:00:11. > :00:15.Welcome to Midlands Today. Give us the right to strike. The
:00:15. > :00:19.call for police cool are angry about proposed reforms.
:00:19. > :00:24.escarpment seems to delight in kicking ass in the teeth time and
:00:24. > :00:29.time again -- this government. Hectic times on the forecourt, how
:00:29. > :00:31.they are coping at petrol stations. Royal approval as unemployed
:00:31. > :00:38.youngsters trained for a job in forestry.
:00:38. > :00:42.And how pedal-powered could net �100,000 as two of our finest plant
:00:42. > :00:45.to cycle the event of Britain. is going to be tough. If I can get
:00:46. > :00:55.through it and raised the amount of money we are hoping to raise, I
:00:56. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:07.Good evening. Welcome to Midlands Today. Tonight, we have had enough.
:01:07. > :01:12.The angry message for David Cameron and his government from the men who
:01:12. > :01:17.represent more than 12,000 police officers in our region.
:01:17. > :01:20.The chairman of four police federation branch is said they felt
:01:20. > :01:24.kicked in the teeth by plans to reform the service. It follows a
:01:24. > :01:29.review into police pay and recruitment between them, these
:01:29. > :01:33.four men represent 12,500 police officers across the West Midlands.
:01:33. > :01:37.Those officers are telling them that they have had enough. What
:01:37. > :01:41.concerns our members, a our professional members, is that this
:01:41. > :01:46.government seems to enjoy and delight in kicking us in the teeth
:01:46. > :01:49.time and time again. The police service according to the Police
:01:49. > :01:54.Federation is under sustained attack from budget cuts and reform.
:01:54. > :01:58.Out of 7005 ended officers, the West Midlands is losing 1200.
:01:58. > :02:08.Warwickshire has eight and about 50 police and is cutting 200. There
:02:08. > :02:09.
:02:09. > :02:14.are 2000 officers and former Diprose will go -- Warwickshire has
:02:14. > :02:22.850 police. Their anger is directed at this man, Tom Winsor, who was
:02:22. > :02:27.recruited by the government to do the review. It suggests enabling
:02:28. > :02:31.forces to make officers compulsorily redundant. A our
:02:31. > :02:35.members are saying that if they are to be treated as employees, they
:02:35. > :02:42.deserve the same rights and legal protection and that includes the
:02:42. > :02:48.right to strike. Police officers are currently a -- banned from
:02:48. > :02:52.striking and any change to the rules would have to be voted by the
:02:52. > :02:58.MPs. They are now asking officers what they think about industrial
:02:58. > :03:02.action. Within 24 hours of opening a poll, 92% of officers were in
:03:02. > :03:07.favour of seeking the right to strike action. They have come to
:03:07. > :03:12.the point where enough is enough. A my personal hope is that the
:03:12. > :03:14.government will realise the strength of feeling in the UK and
:03:14. > :03:18.in police officers across the country and will change what they
:03:18. > :03:21.propose. The federation say they want the government to reject the
:03:21. > :03:26.review and set up a royal commission to investigate the
:03:26. > :03:30.future of policing. The Home Office declined an offer
:03:30. > :03:32.to be interviewed on Midlands Today but they have issued a statement
:03:32. > :03:35.from the Policing Minister and Nick Herbert.
:03:35. > :03:40.It reads, the proportion of the police were forced on this front
:03:40. > :03:43.line is in fact increasing with some 25,000 officers in backroom
:03:43. > :03:50.post. There is therefore plenty of scope to make savings while
:03:50. > :03:57.pretending -- protecting frontline policing. By cutting bureaucracy,
:03:57. > :04:00.we are increasing one doesn't 500 officers on the beat. A later, --
:04:00. > :04:05.increasing 1500 officers. How more and more companies are
:04:05. > :04:09.using social media for marketing. It has been a glorious week, but it
:04:09. > :04:13.will turn cooler and cloudier. Make the most of the sunshine tomorrow.
:04:14. > :04:18.Full forecast later in the programme.
:04:18. > :04:21.Queues have formed at petrol stations as demand for fuel shot up
:04:21. > :04:24.after ministers called for people to top up in case of a tanker
:04:25. > :04:32.drivers' strike. Some carriages ran dry but
:04:32. > :04:37.retailers said they were coping and normal deliveries would ensure that
:04:37. > :04:40.supplies were replenished. Ministers said that they have not
:04:40. > :04:44.caused panic buying. We have been finding out what it is like to run
:04:44. > :04:50.a garage to date. Feast of famine, that old saying
:04:50. > :04:55.was turned on its head today. This forecourt began on empty after
:04:55. > :05:00.forecourt panic-buying yesterday. We will have fresh petrol since.
:05:00. > :05:06.Then, there was a queue of customers who were ready to feast
:05:06. > :05:12.on the fresh delivery they had followed in. I sort beak again and
:05:12. > :05:15.I followed it here. -- I saw the wagon and I followed it. George
:05:15. > :05:20.Osborne and David Cameron are completely out of touch. They have
:05:20. > :05:24.caused panic buying. I think it is a fuss about nothing. A strike has
:05:24. > :05:27.not been announced yet so what is the point in ticking off yet?
:05:27. > :05:33.strike has not been officially declared so why is everyone
:05:33. > :05:39.panicking? David Cameron should have kept his Clapp shrub. 40,000
:05:39. > :05:48.litres of diesel and petrol have come in but 15,000 went straight
:05:48. > :05:54.back out again -- he should have kept his clapped shut. It says the
:05:54. > :05:59.next available date... I am not a happy chap. The petrol station
:05:59. > :06:04.owner has just found out that his next tanker will not be back until
:06:04. > :06:11.Tuesday which is a worry. This delivery usually lasts five days
:06:11. > :06:17.but at this rate his palms will be empty again by tomorrow. -- his
:06:17. > :06:21.pumps it looks busy but you do not sell any more. After that, you are
:06:21. > :06:27.sitting around doing nothing. strike date has been set and there
:06:27. > :06:35.would be seven days' notice in any event. The advice to top up as a
:06:35. > :06:40.precaution and not panic is proving a hard sell.
:06:40. > :06:43.We will have more on the fuel panic buying tomorrow. Plenty of comments
:06:43. > :06:46.on our Facebook age. The body of a soldier from
:06:47. > :06:50.Wolverhampton who was killed in Afghanistan last week has been
:06:50. > :06:55.blown back home to the UK. Captain Rupert Bowers from 2nd Battalion
:06:55. > :06:59.The Mercian Regiment was killed by a roadside bomb. His body along
:06:59. > :07:09.with two other British servicemen was flown into RAF Brize Norton in
:07:09. > :07:26.
:07:26. > :07:29.The repatriation of Captain Rupert Bowers this afternoon at Brize
:07:29. > :07:36.Norton. The shadow of a compact and
:07:36. > :07:44.secretary Liam Byrne is to resign from Ed Miliband's front bench to
:07:44. > :07:51.stand for mayor in Birmingham if the voters vote Yes in main's
:07:51. > :07:55.referendum. -- maid's referendum. Computer problems have led to
:07:55. > :07:58.delays at Birmingham airport's immigration desk. A UK Border
:07:58. > :08:03.Agency spokesman said that a survey malfunction had been caused by a
:08:03. > :08:10.power cut. Bass said the priority was to maintain security of the UK
:08:10. > :08:15.border at all times -- they said. Business leaders in Coventry say
:08:15. > :08:19.they are angry after Liam Byrne confirmed it is closing a clothing
:08:19. > :08:23.warehouse with the loss of 500 jobs. It is planning to transfer the work
:08:23. > :08:27.it does for Sainsbury's to a larger depot in Bedford. The site in the
:08:27. > :08:31.Walsgrave area of the city will close next year.
:08:31. > :08:35.Stafford hospital bosses have approved plans to reopen the A&E
:08:35. > :08:40.Department it at night in June. The department has been closed from
:08:40. > :08:45.10pm until 8am until last December because of staff shortages. It will
:08:45. > :08:49.fully reopened on 11th June provided targets for staff,
:08:49. > :08:51.training and waiting times a map. Small companies in the West
:08:51. > :08:56.Midlands have been given an opportunity to boost their
:08:56. > :09:00.businesses. One of the world's largest banks is funded a programme
:09:00. > :09:04.to help firms to grow. The money is being used by business
:09:04. > :09:08.experts from Aston University to help entrepreneurs flourish and
:09:08. > :09:13.more importantly create jobs. We have visited one company which
:09:13. > :09:15.is benefiting. Goldman Sachs, the world's most
:09:15. > :09:22.powerful investment bank, is lending a hand to businesses across
:09:22. > :09:26.the West Midlands. It is paying for entrepreneurial experts from Aston
:09:26. > :09:30.University to run programs on business growth. The purpose is to
:09:30. > :09:34.ensure that the Midlands benefits from building a power port of
:09:34. > :09:38.businesses who are able to deliver a significant growth into the
:09:38. > :09:42.region creating jobs and wealth for these companies. The key aspect is
:09:42. > :09:50.that we will work intensively with the businesses. It is a unique
:09:50. > :09:56.offer. So far 60 companies are benefiting among them Jenvey
:09:56. > :10:01.Dynamics which makes mortar -- motor sport components. They had a
:10:01. > :10:04.business plan before but I did not have the detailed about how to
:10:04. > :10:08.achieve it. I have no formal business training so the Goldman
:10:08. > :10:12.Sachs programme has really helped me put some detail behind my
:10:12. > :10:16.business plan and given me a bit more formal business training and
:10:16. > :10:20.help to me significantly on the financial side. Small businesses go
:10:20. > :10:24.through a rigorous application of to get on the Goldman Sachs
:10:24. > :10:29.programme. It is aimed at established firms who have survived
:10:29. > :10:33.the recession and are ready to grow. Three weeks ago, a production
:10:33. > :10:40.manager started here. This firm plans to recruit six workers as a
:10:40. > :10:46.result of the programme. It is very good for the company. Hopefully,
:10:46. > :10:50.the company will feel the benefits and the staff well. The programme
:10:50. > :10:58.is already proving successful in other parts of the country and this
:10:58. > :11:02.small family firm now has plans to expand as a direct result.
:11:02. > :11:06.Staying with business, more and more companies are turning to
:11:06. > :11:09.social media networks to help with marketing and get important
:11:09. > :11:12.messages across to customers. One train company in the region has
:11:12. > :11:16.even won awards for its use of Twitter which it uses to tell
:11:16. > :11:19.people when they are delays. Experts say it is something all
:11:20. > :11:23.companies will have to do eventually. It our business
:11:23. > :11:26.correspondent is in our newsrooms. Whether you have one of these
:11:26. > :11:31.smartphones of a tablet computer or a laptop or desktop machine, there
:11:31. > :11:36.has never been an easier time to use social media. It has been
:11:36. > :11:41.estimated that what attracts nearly 500,000 new users every day --
:11:41. > :11:46.Twitter attracts. In the past, delays on the
:11:46. > :11:50.railways... He was lazy defy doubt about the cause. Now greater use of
:11:50. > :11:53.social media like Facebook and Twitter, passengers waiting at the
:11:53. > :11:58.station have never had so much information literally at their
:11:58. > :12:03.fingertips. For regular travellers like Ben Whitehouse, it has made
:12:03. > :12:06.commuting by train so much easier. A London Midland are one of the
:12:06. > :12:10.industry standards that everyone is aspiring to and it is good to have
:12:11. > :12:15.lots of companies using Twitter and Facebook to engage with passengers.
:12:15. > :12:19.This is where the engagement happens. They monitor Twitter feeds
:12:19. > :12:25.and sent out information about delays. They even talk directly to
:12:25. > :12:30.passengers. This gentleman here is asking about compensation and I am
:12:30. > :12:35.just explaining when he can claim full back. For staff in the London
:12:35. > :12:40.Midland customer-service team, says the media has revolutionised
:12:40. > :12:42.communication with passengers. we are getting from complaints and
:12:42. > :12:47.correspondence through the post is completely different to what people
:12:47. > :12:50.might be concerned about on their journeys into work. We are getting
:12:50. > :12:56.real-time feedback to allow us to make changes we need due to make
:12:56. > :13:01.journeys better. London Midland has set out 55,000 tweets and has
:13:01. > :13:07.15,000 followers. I am just calling you regarding some feedback we have
:13:07. > :13:13.had on our Facebook age. Have you got a few minutes to discuss it?
:13:13. > :13:17.This is another organisation embracing social media. Bromford
:13:17. > :13:21.Group use Facebook to advertise properties. We are bringing in a
:13:21. > :13:26.whole raft of different ways for customers to communicate with us.
:13:26. > :13:30.We want to embrace that and bring it on board rather than push
:13:31. > :13:35.people... We want customers to use the contact channels they are keen
:13:35. > :13:40.to use. Clearly it is market-driven and aspects and social media say it
:13:40. > :13:44.is fast becoming an essential tool for any growing company. Any large
:13:44. > :13:49.organisation will be taught about on Twitter and face but so if you
:13:49. > :13:53.want to do something about that, it to is the only place you can take
:13:53. > :13:57.part in the conversation and you will have to join it. As a large
:13:57. > :14:01.business, you have got a choice, do you get defensive or do you be
:14:02. > :14:06.helpful? It appears that most companies are acting for the latter
:14:06. > :14:10.choice hence the growth in social media which are too many seems
:14:10. > :14:16.unstoppable. You can interact with Midlands today on the internet.
:14:16. > :14:19.There are 8000 fans on our Facebook age. You will also see lots of
:14:19. > :14:25.photographs and films that have appeared on the programme. Twitter
:14:25. > :14:33.is also a good place to find out what we are up to. We have $8,000.
:14:33. > :14:42.I am a bit short of the 8000 figure, but I am on Twitter too. -- we have
:14:42. > :14:46.80,000 followers. I would love to Plenty still to come this evening,
:14:46. > :14:56.including: Memories of 25 years ago and Coventry City's epic Cup win -
:14:56. > :14:57.
:14:57. > :14:59.do you have any memorabilia for a The Prince of Wales has praised a
:14:59. > :15:03.scheme aimed at helping unemployed teenagers in Herefordshire into
:15:03. > :15:06.jobs and training. 13 young people have been taking part in a three-
:15:06. > :15:09.week course on Prince Charles' Hereford estate allowing them to
:15:09. > :15:14.get the qualifications they need to work in forestry Well our reporter
:15:14. > :15:24.Ben Sidwell is in Herefordshire for us this evening. Ben, what exactly
:15:24. > :15:27.
:15:27. > :15:32.have these teenagers been up to? is a beautiful evening here in
:15:32. > :15:36.Herefordshire. This would belongs to the Prince of Wales. Many of
:15:36. > :15:42.these youngsters who have been unemployed for well over a gear
:15:42. > :15:52.have been on this Prince's Trust forestry course aimed at getting
:15:52. > :16:00.them a job in one of the oldest trades known to man. Learning the
:16:00. > :16:10.skills deep in the timber line would in Herefordshire 13th young
:16:10. > :16:10.
:16:10. > :16:16.unemployed people are gaining skills in forestry. I have been
:16:16. > :16:21.unemployed for over a year. I have been constantly looking for jobs.
:16:21. > :16:29.It is very frustrating. I have not heard anything back from the jobs
:16:29. > :16:33.that I have applied for. We are responding to the high levels of
:16:33. > :16:39.unemployment. One in five of the young people in the West Midlands
:16:39. > :16:44.are unemployed. In this area we are looking at the rural crafts. It is
:16:44. > :16:54.the estate of the Prince of Wales, we have 1,500 acres here and he
:16:54. > :16:56.
:16:56. > :17:02.wanted to support this with it. is the forestry staff who are
:17:02. > :17:08.trying to transfer their skills to a younger generation. Hopefully
:17:08. > :17:14.they will go away with these skills in mind and think we have had a
:17:14. > :17:20.good three weeks here and learned a lot and it has opened our eyes so
:17:20. > :17:28.let's see it through. This course is the first of its kind here in
:17:28. > :17:34.the UK and is giving hope of bacteria to people like best. --
:17:34. > :17:41.hope of a career. I have really enjoyed it and I am hoping to get a
:17:41. > :17:46.young apprenticeship or something out of it. It has been really good.
:17:46. > :17:53.The Prince's Trust say they hope to be able to run at similar course
:17:53. > :17:58.again soon. The course does end tomorrow. Speaking to a lot of the
:17:58. > :18:04.young people are here today many of them are saying they are now
:18:04. > :18:09.seriously considering going into a career in forestry. They will be
:18:09. > :18:16.given six months of mentoring by the Prince's Trust after this
:18:16. > :18:22.course ends tomorrow. The hope is that they will go on to training or
:18:22. > :18:25.a job. Stoke City's Manager Tony Pulis has climbed mountains and run
:18:25. > :18:28.marathons for charity. But he's about to take on his toughest
:18:28. > :18:31.challenge yet. Along with comedian Nick Hancock, he'll be leading a
:18:31. > :18:33.team in a 24 hour non-stop cycle ride from John O'Groats to Lands
:18:34. > :18:40.End. And as our Staffordshire reporter Liz Copper explains, it's
:18:41. > :18:44.all in aid of a children's hospice in Stoke on Trent. Pedal power from
:18:44. > :18:47.the Potteries. Tony Pulis and Nick Hancock are about to begin training
:18:47. > :18:54.for a four-day 24-hour cycle relay. They'll be covering 960 miles. And
:18:54. > :19:00.it's all in aid of the Donna Louise Childrens Hospice. It will be tough
:19:00. > :19:06.but I think the fact it is being done for such a good cause and it
:19:06. > :19:11.is only 1.5 miles from the stadium. The hospice is absolutely fantastic
:19:11. > :19:17.and there is a lot of great work for young children. For me to be
:19:17. > :19:20.able to help out his a privilege. It was two years ago the pair
:19:20. > :19:28.climbed Africa's hightest peak Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds
:19:28. > :19:37.for the charity. Kilimanjaro was very tough because the weather was
:19:37. > :19:43.threatening. It is different from that. Mental strength I can kind of
:19:43. > :19:46.Handel but I am worrying about the physicality! Benefitting from all
:19:46. > :19:55.this fundraising will be the families who regard the hospice as
:19:55. > :20:00.a lifeline. Owen's been coming here since he was six months old.
:20:00. > :20:06.the whole family it is a break. Looking after my son is hard work.
:20:06. > :20:12.There are a lot of hospital appointments. This place gives me a
:20:12. > :20:15.break and allows me to spend time with my other children. To help
:20:15. > :20:21.Owen and the other children who depend on the hospice, the cyclists
:20:21. > :20:23.aim to raise �100 per mile. They may be joking now - but they'll
:20:23. > :20:33.soon be embarking on serious training for a tough challenge
:20:33. > :20:38.ahead. A youth choir in Birmingham is taking part in a BBC religious
:20:38. > :20:40.project, performing a new hymn for radio listeners. The City of
:20:40. > :20:43.Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's youth choir will be one of more
:20:43. > :20:50.than 140 choirs across the UK performing The People's Passion
:20:50. > :21:00.over the Easter Weekend. And this evening Ben Godfrey's had a sneak
:21:00. > :21:04.
:21:04. > :21:10.preview. The congregation here, the quiet made up of teenagers are a
:21:10. > :21:20.desperate to sing. All these people have come to see them perform. They
:21:20. > :21:43.
:21:43. > :21:49.have got a new song which was shown Let's talk to some of the people
:21:49. > :21:59.who are taking part in this quiet. What was your background in
:21:59. > :21:59.
:21:59. > :22:09.singing? I did sing before or but I do it in college as well and it is
:22:09. > :22:15.improving by being in the choir. Has your boys improved to? And what
:22:15. > :22:20.does it mean to you to be in a quiet, what is the background?
:22:20. > :22:26.There is no better feeling than being in a choir. There is a sense
:22:26. > :22:31.of community and all of us working together is really what I enjoyed
:22:31. > :22:37.most of all about it. I am now the man who tries to conduct it.
:22:37. > :22:40.Getting all these people together, how well did they do? It has been
:22:40. > :22:46.fantastic bringing all these different groups of people together.
:22:46. > :22:53.There are some people who do music in further education and others who
:22:53. > :22:59.are doing it as a hobby. I will let you go because you have to perform.
:22:59. > :23:09.On Easter Sunday there will be a performance of the Easter anthem by
:23:09. > :23:12.
:23:12. > :23:16.the choir as you see now. Thank you very much. That is high pressure,
:23:16. > :23:19.performing outdoors, live. And there's more information about the
:23:19. > :23:23.people's passion on our Facebook page. Now it's almost 25 years
:23:23. > :23:27.since one of the most memorable FA Cup finals ever took place - the
:23:27. > :23:30.1987 classic between Coventry City and Tottenham. It's widely regarded
:23:30. > :23:35.as one of the finest to be played beneath the old twin towers, and
:23:35. > :23:40.now a new exhibition in celebration of the final is ready to kick off.
:23:40. > :23:43.Kevin Reide's been finding out more. It was a final few can forget - the
:23:43. > :23:47.underdogs Coventry City playing in it for the first time against a
:23:48. > :23:50.side who'd won it more than anybody else. Tottenham were packed with
:23:50. > :24:00.internationals, the Sky Blues an assembly of lower league players
:24:00. > :24:04.
:24:04. > :24:09.with just a few established stars, but on this day they were all heros.
:24:09. > :24:15.These are some of the items currently being prepared for the
:24:15. > :24:21.exhibition. This is the actual match ball. This is my favourite,
:24:21. > :24:31.the actual Show belonging to be Number 10 striker who scored the
:24:31. > :24:34.
:24:34. > :24:42.memorable goal. Many of the items have been deleted by those lucky
:24:42. > :24:49.enough to have been at the game. This man was one of them. It was
:24:49. > :24:55.wonderful. It was dreams coming true. The whole city just came
:24:55. > :25:03.alight. Others have brought forward previously unseen home videos of
:25:03. > :25:11.the celebrations that followed. They reckon there were 250,000
:25:11. > :25:17.people on the streets. It really captured the imagination of the
:25:17. > :25:21.public but unfortunately nothing has been achieved since then.
:25:21. > :25:31.People are really coming together to mark this anniversary, I think
:25:31. > :25:37.
:25:37. > :25:47.It brings the memories flooding back. Absolutely. I played in a
:25:47. > :25:49.
:25:49. > :25:55.celebrity charity match the night before. Weather time now. Good
:25:55. > :26:01.evening. Today is another beautiful bay with lots of sunshine and
:26:01. > :26:05.temperatures back up to 20 Celsius. There will be a change soon,
:26:05. > :26:13.tomorrow will be a lovely day again but by the weekend temperatures
:26:13. > :26:20.will drop of to around 13 Celsius at best. Tonight we still have
:26:20. > :26:27.clear skies to start the night. There will be a few shallow patches
:26:27. > :26:35.of mist and fog by tomorrow morning. Tomorrow will start cloudier but it
:26:35. > :26:40.does look to be another sunny and warm day once again. It does start
:26:40. > :26:45.of cloudy in comparison to what mornings have been like of late.
:26:45. > :26:50.But the cloud will lift and by afternoon it will be sunny and warm
:26:50. > :26:56.again. The temperatures will be just slightly suppressed over parts
:26:56. > :27:05.of the north-west of the region. For most another warm day with
:27:05. > :27:12.highs of up to 19 Celsius. Towards the weekend it is turning cloudier,
:27:12. > :27:17.cooler and it will still stay dry. The high pressure is shifting
:27:17. > :27:27.westwards pulling in colder here from the north. That will introduce
:27:27. > :27:33.
:27:33. > :27:36.more cloud on Saturday with highs of just 12 or 13 Celsius. A look at
:27:36. > :27:38.tonight's main headlines: As fuel sales soar, ministers are accused
:27:38. > :27:41.of causing panic buying. Long queues appear at petrol stations,