:00:03. > :00:08.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today with Nick Owen and Suzanne Virdee.
:00:08. > :00:12.The headlines tonight: Unemployment is up again in the region. It rose
:00:12. > :00:14.by 13,000 between October and December last year.
:00:14. > :00:19.It's been a real desperation feeling, depressed, like I don't
:00:19. > :00:23.have a purpose. Bring back the traffic lights. A
:00:23. > :00:29.family's plea after a man was hit and killed at a rearranged junction.
:00:29. > :00:32.How can a 71-year-old man share a space with a five tonne bus? You
:00:32. > :00:35.can't. Nearly 40 years on, the brother and
:00:35. > :00:39.sister of the youngest victim of the Birmingham pub bombs call for
:00:40. > :00:43.an inquiry into exactly what happened.
:00:43. > :00:48.Only those who have been there know the grief and suffering that stays
:00:48. > :00:58.with you your whole life. And, after a dry winter, are we
:00:58. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :01:07.once again facing a drought? Good evening, welcome to
:01:07. > :01:10.Wednesday's Midlands Today from the BBC. Tonight, two sides of the
:01:10. > :01:16.region's economy. More gloomy unemployment figures, but bumper
:01:16. > :01:19.sales for one of our biggest car manufacturers.
:01:19. > :01:22.The number of people unemployed in the region has risen by 13,000.
:01:22. > :01:28.It's a grim statistic but JLR is bucking the trend, taking on staff
:01:28. > :01:33.and celebrating record breaking profits with sales up by 57%. More
:01:33. > :01:38.on that in a moment. First let's take a closer look those
:01:38. > :01:41.unemployment figures. The overall number of people out of work in the
:01:41. > :01:48.final three months of last year final three months of last year
:01:48. > :01:52.rose to 247,000. That's 9.3% of the potential working population. Ben
:01:52. > :01:55.Godfrey spoke to one man desperate to work but who says he's been told
:01:55. > :01:57.accepting a part time job would make him worse off, because he'd
:01:57. > :02:07.make him worse off, because he'd make him worse off, because he'd
:02:07. > :02:07.
:02:07. > :02:12.Simon and Milligan is an experienced what unemployed retail
:02:12. > :02:18.manager. There is absolutely nothing
:02:18. > :02:27.available. He left his job after his bank
:02:27. > :02:33.changed their mind and with through a previous offer.
:02:33. > :02:37.He receives a jobseeker's allowance and housing benefits. He says that
:02:37. > :02:44.if he worked any less than their pay five Arabs per week on the
:02:44. > :02:51.minimum wage then it would not match his current benefits. -- 35
:02:51. > :02:58.Arrows per week. I will be out of pocket if I take
:02:58. > :03:02.on a part-time job. What is the benefit of working?
:03:02. > :03:09.The number of people working part- time in the United Kingdom has
:03:09. > :03:15.increased by 83,000 over the last quarter. The largest increase since
:03:15. > :03:21.comparable records began in 1992. The Citizens Advice Bureau says
:03:21. > :03:25.that some job seekers are not properly informed.
:03:25. > :03:29.If you move from being out of work you must claim additional
:03:29. > :03:36.assistance whilst in work. Sometimes people do not understand
:03:36. > :03:40.that. With 9% of the West Midland
:03:40. > :03:46.population unemployed the Government recognises a need for
:03:46. > :03:50.reform. We need to build and incentives to
:03:51. > :03:58.work in the welfare system. That is fundamental. People find themselves
:03:58. > :04:02.better off on benefits and we must move away from that situation.
:04:02. > :04:12.Simon says he is now suffering bouts of depression. He does not
:04:12. > :04:15.
:04:15. > :04:18.want to be on benefits but is left Luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover
:04:18. > :04:22.has announced a major boost in profits and it's partly down to
:04:22. > :04:25.soaring sales in China. More cars are now sold in the Far East than
:04:25. > :04:29.the UK and they've benefited from the popularity of the new Range
:04:29. > :04:31.Rover 'Evoque' model which came out last year. Bob Hockenhull reports.
:04:31. > :04:33.Jaguar Land Rover's good fortune continues apace against the
:04:34. > :04:39.background of a fragile economy. Latest figures show company profits
:04:39. > :04:41.rose by 57% in the last quarter of 2011 to �440 million. All this as
:04:41. > :04:51.the company looks to recruit hundreds more workers in the
:04:51. > :04:53.
:04:53. > :04:58.Midlands and build a new engine plant at Wolverhampton.
:04:58. > :05:02.Success in emerging economies is driving growth. There is a huge
:05:02. > :05:12.middle-class in emerging countries keen to show off their wealth and
:05:12. > :05:14.
:05:14. > :05:17.what better way than by driving a Range Rover?
:05:17. > :05:20.It's not good news for another West Midlands firm though. Brierley Hill
:05:20. > :05:23.based Aerospace parts supplier Hampson Industries is up for sale.
:05:23. > :05:26.The company founded in West Bromwich in 1947 has �55 million of
:05:26. > :05:28.debt. A far cry from the fate of Jaguar Landrover's Indian owners
:05:28. > :05:32.Tata. It's reporting overall profits of 41%, paving the way for
:05:32. > :05:35.yet more expansion of its car business.
:05:35. > :05:45.Later in the programme, find out how grafitti art is being used to
:05:45. > :05:54.
:05:54. > :05:58.inspire and empower young men who The family of a pensioner who died
:05:58. > :06:01.a month after being hit by a bus have called for traffic lights to
:06:01. > :06:03.be re-installed at the junction where the accident happened. 71-
:06:03. > :06:09.year-old David Thompson from Coventry was knocked over in the
:06:09. > :06:11.city centre after changes had been made to the road system.
:06:11. > :06:14.David Thompson, who was partially sighted, was a regular visitor to
:06:14. > :06:18.Coventry city centre, but just over a month ago whilst crossing this
:06:18. > :06:26.new junction he was hit by a bus. He suffered a catalogue of serious
:06:26. > :06:29.injuries and died on Sunday. The junction had previously been
:06:29. > :06:32.equipped with traffic lights but they were removed as part of a
:06:32. > :06:41.scheme to make it a so called "shared space", a move which has
:06:41. > :06:47.angered David's family. How can a 71-year-old man she is a
:06:47. > :06:52.space with a five tonne bus? You cannot do that. I am sure of the
:06:52. > :06:54.traffic lights where there this would not have happened.
:06:54. > :06:57.A police investigation into the incident is on going, and Coventry
:06:57. > :07:00.Council say they can't comment whilst that's ongoing. But they did
:07:00. > :07:03.point out that there had been three accidents on this junction when the
:07:03. > :07:06.traffic lights were here in the five years leading up to their
:07:06. > :07:08.removal. Other local authorities where this type of junction has
:07:08. > :07:11.been introduced report safety improvements, for example, Ashford
:07:11. > :07:14.in Kent has had a similar scheme for more than three years, and say
:07:14. > :07:24.there has been a more than 50% reduction in pedestrian and vehicle
:07:24. > :07:25.
:07:25. > :07:33.accidents. There were mixed views in Coventry today.
:07:33. > :07:37.I think it is all right. We have an attitude where we do not
:07:37. > :07:42.give way. Everybody wants to the first.
:07:42. > :07:50.If I was driving here I would not know who's right of way it is. That
:07:50. > :07:54.would be an issue. The family now hope they will get
:07:54. > :08:04.answers from an ongoing police investigation. An appeal for
:08:04. > :08:07.witnesses has been renewed. A nursery worker who was jailed for
:08:07. > :08:10.life for the rape of a toddler and a string of sexual offences against
:08:11. > :08:13.children has had his sentence cut. Paul Wilson, who is 21 and from
:08:13. > :08:16.Nechells in Birmingham, was convicted last year of raping the
:08:16. > :08:19.toddler from Little Stars Nursery, where he worked for eighteen months.
:08:19. > :08:29.Wilson had his sentence cut from 15 years to 13-and-a-half years on
:08:29. > :08:34.
:08:34. > :08:39.appeal. French prosecutors have begun an investigation into a Nazi
:08:39. > :08:44.deemed stag party at a French ski resort which the local MP, Aidan
:08:44. > :08:54.Barclay, attended. There have been calls for the Conservative whip to
:08:54. > :08:59.
:08:59. > :09:02.The family of a teenager killed in the Birmingham pub bombings nearly
:09:02. > :09:05.40 years ago are urging the police to reopen their investigation into
:09:05. > :09:08.who planted the bombs. In her first ever TV interview the younger
:09:08. > :09:14.sister of Maxine Hambleton says she'll never find peace until the
:09:14. > :09:20.killers are caught. Giles Latcham reports.
:09:20. > :09:30.We came home from school and discovered that Maxine was there.
:09:30. > :09:33.
:09:33. > :09:42.We asked, was she hurt? No, she was killed. Our lives fell apart.
:09:42. > :09:50.Maxine was in one of two pubs are bombed by the IRA in 1974. There is
:09:50. > :09:55.now no trace but the sense of loss for the family's remains real.
:09:55. > :10:01.Maxine Hambleton's older brother is haunted by his memories of the
:10:01. > :10:09.night. I gave her a lift into town. There
:10:09. > :10:15.were probably only minutes and it. Only those who have been there are
:10:15. > :10:22.no their grief and suffering that stays with you all your life. There
:10:22. > :10:27.is not aid day that has gone by that I do not think about her.
:10:27. > :10:34.The convictions of the six men jailed for the bombings were
:10:34. > :10:41.overturned in 1991. So who was guilty? The family's generated a
:10:41. > :10:46.petition aimed at reopening the case. A local MP supports them.
:10:46. > :10:56.It is about giving closure to the family's. That is what needs to
:10:56. > :11:00.
:11:00. > :11:09.happen. Everybody has the right to justice.
:11:09. > :11:13.There were 21 people killed. Who is investigating for them?
:11:13. > :11:22.The winds that remain open and not everybody is prepared to grieve in
:11:22. > :11:25.A Black Country metal dealer has introduced new ways of checking
:11:25. > :11:28.customers to help combat the rise in thefts, before the government
:11:28. > :11:31.brings in its own legislation. New laws would stop cash in hand
:11:31. > :11:34.transactions, making it harder for thieves to sell on stolen goods
:11:34. > :11:44.such as lead stripped from roofs. But one trader here isn't prepared
:11:44. > :11:50.to wait and is bringing in a register of customers. Dave Smith
:11:50. > :11:53.is a regular at the scrap yard but today he is signing up to a
:11:53. > :12:01.voluntary Registrar of customers which means that the recyclers hold
:12:01. > :12:06.his personal details to help crack down on illegal trading.
:12:06. > :12:10.It is a good idea. There are factories being closed whilst
:12:10. > :12:16.people are stealing copper. It is a disruption of the whole working
:12:16. > :12:22.industry. Customers must also complete legal
:12:22. > :12:26.paperwork and the register is used for cross-checking.
:12:26. > :12:30.Sadly we cannot take everybody's war but that they are telling us
:12:30. > :12:34.the truth. But by voluntary membership of the scheme we know
:12:34. > :12:40.that their information is correct, protects the business, and protect
:12:40. > :12:50.the customer. That is the way forward for this trade.
:12:50. > :12:52.
:12:52. > :12:57.Metal prices have rocketed in recent years. It is easy to see why
:12:57. > :13:00.tightening up the industry has become an issue. In West Bromwich
:13:01. > :13:07.police are looking of the owners of a distinctive plaque believed to
:13:07. > :13:12.have been stolen. It belongs to a family whose
:13:12. > :13:16.members fought for their country. It has sentimental value and we
:13:16. > :13:25.would like to restore it to its rightful place and also bring any
:13:25. > :13:31.offenders to justice for this despicable crime.
:13:31. > :13:35.Back at the recyclers the owners say that a plaque like that would
:13:35. > :13:41.immediately raised alarm bells if brought in. The police are
:13:41. > :13:48.appealing for information. A war reporter has been following that
:13:48. > :13:53.story and is with us now. -- hour reporter. Police are keen to
:13:53. > :14:00.reunite that black with its rightful owner. But it is turning
:14:00. > :14:09.into a mystery. -- reunite the plaque with its owner. It is about
:14:09. > :14:13.to family members, Edward Welch and Vere Welch, who fought for their
:14:13. > :14:18.country. We have tracked down a picture of another brother who
:14:18. > :14:23.fought with the 91st Highlanders. It is thought that the plaque comes
:14:23. > :14:29.from Cheltenham because of a marking on it which refers to the
:14:29. > :14:33.family home which stood in Cheltenham. The thought is that it
:14:33. > :14:42.was in a church in that a rare and that anybody can shed any light,
:14:42. > :14:45.police would like to hear from them. Still to come here on Midlands
:14:45. > :14:49.Today, the stoppage time penalty that could just be the turning
:14:49. > :14:52.point in Coventry City's troubled season. And after such a dry winter,
:14:52. > :14:55.there's a desperate need for more rain and it looks as though we
:14:55. > :15:01.could get some this week - it's just a question of whether it's
:15:01. > :15:05.enough. I'll have more for you later.
:15:05. > :15:07.To the question over how much rain we'll get in the next few weeks.
:15:07. > :15:11.There's growing concerns about whether the Midlands could be
:15:11. > :15:14.heading for a drought. River and reservoir levels are low and,
:15:14. > :15:17.behind the scenes, enormous efforts are underway to make sure our taps
:15:17. > :15:24.don't run dry. Ahead of a big government summit next week, our
:15:24. > :15:31.Environment Correspondent has been investigating. Draycote reservoir
:15:31. > :15:39.in Warwickshire. Read-outs in the control room revealed that levels
:15:39. > :15:49.have plummeted. Normally at this time of year we
:15:49. > :15:57.
:15:57. > :16:05.would be at around 80%, instead of 50%.
:16:05. > :16:08.This pipe we aim to complete by next week and we will aim to pump
:16:08. > :16:15.12.5 million litres of water per day.
:16:15. > :16:19.That is five pipes flowing daily and it is one of dozens of schemes
:16:19. > :16:23.behind the scenes. Severn Trent are confident that customers will not
:16:23. > :16:29.face water restrictions at the moment but the lack of water is
:16:29. > :16:34.already causing problems for farmers. It is a patchy picture.
:16:34. > :16:42.The river is high enough to top up the reservoir but others are so low
:16:42. > :16:47.that extraction licences have been suspended. Bad news for farmers.
:16:47. > :16:51.This is an unusual situation. We encourage farmers to fill their
:16:51. > :16:56.winter storage reservoirs for the summer. We're still trying to help
:16:57. > :17:06.them do that but obviously with this whether there are limitations.
:17:07. > :17:08.
:17:08. > :17:14.We're getting closer and closer to 11 the programme we were discussing
:17:14. > :17:18.unemployment figures, along with the good news for Jaguar Land Rover.
:17:18. > :17:24.-- earlier in the programme. We can now talk to the former trade
:17:24. > :17:34.minister, Lord Digby Jones. Let's talk about Jaguar Land Rover.
:17:34. > :17:35.
:17:35. > :17:41.Fantastic figures. What can other companies learn? They are well
:17:42. > :17:47.invested. A modern factory in the modern plant. And a product range
:17:47. > :17:52.to die for. They are emblematic of British manufacturing. If you make
:17:53. > :17:59.something which Asia once, and which is a good, well-made product,
:17:59. > :18:05.you will sell all of them. Our exports are cheaper and the
:18:05. > :18:15.customers in Asia, possibly Brazil and America, the want to buy this
:18:15. > :18:17.
:18:17. > :18:27.stuff. If we're in Liverpool, or the West Midlands, it is great news.
:18:27. > :18:33.It is British... We are very proud, ardent we?
:18:33. > :18:36.Just remember that success has many parents, failure is an orphan.
:18:36. > :18:40.There were questions previously about whether the parent company
:18:40. > :18:45.would continue investing, and whether we had sold out to the
:18:45. > :18:52.Indians. Not only have they invested but they have produced
:18:52. > :18:55.even more money. Good news from the Bank of England,
:18:55. > :19:01.based say they do not expect a double dip recession. Are we on the
:19:01. > :19:07.road to recovery? I do not think things will get
:19:07. > :19:11.worse. Inflation is coming down. The employment figures are bad news
:19:12. > :19:19.in one or two ways but if you have a skill, skilled employment is
:19:19. > :19:23.going up. It will bump along the bottom but it will not get any
:19:23. > :19:30.worse. What I would say to people watching tonight, if you have got a
:19:30. > :19:35.young person, do not be disheartened. We do not need rocket
:19:35. > :19:40.scientists, but get in the habit of getting a scale. When the economy
:19:40. > :19:45.perks up it will feed through quickly.
:19:45. > :19:51.So to recap, I get a scale, and if you are a company, look for a
:19:51. > :19:56.market? Yes, and if you have a part-time
:19:56. > :20:02.job, get some benefits, and if you have benefits, get some skills. It
:20:02. > :20:12.does not have to be all-or-nothing. That is important.
:20:12. > :20:20.
:20:20. > :20:23.Thank you for talking to us. It's been a long hard season at the
:20:23. > :20:26.Ricoh Arena. But one man captured the mood of 15,000 Coventry City
:20:26. > :20:29.fans last night. It was the best feeling I've had in a long time,
:20:29. > :20:37.said Gary McSheffrey, after two successful penalties gave the Sky
:20:37. > :20:44.Blues fresh hope that relegation isn't a racing certainty after all.
:20:44. > :20:50.Coventry City are still fighting for survival. They were tied at 1 -
:20:50. > :20:57.1 until injury time last night when the score but this one are and will
:20:57. > :21:03.lifted off the bottom, now six points adrift of safety.
:21:03. > :21:10.We have for home wins from our last five. This was a good win tonight.
:21:10. > :21:20.We deserve it. The Blues is slapped a couple of
:21:20. > :21:22.
:21:22. > :21:27.places to 5th after a goalless draw at home to Hull City. Walsall were
:21:27. > :21:36.defeated at Oldham, they missed out on a point to a last minute penalty
:21:36. > :21:43.miss. Shrewsbury Town impressive home record continued. They are
:21:43. > :21:46.just two points off the leaders. We had lots of possession. We did
:21:46. > :21:53.not open them up as much as we should have done but in the end I
:21:53. > :21:58.thought we deserved it. And port Vale produced the goal of
:21:58. > :22:08.the night. A spectacular volley from Lewis dogs which earned them a
:22:08. > :22:09.
:22:09. > :22:12.draw at Bradford City. What's the latest on Wolves search
:22:12. > :22:15.for a new manager? One man has emerged today as the
:22:15. > :22:19.red hot favourite to succeed Mick McCarthy. The bookies are quoting
:22:19. > :22:23.odds of 4/1 that Alan Curbishley will get the job. He's 54 years old.
:22:23. > :22:26.He spent 15 years with Charlton where he twice won promotion to the
:22:26. > :22:28.Premier League. And six years ago, he was being tipped as a future
:22:28. > :22:33.England manager. He also likes the Midlands, having played for
:22:33. > :22:37.Birmingham City and Aston Villa in the early 1980s.
:22:37. > :22:40.And it's sure to be a big night for Stoke City tomorrow, the next
:22:40. > :22:44.chapter in their Europa League adventure. The Spanish giants
:22:44. > :22:47.Valencia are coming to the Britannia Stadium. They're lying
:22:47. > :22:50.3rd in the Spanish Primera Liga, so Stoke must make the most of their
:22:50. > :22:54.home advantage in tomorrow's first leg. But the Potters have lost only
:22:54. > :22:57.once in 10 Europa League games this season. So it could be a
:22:57. > :23:07.fascinating match. Tomorrow, we'll have a full preview of the big game.
:23:07. > :23:16.And of course, there will be full match commentary on BBC Radio Stoke.
:23:16. > :23:20.And their next game is against Crawley, a bet of a contrast!
:23:20. > :23:23.It's normally thought of as a blot on some of our landscape, but this
:23:23. > :23:26.week it could be a force for good. It's being used to inspire young
:23:26. > :23:28.people on one of the region's most deprived housing estates. The
:23:28. > :23:31.Bromford Estate is in the Hodge Hill constituency of Birmingham,
:23:31. > :23:34.where more than 10% of residents are on benefits - the second
:23:34. > :23:38.highest rate in the country. But it's hoped this week's scheme will
:23:38. > :23:41.change attitudes both on the estate and beyond.
:23:41. > :23:44.Graffiti can be a common sight here on the Bromford estate in North
:23:44. > :23:47.Birmingham. But this time it's being done for the right reasons.
:23:47. > :23:53.This cube will eventually become a piece of public art known as
:23:54. > :23:59."Bromford Dreams". We want to show that the media
:23:59. > :24:04.portrayal of the youth of today is not very true. That stereotype is
:24:04. > :24:08.completely wrong. We can do things to help the community, not destroy
:24:08. > :24:10.This partnership between the University of Birmingham and the
:24:10. > :24:13.youth charity Worth Unlimited has attracted the renowned local
:24:13. > :24:21.graffiti artist Mohammed Ali. He wants to help inspire these young
:24:21. > :24:27.men and encourage them to aim high. It is easy to talk about doom and
:24:27. > :24:33.gloom with the economic situation. But actually, trying to fight
:24:33. > :24:36.against the grain a little bit. young men taking part this week are
:24:36. > :24:41.willing to learn, and try something new. Their background is far from
:24:41. > :24:46.privileged but their attitude is positive.
:24:46. > :24:51.I have learnt lots on the street to be fair. And I have a lot of will
:24:51. > :24:59.power. If you do not do what you have got
:24:59. > :25:02.to do then you will not work for a job.
:25:02. > :25:05.The Cube will eventually go on display at Birmingham Museum and
:25:05. > :25:13.Art Gallery and will bring this group's message to a wider audience.
:25:13. > :25:19.But that audience also needs to be willing to learn.
:25:19. > :25:29.People look at what we have done and it might open their eyes. Not
:25:29. > :25:33.everybody is interested in Brom fought.
:25:33. > :25:43.A handwritten manuscript by Sir Edward Elgar has been discovered by
:25:43. > :25:45.
:25:45. > :25:50.council staff sorting through older boxes. It was replayed on the Taras
:25:50. > :26:00.instrument made up of keyboards and bells. Now the council aims to put
:26:00. > :26:03.
:26:03. > :26:13.And now the weather. Sightings of daffodils this week but hardly
:26:13. > :26:13.
:26:13. > :26:18.surprising that nature is confused. But we will see a temporary drop in
:26:18. > :26:25.temperatures on Sunday. Warm air will desert us temporarily but it
:26:25. > :26:30.should return by next week. Before, a couple of fronts to come through.
:26:30. > :26:35.And there will be rain later in the week. But not nearly enough to
:26:35. > :26:41.allay fears of the potential to rout. Speaking of the cold,
:26:41. > :26:48.temperatures will drop tonight. We are envisaging lend their clear
:26:48. > :26:56.spells than originally thought. -- length hair. We are looking at a
:26:56. > :27:00.touch of ground frost. With that those clear spells we're looking at
:27:00. > :27:06.sunshine in the morning. Gradually throughout the day the cloud will
:27:06. > :27:10.thicken from the north. This front will head from that direction and
:27:11. > :27:16.introduce light rain to parts of Staffordshire by the afternoon. But
:27:16. > :27:22.it will stay largely dry. Reasonable temperatures, are around
:27:22. > :27:26.ten Celsius with light winds from the West. Tonight we'll see the
:27:26. > :27:36.cloud increase across the region and the rain moved southwards. So a
:27:36. > :27:39.