:00:08. > :00:11.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. Tonight, we're live from the
:00:11. > :00:14.Birmingham City Council House on the day it was announced that over
:00:14. > :00:18.�50 million will be shaved off next year's budget, and 1,000 jobs are
:00:18. > :00:22.on the line. It's the end of local government as
:00:22. > :00:31.we've known it - that's the warning from the leader of the UK's biggest
:00:31. > :00:36.local authority. We've got to a point where we can't find anything
:00:36. > :00:39.easy to take out of the Budget. The Low Hanging fruit has all been
:00:39. > :00:42.picked. Also in tonight's programme: Anger
:00:42. > :00:50.from business after another day of misery and cancelled services from
:00:50. > :00:54.London Midland Trains. It's quite surprising that in today's society
:00:54. > :00:56.such a problem can arise. A new million-pound centre to treat
:00:56. > :01:00.the victims of child abuse opens its doors in North Staffordshire.
:01:00. > :01:10.And the campaign to return a rare hoard of roman coins from the
:01:10. > :01:15.
:01:15. > :01:18.British Museum to where they were Good evening, welcome to the
:01:18. > :01:24.Council House - for 133 years it's been the headquarters of Birmingham
:01:24. > :01:27.City Council and a symbol of civic pride. Today, the council's leader
:01:27. > :01:32.said cuts to the city's budget next year amount to "The end of local
:01:32. > :01:34.government as we've known it". That was the stark warning following the
:01:34. > :01:40.announcement of a multi-million- pound reduction in its grant from
:01:40. > :01:45.the Government. The UK's largest local authority grant is to be
:01:45. > :01:48.slashed by �52 million next year. Birmingham already had to make
:01:48. > :01:53.savings of around �400 million, but now fears the figure could be
:01:53. > :01:57.closer to 500 million. The number of full time council jobs is
:01:57. > :02:00.expected to fall by around 1,000. In a moment we'll be getting
:02:00. > :02:02.reaction from the council leader Sir Albert Bore and the trade
:02:02. > :02:09.unions, but first our political reporter Elizabeth Glinka has been
:02:09. > :02:11.following today's developments. Briefing the media on cuts he says
:02:11. > :02:16.could change the face of local government, Birmingham City Council
:02:16. > :02:19.leaders Sir Albert Bore. The biggest local authority in Europe
:02:19. > :02:24.says, despite savings targets of �400 million in this Parliament, it
:02:24. > :02:27.is likely a further �100 million will now have to be saved. The man
:02:27. > :02:32.who was running the council until May says the current administration
:02:32. > :02:35.is scaremongering. I think this displays political cowardice and
:02:35. > :02:38.weak leadership. We, over the eight years, delivered budgets, kept to
:02:38. > :02:41.them, balanced our budgets, and in fact only the most current one,
:02:41. > :02:49.which had to have �220 million worth of savings, came in under
:02:49. > :02:52.budget. The leader of the council says these spending reductions are
:02:52. > :02:56.so big that it's no longer possible to salami slice from different
:02:56. > :03:00.budgets, and that some services are going to have to go. He also says
:03:00. > :03:04.this could be the beginning of the end of local government as we know
:03:04. > :03:07.it. So, how does Birmingham compare to other local authorities? The
:03:07. > :03:10.city has seen one of the biggest reductions in Government funding in
:03:10. > :03:16.the country at 8%, and cut around 4000 full-time posts before today's
:03:16. > :03:19.announcement. But the Department for Local Government points out
:03:19. > :03:26.that spending per household here is still over �2,500 per year, nearly
:03:26. > :03:29.�400 more than the average spent by councils in England. The Liberal
:03:29. > :03:32.Democrats, who ran the council in coalition with the Tories for eight
:03:32. > :03:38.years, say the local authority must look at new ways of providing
:03:38. > :03:42.services. It is pulling a huge amount in Government grants out of
:03:42. > :03:45.the local authority. As far as you're concerned, is that a good
:03:45. > :03:49.thing? No, it's not, but local government has become over-
:03:49. > :03:52.dependent upon Whitehall funding, and that is a bad thing. We've got
:03:52. > :03:58.to get away from it and broaden the base of local-government income so
:03:58. > :04:02.that we have more freedoms and flexibilities. The final settlement
:04:02. > :04:04.from the Government is likely to be known by December. In the next few
:04:04. > :04:13.weeks, council leaders will begin a consultation with the public on
:04:13. > :04:16.where the axe may fall. A short while ago, I spoke to the leader of
:04:16. > :04:26.Birmingham City Council and began by asking how much responsibility
:04:26. > :04:29.
:04:29. > :04:33.he takes for this situation. Well, the problem is that the government
:04:33. > :04:37.do indeed have a great influence over the money available to local
:04:37. > :04:40.authorities. In this case, we are responding to significant cuts they
:04:41. > :04:45.are making in the money that will come to us next year. But you have
:04:45. > :04:50.to deal with that situation, so where are the cuts going to come?
:04:50. > :04:57.Right across the board, no doubt about it. We are looking to take
:04:57. > :05:02.120 million out of the Budget. Over the next six years, we think
:05:02. > :05:06.Birmingham council will have taken 48%, almost 50% of the control of
:05:06. > :05:12.the Budget out of the services that Birmingham currently provide.
:05:12. > :05:15.is across the board, nothing is sacred? The right across the board.
:05:15. > :05:22.We're not doing it in a systematic way that we want to, but we've
:05:22. > :05:26.already started the work for two or three years' time to see which
:05:26. > :05:30.services are delivering outcomes that we want. We will then take
:05:30. > :05:34.decisions to decommission some services. Can you give me any ideas
:05:34. > :05:38.of what those services might be? Can you say at any point that we
:05:38. > :05:43.definitely will not be cutting social services, for example, in
:05:43. > :05:47.light of the Ofsted report last week? All we can say is we going to
:05:47. > :05:50.try to introduce a Budget which is fair. What does that mean in
:05:50. > :05:57.reality? When I look at the cuts and take those issues to the public,
:05:57. > :06:01.they will start to tell us which of those cuts are acceptable. By 2017,
:06:01. > :06:05.after six years of cutting, or we will have lost 50% of the
:06:05. > :06:10.controllable budget of the City Council. That is a huge level of
:06:10. > :06:13.reduction of services. What is your vision for Birmingham? I still
:06:13. > :06:17.believe Birmingham is a great city and will continue to be a great
:06:17. > :06:21.city that offers opportunities for people that live here. How can it
:06:21. > :06:27.do that with such budget constraints? Because it can work
:06:27. > :06:32.with the private sector and with other agencies, and the people of
:06:32. > :06:36.Birmingham. I remember a scheme it years ago when we put in small sums
:06:36. > :06:40.of European capital and we got a revolving capital fund as a
:06:41. > :06:46.consequence in bringing about regeneration in part of the city.
:06:46. > :06:51.That is still actually happening. That was brought in with a very
:06:51. > :06:56.small amount of council money. It is about being innovative. In a
:06:56. > :07:00.word, how serious is the situation? This is as serious as I have ever
:07:00. > :07:03.known it in local government. The The leader of Birmingham City
:07:03. > :07:06.Council Sir Albert Bore talking to me earlier. He says these cuts
:07:06. > :07:10.amount to the end of local government as we know it. But what
:07:10. > :07:13.will it mean for the hundreds of thousands of people in the city who
:07:13. > :07:20.use those service? Earlier we headed out onto the streets to ask
:07:20. > :07:24.Brummies who they blame for the cuts. It affect us more than they
:07:24. > :07:29.realise, I think. I would like to know what they are spending it on.
:07:29. > :07:36.It certainly not on the elderly. You need to use wisdom where the
:07:36. > :07:41.cuts are. Not just cut everything. I'd think it is mismanagement of
:07:41. > :07:46.funds, I think it is public sector inadequacies. Do they have to do it
:07:46. > :07:49.to make ends meet? I don't know. that's the view on the street. But
:07:49. > :07:51.what about those who work for the council? Ravi Subramanian is
:07:51. > :07:57.regional secretary of the public sector workers' union Unison, which
:07:57. > :08:01.represents thousands of Birmingham City Council staff. What of your
:08:01. > :08:06.members been saying? They are very worried, about their jobs, about
:08:06. > :08:10.the future of Birmingham, the services to the community. We're
:08:10. > :08:13.worried about the massive impact this will have on the local economy.
:08:13. > :08:18.You cannot cut that much money out of the Budget without it hitting
:08:18. > :08:22.the local economy. We have already seen the economy devastated by the
:08:22. > :08:25.government's failed austerity measures. But these cuts are going
:08:25. > :08:33.to happen, so you have to face up to the reality of finding a
:08:33. > :08:37.different way of working, don't you? One thing we want to do is to
:08:37. > :08:40.stand up for Birmingham. It is clear the government have targeted
:08:40. > :08:49.these cuts at Birmingham, we have suffered a bigger amount than any
:08:49. > :08:55.are that region. That Tory-run regions in the shires do not seem
:08:55. > :09:00.to have suffered in this in reality, what difference can you make? Well,
:09:00. > :09:03.if we don't stand up and fight, nothing will happen. We need
:09:03. > :09:08.everybody from the business community, from the City Council
:09:08. > :09:13.from the workers - everybody to come together. We will be running a
:09:13. > :09:23.campaign to stand up for Birmingham. How watchful eye you that these
:09:23. > :09:23.
:09:23. > :09:28.cuts might be mitigated? -- how hope or are you? Well, when people
:09:28. > :09:31.can see what an impact it will have - not just the people using the
:09:31. > :09:35.information and the services, but the economy itself, I think that
:09:35. > :09:38.might make a difference. Ravi Subramanian, thank you. We also
:09:38. > :09:41.want to hear your opinion on the cuts announced here today or the
:09:41. > :09:44.situation where you live. What's your view - can councils take any
:09:44. > :09:47.more cuts? Get in touch by email, or though Twitter or our Facebook
:09:47. > :09:51.page, and I'll have some of your comments later in the programme.
:09:51. > :09:54.For now though it's back to Dan Pallett in the studio for a look at
:09:54. > :09:57.the rest of the day's news. Thanks, Mary. It's been another day
:09:57. > :10:00.of misery for passengers using London Midland trains in and around
:10:00. > :10:03.Birmingham. Dozens of services have been cancelled again because of a
:10:03. > :10:05.shortage of drivers. One of the worst hit lines is between Nuneaton
:10:05. > :10:08.and Coventry. Today, businesses there described the situation as
:10:08. > :10:11.unacceptable. And the town's MP has called on the rail regulator to
:10:11. > :10:15.intervene. Commuters heading to the rail
:10:15. > :10:18.station to catch a coach. At 8am this morning, there was a
:10:18. > :10:21.noticeable lack of London Midland trains at Nuneaton. The company is
:10:21. > :10:29.struggling to find enough qualified drivers, and that meant Bukola Jack
:10:29. > :10:35.was, yet again, set to arrive at work late. Can't always say sorry
:10:35. > :10:39.all the time because train services are going bad. I see where they're
:10:39. > :10:42.coming from, but at the same time, I don't think my work accept that
:10:42. > :10:44.all the time for being late. This morning, seven services between
:10:44. > :10:47.Nuneaton and Coventry have been cancelled, with more than 60
:10:47. > :10:49.cancellations across the network across the day. London Midland has
:10:49. > :10:54.again apologised, but said the situation will not be fully
:10:54. > :11:02.rectified until mid-December. The MP for Nuneaton says if that
:11:02. > :11:04.doesn't happen the Rail Regulator must intervene. They need to be
:11:05. > :11:07.making sure that London Midland are fulfilling their obligations in
:11:07. > :11:09.relation to providing services they undertook to provide within the
:11:10. > :11:12.franchise and, quite frankly, if they can't provide those there
:11:12. > :11:15.needs to be financial sanctions on London Midland, and that certainly
:11:15. > :11:24.needs to happen if they don't get their act together very, very
:11:24. > :11:27.quickly. Business leaders say it is local companies currently paying a
:11:27. > :11:30.tougher penalty. Business needs certainty. If there is no certainty
:11:30. > :11:34.there, they find it very difficult to run their business. The longer
:11:34. > :11:39.this goes on, the more difficult that is going to be. Amid the
:11:39. > :11:42.obvious frustration, we did find one happy commuter. We haven't
:11:42. > :11:47.experienced any cancellations. A couple of delays, but only minor,
:11:47. > :11:50.five or 10 minutes. Very good, in general. London Midland has signed
:11:50. > :11:52.an agreement with unions for more flexible working, which should
:11:52. > :12:02.bring improved services. Tomorrow, things look better for passengers -
:12:02. > :12:05.
:12:05. > :12:09.they're being told there aren't Joining me now from Westminster is
:12:09. > :12:11.the Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield Richard Burden. You've
:12:11. > :12:19.raised this already with the Transport Secretary Patrick
:12:19. > :12:23.McLoughlin. What has his response been? Well, I don't know what he's
:12:23. > :12:26.done so far. I raised a last week in the Commons, and he said they
:12:26. > :12:29.were in touch with London Midland and that things were going to
:12:29. > :12:35.improve. But as we've seen from that report, things have been
:12:35. > :12:39.getting worse, not bettered. This is just not acceptable. It is not
:12:39. > :12:47.on for the paying public all the businesses, so I've asked a number
:12:47. > :12:53.of other questions in writing to the transport secretary today. Up
:12:53. > :12:56.to a how bad as it in? It is really bad. If you have a job and you need
:12:56. > :13:00.to be at work for a particular time, that is what time you have to be
:13:00. > :13:04.there. If you are in business and you were trying to clinch a deal,
:13:05. > :13:09.time can be of the essence. So we really do deserve battered. The
:13:09. > :13:12.thing that worries me about this is how did it get to this situation? I
:13:12. > :13:16.would have thought that London Midland would have been planning
:13:16. > :13:19.ahead. The idea of drivers moving from one company to another is
:13:19. > :13:25.nothing new, they should have been planning their staffing properly to
:13:25. > :13:29.avoid this. My worry is that the franchise system we have on the
:13:29. > :13:33.railways at the moment when you get towards the end of a franchise as
:13:33. > :13:37.London Midland are, you should be getting short-term thinking which
:13:37. > :13:40.is bad for the industry and passengers. To you saying they
:13:40. > :13:44.don't deserve their franchise? been the most important thing is
:13:44. > :13:48.that they resolve the problem, the issue of Which company gets the
:13:48. > :13:57.franchise is secondary to me. They need to sort this out and get the
:13:57. > :14:01.drivers in place and that main -- the trains running. If they can do
:14:01. > :14:05.that, when the franchise comes up they will be in a stronger position,
:14:05. > :14:11.but at the moment, they are not covering themselves with any glory
:14:11. > :14:21.at slow all. I do read the transport secretary learns lessons
:14:21. > :14:24.
:14:24. > :14:26.from this. They're not being run properly at the moment. And tonight
:14:26. > :14:29.the Rail Minister Norman Baker issued a statement about the
:14:29. > :14:32.situation at London Midland. He says he has spoken to the company's
:14:32. > :14:35.managing director Richard Brooks today to raise his concerns. Mr
:14:35. > :14:37.Baker says he wants normal services resumed as a matter of "absolute
:14:37. > :14:40.priority." Workers at car maker Jaguar Land
:14:40. > :14:43.Rover have voted overwhelmingly to accept a two-year pay deal, which
:14:43. > :14:46.will see their wages rise by nearly 10%. They employ 21,000 staff at
:14:46. > :14:53.sites in Castle Bromwich, Solihull, Halewood, and the research sites at
:14:53. > :14:58.Gaydon and Whitley, in Warwickshire. Workers voted to accept the deal by
:14:58. > :15:06.a margin of 4-1. The deal will also see more than 2,000 agency staff
:15:06. > :15:09.take up staff jobs in November. Restricted visiting will be allowed
:15:09. > :15:11.at Warwick Hospital after an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug
:15:11. > :15:16.Norovirus. Last week, all visitors to the hospital were banned to
:15:16. > :15:22.prevent the infection spreading. The trust says visitors will be
:15:22. > :15:25.allowed onto unaffected wards this evening.
:15:25. > :15:29.Figures released by the NSPCC show there's been a 16% increase in the
:15:29. > :15:32.number of children contacting a helpline in Staffordshire. The
:15:32. > :15:36.charity's seen a rise in the number of callers to Childline, which last
:15:36. > :15:40.year helped hundreds of young victims of neglect and abuse. Many
:15:40. > :15:43.of them were younger than 10 years old. The charity has just moved
:15:43. > :15:48.into a new �1 million centre and our Staffordshire reporter Liz
:15:48. > :15:51.Copper has been given exclusive access.
:15:51. > :15:54.This is Carole House in Newcastle under Lyme - a centre to help the
:15:54. > :15:57.most vulnerable children in Staffordshire. Morris Robinson was
:15:57. > :16:07.abused throughout his childhood and believes centres like this show
:16:07. > :16:12.attitudes are changing. I honestly think in the fifties things were
:16:12. > :16:17.different. It was very draconian. He did not approach the subject
:16:17. > :16:21.anyway. Now, it is getting media coverage and there is a team out
:16:21. > :16:24.there of charities and agencies. All you have to do is use the
:16:24. > :16:28.telephone and the help is there. well as providing counselling for
:16:28. > :16:34.victims of abuse, this centre will also offer help to families who are
:16:34. > :16:38.struggling. I think as time has gone by, we have unravelled more
:16:38. > :16:47.and more of what is going on behind closed doors. We are only
:16:47. > :16:53.scratching the surface, really, even now, in the 21st century.
:16:53. > :17:00.sent shares cost �1 million. The NSPCC depends upon fund-raising for
:17:00. > :17:03.most of its income bull stopped -- its income. And this is the latest
:17:03. > :17:06.fundraising effort - workers at JCB practice for a sponsored mud run, a
:17:06. > :17:13.sort of extreme obstacle course. Behind the smiles is the very
:17:13. > :17:17.serious business of raising money for the running costs of the centre.
:17:17. > :17:22.We are horror stories about what is happening with the neglect of
:17:22. > :17:24.vulnerable children. It is about how we can put a stop to that.
:17:24. > :17:31.is the NSPCC's latest advert, highlighting the increasing demand
:17:32. > :17:39.for its work. When you walk into a place like this, it is a different
:17:39. > :17:43.world. It is a safe haven. I can't stress how important it is, if
:17:43. > :17:47.somebody is doing something wrong to you, you can stop it inches --
:17:47. > :17:53.instantly by walking into this centre and talking to one of the
:17:53. > :17:57.team. 300 children a year will use this centre. A reflection of the
:17:57. > :17:59.rising number of young people calling on the NSPCC for help.
:17:59. > :18:01.More now on the government's announcement that the
:18:02. > :18:05.Gloucestershire badger cull won't go ahead. Instead it has been
:18:05. > :18:08.postponed until next summer. Our environment correspondent David
:18:08. > :18:15.Gregory-Kumar joins me now in the studio. David, just remind us where
:18:15. > :18:19.this cull was going to take place and what it was trying to achieve?
:18:19. > :18:28.Well, we don't know the exact area, but it was around Tewkesbury and
:18:28. > :18:31.the Forest of Dean. This particular bin was managed by a company who is
:18:31. > :18:36.registered as a accompany in Warwickshire bus stop they have
:18:36. > :18:40.been key in organising this cold. We asked the President what he and
:18:40. > :18:45.his members thought. The farmers watching your programme will be
:18:45. > :18:49.genuinely worried that this has been put off yet again. We have had
:18:49. > :18:53.strong assurances by Alan Paterson on the floor of the House this
:18:53. > :18:57.morning saying he is determined to drive this policy forward. The
:18:57. > :19:00.worst thing would be if the farming industry said, we are worried about
:19:01. > :19:04.it being dropped as a policy, and therefore we take a risk with the
:19:04. > :19:08.numbers this late in the season. The argument is it was better to do
:19:08. > :19:12.this properly and wait six months rather than push it ahead this year.
:19:12. > :19:16.Had they got it wrong, that would also damage prospects for further
:19:16. > :19:21.cull Emmanuel Adebayor down the line. A why the delay? Team a
:19:22. > :19:27.Badger's, not enough time. Last week, there was a proper estimate
:19:27. > :19:31.of double the number expected. There were just too many. Also, if
:19:31. > :19:35.you look at the terms of the licence, they cannot shoot bad as
:19:35. > :19:40.all year round. They have a deadline. So basically, they ran
:19:40. > :19:46.out of time. Do you think the Cole will take place next summer? They
:19:46. > :19:50.are keen to push ahead with it. But more badgers killed is more
:19:50. > :19:53.worrying for those opposed to the cuts.
:19:53. > :19:56.Campaigners are hoping a unique hoard of thousands of Roman coins,
:19:56. > :19:59.found in a Worcestershire field, will soon be able to go on
:19:59. > :20:01.permanent display in the Midlands. The collection is currently being
:20:01. > :20:05.examined by the British Museum while fundraisers seek the �40,000
:20:05. > :20:14.needed to keep it in our region. Cath Mackie has been to the British
:20:14. > :20:17.Museum to see how the work's coming They were found beneath the
:20:17. > :20:22.Worcestershire countryside. Thousands of Roman coins now being
:20:22. > :20:25.studied by the British Museum. interesting thing is that in
:20:25. > :20:31.Worcestershire this is classed as a rare find. Around the time the
:20:31. > :20:34.hoard was buried was a terribly turbulent period of Roman history.
:20:34. > :20:41.Curators at the Museum spent several weeks cataloguing the 4,000
:20:41. > :20:49.coins which span the lives of 16 hampers. We sought a court by the
:20:49. > :20:54.emperors on the coins. It gives us an idea of the chronological span.
:20:54. > :20:57.The latest emperors show when the hoard was buried. It went on
:20:57. > :21:02.display shortly after was banned last year by two friends using
:21:02. > :21:07.metal detectors. It had been buried one century after the last coin was
:21:07. > :21:11.minted. It is the only known British example. They might look a
:21:11. > :21:16.bit green and worse for wear, they will after all buried for 1800
:21:16. > :21:22.years. There is excitement about them prospect of them returning to
:21:22. > :21:25.Worcestershire. This is a unique collection of national significance.
:21:25. > :21:29.Keeping it in Worcestershire is absolutely the right thing. It
:21:29. > :21:34.would be a travesty for it to be sent off somewhere else. But it
:21:34. > :21:38.will cost �40,000 to buy the ward, clean it up and put it on display.
:21:38. > :21:44.So far, the Museum of was to show has raised 9,000. They are hoping
:21:44. > :21:49.the problem -- the public will dig deep. It wouldn't be top of my
:21:49. > :21:53.priorities at the moment. You need to keep their local. He if it's
:21:53. > :22:01.bound in Worcester, it is part of our history. If they can't raise
:22:01. > :22:04.the cash, the board will return to the people who found it.
:22:04. > :22:07.Back to our top story this evening. Today, Birmingham Council Leader
:22:07. > :22:11.Sir Albert Bore said cuts to the city's budget next year will amount
:22:11. > :22:14.to "The end of local government as we've known it". That was the stark
:22:14. > :22:20.warning following the announcement of a �52-million reduction in its
:22:20. > :22:27.grant from the Government. Mary Rhodes is at the council house now.
:22:27. > :22:32.What does this mean for the future of the city as a whole?
:22:32. > :22:40.Well, I think many people will be wondering what a bit means when he
:22:40. > :22:44.talks about a whole new way of working for the city. Patrick, is
:22:44. > :22:49.this the end of local government as we know it? A in some ways, a key
:22:49. > :22:53.is right. We are moving from slicing to chopping certain parts
:22:53. > :22:57.of non-statutory services. There are some people out there who think
:22:57. > :23:00.that it should be. I've been talking to the tax payers alliance,
:23:00. > :23:05.and they say that at a time like this with heavy demands on the
:23:05. > :23:09.taxpayer, it would be lazy politics if Sir Albert Bore did not think
:23:09. > :23:12.very radically about how they deliver their services. The final
:23:12. > :23:15.point on this is that the government also point out that
:23:15. > :23:19.local government alone accounts for a quarter of all public spending,
:23:19. > :23:23.and they want local authorities to take their share of the
:23:23. > :23:28.responsibility for the deficit reduction. Politically, what is
:23:28. > :23:31.going on here? Well, before the end of this year we will have the
:23:31. > :23:36.government's settlement for the finances of local government for
:23:36. > :23:44.the next year. You always get a bit of a political tough -- rough-and-
:23:44. > :23:52.tumble between local and central government. Thank you. John Rider
:23:52. > :23:55.is chair of West Midlands Institute of Directors. Thank you for your
:23:55. > :23:59.time. This is this serious situation. What does that mean to
:23:59. > :24:03.you and businesses in the City? are very committed to supporting
:24:03. > :24:09.Sir Albert Bore in what he is trying to achieve. It is serious,
:24:09. > :24:15.but there is not that much to worry about. We really want to help.
:24:15. > :24:19.seems amazingly optimistic. What do you mean? Well, an example.
:24:19. > :24:23.Yesterday, we had a sports summit. Disporting fraternity across the
:24:23. > :24:27.city wants to continue with what they had been doing for a long time.
:24:27. > :24:33.We are the great global reputation as a sporting capital. We are going
:24:33. > :24:37.to continue that, but we know we can't do it with council money. So
:24:37. > :24:41.its partnership stop. We're pretty comfortable about what we're going
:24:41. > :24:45.to do. That will be music to the ears of Sir Albert Bore, because he
:24:45. > :24:49.said this new way of working is all about collaboration. He will be
:24:49. > :24:55.looking to business as more and more. Don't forget, some things
:24:55. > :25:00.have already been outsourced. That has worked beautifully. We are
:25:00. > :25:04.quite comfortable about it. We are up for collaboration. I'm also
:25:04. > :25:10.working with the City Council on and employment opportunities they
:25:10. > :25:13.anybody that is displaced. We're all in this together. We love
:25:13. > :25:17.Birmingham and we will carry on. Thank you for those words of
:25:17. > :25:20.optimism at! Earlier we asked for your comments
:25:20. > :25:23.on whether councils can take any more cuts. Here are a few of them.
:25:23. > :25:27.Heather McIntyre said: "The council needs to learn to be a bit more
:25:27. > :25:29.savvy with our money, people can't afford to pay extra on top of fuel,
:25:29. > :25:36.food, water and heating bills." Safran Khan said: "I seriously
:25:36. > :25:38.think the coalition need their heads banging together. People are
:25:38. > :25:41.struggling so by cutting services and raising taxes, who are they
:25:41. > :25:45.trying to make better off?" And finally Austin Bacchioci contacted
:25:45. > :25:55.us to say: "I live in Birmingham and think that it is disgraceful
:25:55. > :25:59.
:25:59. > :26:04.that this council need to make Now, a look at the weather of. We
:26:04. > :26:08.are still stuck with drab and dreary conditions. But as I say
:26:08. > :26:13.yesterday, there is some milder weather on the way. Across the
:26:13. > :26:17.Channel in northern France temperatures rose to 22 Celsius.
:26:17. > :26:22.Our hopes of getting that by the end of the week are completely
:26:22. > :26:24.dashed by this colder air flooding in from the north. There is an
:26:24. > :26:34.arctic plunge which percolates through the region, introducing
:26:34. > :26:35.
:26:35. > :26:40.clearer, cold -- colder air. This is that the weak will pan out. It
:26:40. > :26:45.is mild and murky, damp and cloudy at the moment, but it ends up cold
:26:45. > :26:49.and clear. Right now, we don't have any warnings that Bob tonight, more
:26:49. > :26:56.of a breeze. There is still fog around, just not as extensive as it
:26:56. > :27:01.was last night. Particularly dense around the east of the region.
:27:01. > :27:06.Otherwise, a misty, murky picture. Again, a mild night with
:27:06. > :27:12.temperatures between 10 and 12 Celsius. We hope the we keep hold
:27:12. > :27:17.of that moderate breeze tomorrow so that cloud lifts. Just to give us a
:27:17. > :27:22.bit of brightness. Temperatures should rise to 14 or 15 Celsius,
:27:22. > :27:32.but, as I said, by the end of the week a cold front a rides on the
:27:32. > :27:33.
:27:33. > :27:37.north, introducing clearer and cold Thank you. That's it from us today.