:00:11. > :00:15.Welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines: two elected mayors for
:00:15. > :00:21.Birmingham and Coventry if the voters say yes in a referendum.
:00:21. > :00:24.You see what has happened in London and Scotland. There is not an
:00:24. > :00:28.equivalent in Birmingham. Police are given more time to
:00:28. > :00:33.question a man over the escape of a dangerous prisoner. The longer that
:00:33. > :00:37.person is free, the more likely is they will leave a fingerprint as to
:00:38. > :00:41.where they are. As a route double-dip recession
:00:41. > :00:45.looms -- recession looms, warnings that the building industry will
:00:46. > :00:55.continue to decline. One of the country's leading
:00:56. > :01:02.
:01:02. > :01:06.dramatists has chosen this region Good evening. Tonight, Birmingham
:01:06. > :01:09.and Coventry could have brand-new directly elected mayors before the
:01:09. > :01:13.end of this year. The Cities Minister Greg Clark
:01:13. > :01:17.announced that the government is fast-tracking plans for London
:01:17. > :01:22.style mayors in 11 UK cities. It would mean referendums being held
:01:22. > :01:26.on 3rd May, the same day as this year's local elections. If there is
:01:26. > :01:30.a yes vote, the plan would be to hold votes for the new mayoral
:01:30. > :01:34.posts on what is being called Super Thursday on 15th November. The
:01:34. > :01:40.minister said he wanted to push ahead quickly to boost growth and
:01:40. > :01:44.create jobs. It is Britain's second city and
:01:44. > :01:49.today the scene of a showpiece government announcement. A horrid
:01:49. > :01:54.to -- our intention is to hold the first mayoral election on 15th
:01:54. > :01:58.November, the same day as the elections for the police
:01:58. > :02:03.commissioners. A day that I hope will be a landmark day in the shape
:02:03. > :02:08.of powers and influence from Whitehall to communities. Joining
:02:08. > :02:11.him on the panel hosted by Birmingham's Chamber of Commerce,
:02:11. > :02:15.two predicted -- political big beasts who think the mayors would
:02:15. > :02:22.do a better job than council leaders. The way the structure
:02:22. > :02:28.works does not give a platform of power to the locality. That is what
:02:28. > :02:33.I think this issue is all about. is also about profile according to
:02:33. > :02:37.this former Labour Transport Secretary. In London, virtually all
:02:37. > :02:41.Londoners know who Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone are. In
:02:41. > :02:45.Birmingham and Coventry, the leaders of councils are not nearly
:02:45. > :02:53.so well known. They are barely known at all outside of the cities.
:02:53. > :02:59.Do we know our council leader? I do not know. Mike Whitby? Ghosh,
:02:59. > :03:03.is it might Whitby? It is. thank goodness I got that right. I
:03:03. > :03:08.work for the council! On the streets of Coventry, another city
:03:08. > :03:18.to vote on whether to switch to an elected mayor in May, we find a
:03:18. > :03:20.similar response. I have not got a clue. I believe it is John Hutton.
:03:21. > :03:25.The council leader in Coventry and his Labour led authority rejected
:03:25. > :03:28.the idea of an elected mayor earlier this month. Hearing
:03:28. > :03:32.Bermingham, Labour candidates have been lining up to throw their hats
:03:32. > :03:36.into the ring. If there are some who think that putting too much
:03:36. > :03:41.power into the hands of one person could be bad for democracy. I think
:03:41. > :03:46.people will probably vote against it because they will not want the
:03:46. > :03:53.corruption and concentration of power. Spicing up the image of
:03:53. > :03:57.Birmingham is what this restaurant things they should do. A we want an
:03:57. > :04:01.ambassador how they are promoting the City. We want it promoted as a
:04:01. > :04:06.leisure and business destination and it would be fantastic.
:04:06. > :04:11.business world does not get to decide. That is the people's job.
:04:11. > :04:16.Let us talk to our correspondent from The Cube in Birmingham. Plenty
:04:16. > :04:20.of support for politicians. Is there any sign the public want a
:04:20. > :04:24.directly elected mayors? That is the key challenge, to get people
:04:24. > :04:29.here in Birmingham and Coventry actually voting in a referendum as
:04:29. > :04:36.to whether Ron not they want a directly elected mayor. -- whether
:04:36. > :04:39.or not. Getting people interested in it is a bit of a challenge.
:04:39. > :04:45.Birmingham Chamber of Commerce said to date it will be backing the yes
:04:46. > :04:50.campaign hearing Birmingham. The no plant -- the no campaign will be
:04:50. > :04:56.pushing for a no vote of course. remind us of the leading candidates.
:04:56. > :05:02.We have already had a lot of people putting their names forward. Three
:05:02. > :05:08.Labour candidates. Sean Simon, who stood down as an MP to take on this
:05:08. > :05:15.role. Another current MP and the leader of the Labour group on
:05:15. > :05:20.Birmingham City Council. Then we have some independents, the TV
:05:20. > :05:26.presenter and some other candidates. In Coventry, Bob Ainsworth is the
:05:26. > :05:30.only big name. No doubt, as we get closer to direct rent -- closer to
:05:30. > :05:35.that referendum, a lot of people will put themselves forward.
:05:35. > :05:41.We would love to know your thoughts on elected mayors. You can get in
:05:41. > :05:48.touch through our Facebook page or by email. We will hopefully read
:05:48. > :05:53.some of your pro -- comments later Later, Aston Villa, the next
:05:53. > :06:00.generation, can the club's talented youngsters move closer to European
:06:00. > :06:04.glory this evening? As the hunt continues bomb murder
:06:04. > :06:08.suspect John Anslow police have been given more time to question a
:06:08. > :06:13.44-year-old man about his escape. Anslow van Tipton in the Black
:06:13. > :06:17.Country is still on the run after he was sprung from a prison van by
:06:17. > :06:23.a gang with sledgehammers. He was heading to Stafford Crown Court
:06:23. > :06:27.from Hewell Prison on doesn't -- on Monday. What is the latest? Police
:06:28. > :06:31.have confirmed they have been given an extra 12 hours to continue
:06:31. > :06:36.questioning a man from Tipton who was arrested on Monday evening. He
:06:36. > :06:42.has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. They also
:06:42. > :06:46.say they have executed search warrants at two homes in Tipton and
:06:46. > :06:49.seized property. They hope all of us will help in the hunt for John
:06:49. > :06:54.Anslow who was due to appear at court on Monday where he faced a
:06:54. > :06:58.murder charge. A short distance from the prison where he was held,
:06:58. > :07:02.the van that was transporting him was ambushed by a gang armed with
:07:03. > :07:06.sledgehammers. The police have put up a �10,000 reward for any
:07:06. > :07:10.information that could help them in their hunt. How important has
:07:10. > :07:13.social media been in this investigation so far? Staffordshire
:07:13. > :07:18.Police say that the appeal they have posted on Facebook has now
:07:18. > :07:22.been seen by 2 million people across the country. To get a sense
:07:22. > :07:27.of this investigation and what the police are looking at, I have been
:07:27. > :07:29.speaking to a former police officer who now teaches policing and
:07:29. > :07:33.forensics at Staffordshire University of. The longer that
:07:33. > :07:36.person is free, the more likely that they will leave a fingerprint
:07:36. > :07:40.or a trace of where they are, financially or by other means.
:07:40. > :07:44.People may well bring the police or contact them and give them
:07:44. > :07:49.information. That is why the police have circulated photographs of this
:07:49. > :07:53.person because they need the assistance of the public. That
:07:53. > :07:57.gives us a sense of how the police are approaching the case. They have
:07:57. > :08:00.said that John Anslow is dangerous and that people should not approach
:08:00. > :08:05.him but call the police immediately. Thank you. The building industry
:08:06. > :08:11.will face a tough times for the next five years. The construction
:08:11. > :08:17.skills Network survey predicts at work -- approach frump construction
:08:17. > :08:20.will for by one by one the sense it -- 1.1% year by 2016. That
:08:20. > :08:26.contrasts with the national figure which will see growth of 1.4%. The
:08:26. > :08:32.fault is being blamed on the wait for large-scale projects such as
:08:32. > :08:36.Birmingham's Eastside and the High Speed 2 rail link.
:08:36. > :08:42.Dino Elbakkali has become a specialist in house extensions. He
:08:42. > :08:45.has had to because all of his commercial work has dried up. He
:08:45. > :08:48.says his building business cannot get a loan from the banks of stock
:08:48. > :08:53.we have been struggling for the past three or four years and we got
:08:53. > :08:58.used red and thanks to the domestic market that has kept us going.
:08:58. > :09:02.it was not for projects like this, we would not be here today.
:09:02. > :09:05.Today's report from Construction Industry Training Board makes for
:09:05. > :09:11.grim reading. It says that construction output in the West
:09:11. > :09:18.Midlands was rent by around one. -- 1% a year for at least five years.
:09:19. > :09:23.There will be a skills shortage ahead of the three major building
:09:23. > :09:27.projects according to the survey. Those projects include Sity Central
:09:27. > :09:32.Shopping Centre in Stoke-on-Trent. Daniel Harvey is an apprentice with
:09:32. > :09:36.the construction firm Carillion. He is learning his trade on site.
:09:36. > :09:41.have learnt quite a lot. I like to think that in a couple of years'
:09:41. > :09:44.time, I could be in a job like this myself. I would like to move abroad
:09:44. > :09:49.and advance my skills. Apprenticeships are seen as crucial
:09:49. > :09:53.for a skilled workforce. Although there will be around 5000 fewer
:09:53. > :09:58.construction jobs by 2016 in the West Midlands, jobs in Architecture
:09:58. > :10:02.and blazing are expected to increase. There will be a call of
:10:02. > :10:12.traditional skills needed such as carpentry but there will also be a
:10:12. > :10:14.
:10:14. > :10:19.huge breath of newer skills involved. This school is being
:10:19. > :10:24.built as a prestige construction project. The big uncertainty arises
:10:24. > :10:28.when these sort of contracts and, what will come next? The survival
:10:28. > :10:32.of a small builder like Dino Elbakkali's has been tested further
:10:32. > :10:35.by a young apprentices being lured away by big commercial players.
:10:35. > :10:43.That could soon change if predictions of growth in the
:10:43. > :10:47.private housing sector of realised. Earlier I spoke to Judy Lowe, the
:10:47. > :10:50.deputy chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board. I asked
:10:50. > :10:54.her what could be done to promote growth in the region's building
:10:54. > :10:58.industry. I think the first thing to make clear is that although the
:10:58. > :11:02.figures from our construction skills network report might look
:11:02. > :11:06.quite grim for the best Midlands over the next five years, you
:11:06. > :11:10.should really sit in the context of this being one of the 12 regions of
:11:10. > :11:14.the UK that has been the most successful up until now in bidding
:11:14. > :11:20.for hospital private projects and Building Schools for the Future
:11:20. > :11:24.projects. There has been a 72% growth in public sector and on
:11:24. > :11:30.housing, as it is called, investment in the West Midlands.
:11:30. > :11:35.That is since 2007. You obviously going to come down from a highlight
:11:35. > :11:39.back. You should see it as relative. It is not a that the area is in
:11:39. > :11:43.terminal decline. It is that you are no longer going to be growing
:11:43. > :11:48.at the rate you wear. Public projects are facing a dramatic
:11:48. > :11:57.decline over the next few years? Public projects, nationally, public
:11:57. > :12:02.sector housing is going to drop 25%. Schools, prisons and hospitals will
:12:02. > :12:07.also drop. In the West Midlands, those figures are myriad. 20% drop
:12:07. > :12:12.in public housing, 17% drop in public sector and on housing.
:12:12. > :12:17.Inevitably, that is going to affect the overall figures.
:12:17. > :12:21.In other news, workers are continuing to picket the Kingsbury
:12:21. > :12:24.Oil Terminal. Around 30 oil tanker drivers are taking five days of
:12:25. > :12:29.industrial action in a dispute with the delivery company Wincanton.
:12:29. > :12:34.Members of the United union walked out yesterday and claims the firm
:12:34. > :12:38.wants to cut their pay by 20%. The company says no changes will be
:12:38. > :12:42.made without union agreement. A body has been found in a car in
:12:42. > :12:45.Warwickshire. Police and firefighters were called away field
:12:45. > :12:48.in Aston Cantlow near Alcester at around 7:30am. So far,
:12:48. > :12:53.identification has not been possible.
:12:53. > :12:56.Obesity levels in the West Midlands are among the worst in the country.
:12:56. > :13:00.In some parts of the region as many as one in 10 young children are
:13:00. > :13:04.severely overweight. Today youngsters from five inner-
:13:04. > :13:14.city schools took part in a sports based project to fight back against
:13:14. > :13:15.
:13:15. > :13:19.This is a type of football with the South American origins. Children
:13:19. > :13:25.from inner-city schools in Birmingham were embracing it today.
:13:25. > :13:30.But 10% off four two five-year-olds in Birmingham are obese, according
:13:30. > :13:35.to the West Midlands Public Health Observatory. And events like this
:13:35. > :13:39.one in Birmingham are tackling the problem head-on.
:13:39. > :13:44.I have been working in schools for 17 years. You see it every year,
:13:44. > :13:46.the number of children who are overweight increasing. It is a
:13:46. > :13:52.combination of diet and also exercise.
:13:52. > :13:54.John runs a social enterprise which organised the event. It sends
:13:54. > :13:58.health mentor's into schools to help children eat healthier
:13:58. > :14:07.lifestyles. -- lead healthier lifestyles.
:14:07. > :14:12.This teacher works at one of the worst schools in the country for us
:14:12. > :14:16.-- social deprivation. We have found it has got worse with
:14:16. > :14:20.under seven-year-olds. These are children who are playing games,
:14:20. > :14:24.computer games, and don't get out on a Saturday or Sunday, going out
:14:24. > :14:27.to the park and things like that. Never the less the health message
:14:27. > :14:32.seems to be embedded in children we spoke to.
:14:32. > :14:39.If you eat too much chocolate, you will get fat. What do you have to
:14:39. > :14:43.do to make sure you don't get fat? Eat vegetables. Do sport. This
:14:43. > :14:46.project is not the only one. Another scheme in schools tackling
:14:47. > :14:50.obesity is headed by a senior public health lecturer at
:14:50. > :14:54.Birmingham University. The emphasis is on academic
:14:55. > :14:59.achievements. Schools are measured by that. Often, that is the focus
:14:59. > :15:04.they have. Things to do with physical activity is often
:15:04. > :15:08.sacrificed. Organisers of this event say they
:15:08. > :15:14.are on a mission to promote health by stealth.
:15:15. > :15:20.They seem to be loving it! Still ahead: Or the latest on the weather.
:15:20. > :15:30.It is about to turn colder with a period of heavy rain before it does.
:15:30. > :15:31.
:15:31. > :15:35.But be encouraged that it is not Six months after a famine was
:15:35. > :15:38.declared in Somalia, one charity says it has had more donations from
:15:39. > :15:46.people in Birmingham than anywhere else. Islamic Relief says the
:15:46. > :15:50.crisis in East Africa is far from over and donations are still needed.
:15:50. > :15:55.4,000 miles away from the Midlands, the fight to save lives in the
:15:55. > :15:59.Somali capital Mogadishu goes on. It might seem far removed from here,
:15:59. > :16:04.but it is work than in the West Midlands match has helped to people
:16:04. > :16:08.caught up in the first famine of the 21st century. Tens of thousands
:16:08. > :16:12.of items of clothing, unwanted in the Western world, are proving a
:16:12. > :16:16.vital lifeline. The garments are delivered to this warehouse
:16:16. > :16:21.belonging to the charity Islamic Relief. Some are sent to East
:16:21. > :16:26.Africa, others sold to raise money. This may look like a jumble sale on
:16:26. > :16:30.a massive scale, but this operation by Islamic Relief in the east
:16:30. > :16:36.Birmingham area has contributed to providing life-saving food, water
:16:36. > :16:40.and medical suppliers to 900,000 Somalis since the famine began.
:16:40. > :16:44.The charity's director has just returned from Somalia, where he has
:16:44. > :16:48.found out how the money and clothes donated up being used to help the
:16:49. > :16:54.starving. I first visit was harrowing.
:16:54. > :17:00.Traumatising. I saw thousands of people making their way across...
:17:00. > :17:06.Those were the scenes I remember being my childhood. I had not seen
:17:06. > :17:10.an exodus. I saw some organisation in the camps.
:17:10. > :17:15.Officials say a quarter of a million people are still in danger.
:17:15. > :17:18.It is estimated around 50,000 Somalis live in the West Midlands.
:17:18. > :17:27.They are desperate not to see the relief effort diminish.
:17:27. > :17:31.It is surprising, seeing de digital revolutions in the Middle East and
:17:31. > :17:34.anywhere, that we can have people dying of a lack of food. It is
:17:34. > :17:38.somewhat bizarre. Nonetheless, Islamic Relief is
:17:38. > :17:42.delighted at how the public has rallied round. Nearly 500,000
:17:42. > :17:50.tonnes of clothing has been donated to the charity by people living in
:17:50. > :17:54.Birmingham alone. That is more than in any other city.
:17:54. > :17:59.Bob joins us now from a charity shop in Birmingham.
:17:59. > :18:06.Six months after the appeal, still a dire situation in Somalia. By
:18:06. > :18:11.donations in fact shopping? They are to some extent. That
:18:11. > :18:15.depends a clearer picture, I should ask the fund-raising manager for
:18:15. > :18:18.Islamic Relief. What is the situation as far as donations are
:18:18. > :18:23.concerned? Donations have naturally dropped as
:18:23. > :18:30.a result of the fact that the media spotlight is no longer on the
:18:30. > :18:34.crisis. Of course, �72 million has been donated by the British public
:18:35. > :18:40.so far. So it is a case, though, that that is not enough?
:18:40. > :18:43.The public have been fantastic. But this has been the worst crisis in
:18:44. > :18:49.64 years. It is not the kind of thing that can be solved in six
:18:49. > :18:54.months. We have got 4 million people reliant on aid and 250,000
:18:54. > :18:57.people who are at AA real risk of starvation. What are you asking the
:18:57. > :19:01.public to do? We ask the public to continue to
:19:01. > :19:06.support us. They have been fantastic so far but we need their
:19:06. > :19:10.support to continue with the food aid, providing water for drinking
:19:11. > :19:15.purposes and sanitation, and to allow us with -- help us with
:19:15. > :19:19.medical assistance. Thank you very much. Obviously the
:19:19. > :19:23.East African situation is still a very fragile one, and the charity
:19:23. > :19:29.has concerned that if we don't donate more money, that is, the
:19:29. > :19:34.Western world, there will be a crisis there again.
:19:34. > :19:38.One of the country's top dramatists has chosen this region to film his
:19:38. > :19:44.latest big TV production. Set in the 1930s, Dancing On The Edge
:19:44. > :19:48.tells this story of a black jazz band. It is from the pen of writer
:19:48. > :19:56.and director Stephen Poliakoff. It is being are found in some rather
:19:56. > :20:00.unusual locations. Seen by many as a genius, Stephen
:20:00. > :20:05.Poliakoff, on location in Birmingham. He is responsible for
:20:05. > :20:09.many television dramas, and his new production, Dancing On The Edge, is
:20:09. > :20:15.his first five-part drama. He we are at the early 1930s, just
:20:15. > :20:19.before the rise of fascism. It is a fascinating time in the world, with
:20:19. > :20:25.the great financial crash and mass unemployment. It was a time of
:20:25. > :20:29.great change, and a worship of the new. The explosive drama stars
:20:30. > :20:33.Anthony Head. The Imperial Hotel in London. It is
:20:33. > :20:37.the 1930s. Dancing On The Edge tells the story of a black jazz
:20:37. > :20:44.band which initially shocked polite society. But gradually it achieves
:20:44. > :20:48.fame with the help of progressive socialites. But I'm told there's A
:20:48. > :20:54.murder. The location, Birmingham city
:20:54. > :21:01.council house, may not seem obvious, but the set has an incredible
:21:01. > :21:06.attention to detail. It looks very convincing. It is
:21:06. > :21:10.recreating a hotel, the Cecil Hotel, the biggest in the world at the
:21:10. > :21:14.time. It fell on hard times and was nearly demolished.
:21:14. > :21:21.Dancing On The Edge is the latest drama to be brought to the Midlands
:21:21. > :21:26.by From Birmingham, who were responsible for the BBC's Hustle.
:21:26. > :21:36.responsible for the BBC's Hustle. Figures show that Birmingham has
:21:36. > :21:45.
:21:45. > :21:51.It is hotels, food, locations... They also imply local crew. --
:21:51. > :21:56.employer. That is where the money is spent. The hotels and clubs of
:21:56. > :22:04.the time were enormous. I have tried to recreate that, not on the
:22:05. > :22:09.same budget, but to give an epic look on a small budget. Two feature
:22:09. > :22:14.films are rumoured to be happening here. With much of London being
:22:14. > :22:18.sealed off for the Olympics in the summer, Birmingham is attractive
:22:18. > :22:22.for the film industry. I'm very excited about this. A
:22:22. > :22:28.friend of ours, Dave, whose day job is a painter and decorator, is
:22:28. > :22:38.starring in this. He is dancing in a ballroom scene somewhere. Not
:22:38. > :22:39.
:22:39. > :22:46.much help to you lot, but I will There's a long interview about the
:22:46. > :22:50.prospects of the film industry on the BBC Birmingham website.
:22:50. > :22:54.Any Aston Villa fan will tell you that 1982 was their finest hour. 30
:22:54. > :22:58.years after lifting the European Cup, the club's talented youngsters
:22:59. > :23:03.are closing in on their own European final. The NextGen Cup has
:23:03. > :23:08.attracted 16 top clubs, and tonight, then a's youth academy are at home
:23:08. > :23:12.to Marseille in the quarter-finals. -- Villa's youth academy.
:23:12. > :23:17.Tension is mounting here. The children are expecting two VIP
:23:17. > :23:21.guests, and so are the teachers. But they are not sure who - until
:23:21. > :23:24.all is revealed. It is Marc Albrighton and his team-
:23:24. > :23:28.mate Gary Gardner. They have just popped in to lodge Aston Villa's
:23:28. > :23:33.new scheme to give free tickets to schools.
:23:33. > :23:36.We are not trained to speak in front of 360 kids. It is harder
:23:36. > :23:41.than playing in front of 40,000 people.
:23:41. > :23:48.At 22, Marc is to all to play in it tonight's game. But Gary, who is 19,
:23:48. > :23:58.believe nothing is to be feared for their love.
:23:58. > :24:03.I have played in every game to get to the quarter-final, and now I
:24:03. > :24:08.want to go all the way. It will be really special for us.
:24:08. > :24:11.Has Gary mentions the hat-trick he scored against Ajax? A couple of
:24:11. > :24:15.times! Those goals helped Aston Villa make
:24:15. > :24:19.the last eight and caught the eye of Alex McLeish, who decided he was
:24:19. > :24:22.old enough and good enough to make his Premier League debut. Tonight
:24:22. > :24:27.the new generation of Aston Villa players are hoping to beat
:24:27. > :24:35.Marseille, cheered on by the next generation of Aston Villa fans into
:24:35. > :24:38.the semi-finals of the NextGen Cup. And there's commentary on the game
:24:38. > :24:43.And there's commentary on the game on BBC WM. Kick-off is at 7pm.
:24:43. > :24:49.Now the weather. It has been a week so far and we
:24:49. > :24:53.have had peaks and troughs, quite literally. We had warned today and
:24:53. > :24:58.after that we have got a cold front to come tomorrow. That is going to
:24:58. > :25:02.lead to a trough, which will leave us with showers on Thursday. Then
:25:02. > :25:07.we have the peak of high pressure coming from the south-west by
:25:07. > :25:15.Friday. So it is all go at the moment. It all amounts to it being
:25:15. > :25:21.colder and,, and also drier and sunnier. That is a bonus. -- holder
:25:21. > :25:27.and drier. For tonight we have got a band of rain going through. It is
:25:27. > :25:33.going to be a heavy bag of rain, producing in the region of 10-20 mm
:25:33. > :25:40.of rain. Behind it we had got clearer skies, and it is going to
:25:40. > :25:46.turn colder. Temperatures are down to a minimum of two Sell Sears. We
:25:46. > :25:50.could see some ice there. Those clearer skies in date from the West
:25:50. > :25:55.tomorrow morning, so because of those we wake up to a lot of
:25:55. > :26:03.sunshine. We have got scatter showers across the region, which
:26:03. > :26:08.could turn wintry. But a top temperature of around six or seven
:26:08. > :26:11.Celsius. Still quite breezy from the south-west. A cold night, but
:26:11. > :26:16.the south-west. A cold night, but as I say, by Friday it is going to
:26:16. > :26:21.turn drier and sunnier. A look at tonight's headlines: That
:26:21. > :26:23.shrinking feeling - the UK economy went into reverse at the end of
:26:23. > :26:26.last year. And there could be elected mayors
:26:26. > :26:30.for Birmingham and Coventry before the end of the year if voters say
:26:30. > :26:38.yes in a referendum. On that note, a lot of comments on
:26:38. > :26:44.this coming in from you all. Thank you very much for them. Paul says a
:26:44. > :26:46.male would do great things for the city. In the days when politicians
:26:46. > :26:51.are celebrities, it would be a good thing.
:26:51. > :26:58.But most seemed against. The Shaun Harrison says giving one person so
:26:58. > :27:03.much power will be a bad. Another person says where is the
:27:03. > :27:10.money going to come from two done this extra layer of government?
:27:10. > :27:20.Another says who is going to pay the staff and costs? This is the
:27:20. > :27:22.
:27:22. > :27:28.end of democracy. Geoff Woodward, a Coventry