19:02. > :19:08.glass. You will not feel as if you are training in a big shed, you
:19:08. > :19:12.will feel as if you're somewhere special. David has been the driving
:19:12. > :19:19.force behind this massive project and today had several important
:19:19. > :19:27.guests including Paul Foot went from Aston Villa and the England
:19:27. > :19:32.boss, Fabio Capello. And would that, he was whisked away.
:19:32. > :19:40.By the time the national football centre opens next summer, it will
:19:40. > :19:47.be the next England manager who gets all the benefits of burgeon.
:19:47. > :19:50.This is the elite pitch, identical in every respect to Wembley.
:19:50. > :19:54.England's senior players will start training here next autumn in
:19:54. > :20:00.preparation for the World Cup qualifying campaign. What does this
:20:00. > :20:10.mean for the Midlands? It is great for the region. We will employ 250
:20:10. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:17.local people. It helps put us on the map at the heart of England.
:20:17. > :20:20.The FA bought this side with �2 million and three years later their
:20:20. > :20:25.plans were shelved. Four years after that they were resurrected
:20:25. > :20:30.and now, costing �100 million, the national football centre is almost
:20:30. > :20:37.complete. So we will watch and wait to see if first-class facilities
:20:37. > :20:46.produce a first-class team. Thank goodness! We have waited so
:20:46. > :20:53.long for that. Tonight, Walsall aim to reach the
:20:53. > :20:56.first round -- the third round of the FA Cup for the first time this
:20:56. > :20:59.season as they play against Dagenham.
:20:59. > :21:02.It's not everyday that an international film star pops into
:21:02. > :21:04.your school, but that's just what happened in Sutton Coldfield today.
:21:04. > :21:07.Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, went
:21:07. > :21:14.along with fellow cast member Oliver Phelps to surprise one lucky
:21:14. > :21:18.pupil, as Ben Sidwell reports. For pupils at Bishop Walsh Catholic
:21:19. > :21:28.School in Sutton Coldfield, it seemed like just another day. But
:21:28. > :21:30.today was different, there was magic in the air.
:21:30. > :21:33.Earlier this year, 17-year-old Sarah Cotter entered an online
:21:33. > :21:41.Harry Potter competition. Today, much to the surprise of herself and
:21:41. > :21:45.nearly everyone at the school, her prize arrived.
:21:45. > :21:48.Pupils had been told there were it's a special Assembly and the
:21:48. > :21:55.special guest would be the Archbishop of San Francisco. But
:21:55. > :22:01.there are about to be in for a big surprise.
:22:01. > :22:08.This is one of the most surreal days we have ever had. It is quite
:22:08. > :22:13.overwhelming. It is just a very strange experience. In everyday
:22:13. > :22:23.life you do not have that, it is quite unique. And how did the girl
:22:23. > :22:28.
:22:28. > :22:34.that made all this happen feel? my God! I don't even have the words.
:22:34. > :22:37.Everywhere Rupert and Oliver went today, there were screaming fans,
:22:37. > :22:45.desperate to capture a momento of the day that two film stars came to
:22:45. > :22:50.their school. Amazing! We have grown up with them, we're all such
:22:50. > :22:54.massive fans. What to think of Sarah for entering this
:22:54. > :22:57.competition? At the everyone will be her best friend! For Oliver
:22:57. > :23:04.Phelps, who plays George Weasley in the films, it was a chance to
:23:04. > :23:09.return home. He was born and grew up in Sutton Coldfield. Of all the
:23:09. > :23:13.places to go in the UK, this is great. I have a horrible members --
:23:13. > :23:15.memories of doing cross country on the field over there. Pupils from
:23:15. > :23:18.almost half of the UK's secondary schools entered the competition,
:23:18. > :23:20.which was run by Sainsbury's. And Sarah's victory was one shared by
:23:20. > :23:22.the whole school, with every pupil getting a copy of the new Harry
:23:22. > :23:32.Potter DVD and the school themselves 10,000 vouchers for
:23:32. > :23:33.
:23:33. > :23:40.activity equipment. I think they were all remembered
:23:40. > :23:50.this date for the less good acolytes. -- Remembrance Day for
:23:50. > :24:02.
:24:02. > :24:12.It is just like that when you turn up to work! It must have been so
:24:12. > :24:12.
:24:12. > :24:16.exciting. Now let's take a look at the
:24:16. > :24:20.Now let's take a look at the weather forecast.
:24:20. > :24:25.After the wild conditions last night we're not out of the woods
:24:25. > :24:33.yet. There are still warnings for stormy conditions on the Thursday
:24:33. > :24:38.night into the early hours of the mornings. At the moment this area
:24:38. > :24:43.of low pressure seems to be moving further south, in which case it
:24:43. > :24:49.will take those stormy conditions with it. For now the problem is
:24:49. > :24:53.that stream of showers moving into the Bristol Channel. That will
:24:53. > :25:00.contain hail and thunder. We already had reports of wintery
:25:00. > :25:04.showers today across many parts. Those will leave behind wet
:25:04. > :25:11.surfaces and so we're looking at the risk of ice on untreated
:25:11. > :25:21.services. Then tomorrow we have another feature, this rash of
:25:21. > :25:26.showers that will turn up wintery on the hilltops. But those will
:25:26. > :25:33.revert back to rained throughout the day. It is quite a cold day,
:25:33. > :25:42.but not quite so windy tomorrow. Tomorrow night, the wind dies down
:25:42. > :25:48.completely. We are looking at some heavy outbreaks of rain. But we are
:25:48. > :25:56.looking at cloudy conditions. That rain men dies away and on Thursday
:25:56. > :26:01.it is dried with some sunshine. Perhaps some stormy conditions
:26:01. > :26:05.during the night. But Friday is looking mainly dry and for Saturday
:26:05. > :26:11.things start to clear up with some sunshine. But again the potential
:26:11. > :26:15.for some ice and frost during the night as temperatures plummet again
:26:15. > :26:22.night as temperatures plummet again to freezing or perhaps just below.
:26:22. > :26:27.A look at tonight's main headlines: Shoppers have been forced to run
:26:27. > :26:30.for their lives in Belgium as a lone gunman opened fire, killing
:26:30. > :26:34.five people and himself. And inflation may be down but the
:26:34. > :26:44.annual rate is still 10 times higher than the average pay rise in
:26:44. > :26:47.
:26:47. > :26:49.the Midlands. And to our top story - news that
:26:49. > :26:51.inflation in the West Midlands is now ten times the average salary
:26:51. > :26:54.increase. Today we've been asking how it's affecting your life. Julie
:26:54. > :26:56.Norton says: "I'm trying to get full time work in the Finance
:26:56. > :26:58.Industry and trying to survive on �65 per week when my gas and
:26:58. > :27:07.electricity is �30 per week and rising!" She describes her
:27:07. > :27:17.situation as "dire". And Simon Lewis has been told he will not
:27:17. > :27:25.
:27:25. > :27:28.have a wage increase for two years. Adele Partridge says: "My husband
:27:28. > :27:30.and I are both self employed. We no longer have meals out or takeaways.
:27:30. > :27:33.We don't do any social travelling journeys so that we don't waste
:27:33. > :27:36.petrol. We are selling both of our cars to get a cheaper one. The