:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to Midlands Today. The headlines tonight: Rated
:00:07. > :00:09.inadequate for four years. Now a pledge from Birmingham City
:00:10. > :00:20.Council to transform Children's Services. We still has some urgent
:00:21. > :00:25.issues. That is why this review is clear. We need to continue to focus
:00:26. > :00:29.on the safety of children. But we hear from one social worker who tell
:00:30. > :00:30.us morale is at rock bottom. Also tonight.
:00:31. > :00:38.Tackling extremists: a government minister in talks at a city mosque.
:00:39. > :00:43.This was actions were taken forward to prevent terrorism and to ensure
:00:44. > :00:46.that mosques and other fave institutions have that sense of
:00:47. > :00:49.security. 20,000 jobs in the offing as
:00:50. > :00:51.development plans get the go`ahead in Coventry, Warwickshire and the
:00:52. > :00:54.Black Country. Football as you've never seen it
:00:55. > :00:57.before: no running ` it's walking pace for the over 55s.
:00:58. > :01:01.And it's been calm up until now but that's all changing over the weekend
:01:02. > :01:03.` in fact, even sooner then that. Hear all about it in the forecast
:01:04. > :01:16.later. Good evening. There's a new plan
:01:17. > :01:19.tonight to transform Birmingham's much criticised Children's Services
:01:20. > :01:24.and better protect youngsters at risk. A series of child deaths and
:01:25. > :01:27.damning reports have seen the department labelled a failure and
:01:28. > :01:31.placed in "special measures" by the Government. The council says it's
:01:32. > :01:34.going to spend more money filling vacancies among social workers and
:01:35. > :01:39.improving the way it works with others safeguarding children. But,
:01:40. > :01:42.in a rare interview, a front line child protection officer's told us
:01:43. > :01:47.the service is in a mess and change can't come quickly enough. Giles
:01:48. > :01:50.Latcham reports. Short lives, long term failure.
:01:51. > :01:53.Birmingham's children services have been rated inadequate for years `
:01:54. > :02:03.the deaths of vulnerable children stand sad testament to a city's
:02:04. > :02:07.shame. For three`and`a`half years James has pounded the inner city
:02:08. > :02:14.beat trying to protect the young and at risk, waving goodbye to
:02:15. > :02:20.colleagues who've had enough. I think we are half staffed at the
:02:21. > :02:24.moment. It varies from team to team. Some team, one team is only fully
:02:25. > :02:31.staffed. I know other parts whether four staff. There are huge vacancy
:02:32. > :02:36.rates. It is very difficult. It may get worse. And for Children's
:02:37. > :02:39.Services as a whole it's been a bruising few months. In October a
:02:40. > :02:41.damning report identified a "significant" number of chances
:02:42. > :02:44.missed to prevent the death of two`year`old Keanu Williams, beaten
:02:45. > :02:48.to death by his mother ` Birmingham's latest failure to
:02:49. > :02:51.protect a vulnerable child. Later that month the head of the education
:02:52. > :02:53.watchdog Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw, branded Birmingham's
:02:54. > :02:57.Children Services a "national disgrace". In November the
:02:58. > :03:00.Children's Minister, Edward Timpson, wrote to the council's leader saying
:03:01. > :03:06.he'd ordered an independent review of the council's plans to improve
:03:07. > :03:09.Children's Services. The council's new plan promises an extra ?10
:03:10. > :03:11.million to recruit and retain experienced social workers and
:03:12. > :03:22.closer co`operation with health professionals, teachers and the
:03:23. > :03:30.voluntary sector. You can see that children cannot be guaranteed their
:03:31. > :03:34.safety in this city. We set have some certain issues. That is why
:03:35. > :03:38.this review is very clear. We need to continue to focus on the safety
:03:39. > :03:44.of children and this is part of how other people in the future go about
:03:45. > :03:47.it. For some on the front line though this is the fourth or fifth
:03:48. > :03:55.attempt they've seen to overhaul the service. The staff are tired and
:03:56. > :03:59.fatigued. We are now very jaded. James chooses to stay and accepts
:04:00. > :04:07.there is no quick fix. Nor though is there any more room for failure.
:04:08. > :04:10.Earlier I spoke to Councillor Brigid Jones, the councillor responsible
:04:11. > :04:18.for children's care and family services in Birmingham. I started by
:04:19. > :04:23.asking her Why should we believe this latest relaunch of children's
:04:24. > :04:28.services will work? There are three key things at a difference. In the
:04:29. > :04:32.past we have underfunded children's services in the city. What we are
:04:33. > :04:36.proposing is a budding sustained an extra investment to bring up to the
:04:37. > :04:39.level it should be. In the past we have done things on our own. We have
:04:40. > :04:45.not bought our partners along with those. What's different is we are
:04:46. > :04:49.going to have our partners rivers around the table making things
:04:50. > :04:53.better. The third thing is that historically we have done things on
:04:54. > :04:59.short`term plans. We have leapt from short`term plans to restructure, new
:05:00. > :05:02.leader to new leader. What we are doing now is looking for stability.
:05:03. > :05:07.We will stabilise things so we can have sustained improvement going
:05:08. > :05:13.forward, looking into the future. You talked about stabilising. There
:05:14. > :05:18.is one team appeared about which should have 24 people in there, but
:05:19. > :05:23.there are only four. How can that be? We are very short staffed at the
:05:24. > :05:26.moment. That is rooted problem. Until you get more great social
:05:27. > :05:36.workers into Birmingham it'll be hard to get improvement going. The
:05:37. > :05:44.view we have, the is high. `` view. How you get people in? We are
:05:45. > :05:49.working to change our reputation. We have had the reputation for a long
:05:50. > :05:52.time. That has not been held by the national coverage we have had, some
:05:53. > :05:56.the Commons have been put out there. We want people to realise our
:05:57. > :06:00.Birmingham is changing. We are looking to the future. Burnham
:06:01. > :06:06.should be a place to have on your CV. We are the biggest place in the
:06:07. > :06:11.country `` Birmingham. There are challenges here which you won't find
:06:12. > :06:15.anywhere else. You can develop your career here. We have been in a bad
:06:16. > :06:18.place a long time, but that is changing. We want people about their
:06:19. > :06:24.attitude to improve, and who want to make a difference.
:06:25. > :06:27.Coming up later in the programme: We're in Redditch where campaigners
:06:28. > :06:36.are fighting to protect front line services at the town's hospital.
:06:37. > :06:39.A 33`year`old man from Dudley's being questioned by police this
:06:40. > :06:43.evening on suspicion of terrorism offences. The West Midlands Counter
:06:44. > :06:46.Terrorism Unit arrested him at his home this morning on suspicion of
:06:47. > :06:50.distributing an ideological publication. The arrest came as the
:06:51. > :06:54.Government's Security Minister visited a Birmingham mosque for
:06:55. > :06:58.talks on tackling extremism. Here's our special correspondent Peter
:06:59. > :07:03.Wilson. A meeting about tackling extremism.
:07:04. > :07:07.But this was a collection of all the faiths, held in a mosque, but
:07:08. > :07:16.attended by a bishop and a Rabbi. This was about the freedom to
:07:17. > :07:22.practise ones faith without fear. The me, it was good to learn about
:07:23. > :07:29.Muslim fears for their security, because we in the Jewish community
:07:30. > :07:35.are warned. The community building on peace, and we condemn violence of
:07:36. > :07:38.all kinds. This summer tested that unity to breaking point but,
:07:39. > :07:41.Birmingham's togetherness held. One man, 82``year`old Mohammed Saleem
:07:42. > :07:46.was stabbed killed simply because he was a muslim. The murderer ukrainian
:07:47. > :07:58.student Pavlo Lapshyn also planted three bombs outside mosques to
:07:59. > :08:02.spread hate and fear. I was very struck by that strong sense of
:08:03. > :08:07.community, and how by continuing to maintain that, we can be that much
:08:08. > :08:13.stronger in confronting those who would seek to divide and how we
:08:14. > :08:19.stand together in confronting those who might seek to use extremism in
:08:20. > :08:26.that way. The government says the biggest security, some Al`Qaeda
:08:27. > :08:30.style groups. Many other communities who gathered in Birmingham today say
:08:31. > :08:37.that what concerns them is extremism from the far right. It is not just
:08:38. > :08:41.Al`Qaeda inspired which takes at the time of us. We are also doing work
:08:42. > :08:46.around the extreme right wing, around extreme rights and
:08:47. > :08:54.environmental rights. We have a broad sphere of work, but not all of
:08:55. > :08:58.it is Al`Qaeda. The biggest of the nail bombs was planted at the Tipton
:08:59. > :09:05.Mosque. No one died due to a delay in prayer times but the explosion
:09:06. > :09:09.continues to reverberate. The community itself is more vigilant
:09:10. > :09:14.since then. Initially, the mosque was opened doors, and people coming
:09:15. > :09:17.when they wanted. Now we have to be a bit more vigilant, and the
:09:18. > :09:21.community itself is vigilant. Todays meeting was held in a Mosque which
:09:22. > :09:26.once had been a piano making factory. It is a place of prayer,
:09:27. > :09:31.charity and hope for the future. The mosque plays a particular role,
:09:32. > :09:34.which is to enforce ideas of citizenship and belonging, and
:09:35. > :09:39.letting people feel they are part of the fabric of British society. Those
:09:40. > :09:43.things which we tried to reaffirm and address whether we are. There
:09:44. > :09:47.were discussion about what can be done to deal with those who preach
:09:48. > :09:56.hate but today was about those who preach faith unity.
:09:57. > :09:58.Two out of three Midlands Air Ambulance helicopters remain
:09:59. > :10:03.grounded this evening over safety concerns. It follows a fault that
:10:04. > :10:06.was discovered yesterday on an EC`135 helicopter operated by Bond
:10:07. > :10:12.Air Services for the North West Air Ambulance. It's the same model which
:10:13. > :10:16.crashed onto a bar in Glasgow, killing nine people.
:10:17. > :10:18.New forensic tests could provide a breakthrough in the 22`year
:10:19. > :10:24.investigation into the disappearance of Nicola Payne. The young mother,
:10:25. > :10:29.who was 18, was last seen in the Henley Green area of Coventry in
:10:30. > :10:32.December 1991. A number of items recovered during the police inquiry
:10:33. > :10:36.have been sent for up to date forensic testing. Her parents, John
:10:37. > :10:42.and Marilyn Payne, said they were waiting for test results and hoping
:10:43. > :10:45.for closure at last. A ?48 million biomass plant which
:10:46. > :10:49.will use waste wood to generate electricity is to be built in
:10:50. > :10:53.Birmingham. It's the first of its kind in the UK and it'll be able to
:10:54. > :10:57.power 17,000 homes a year. The project ` in Tyseley ` will create a
:10:58. > :11:04.100 construction jobs and is due to be completed in 2016.
:11:05. > :11:07.Plans to deliver more than 20,000 jobs in the West Midlands over the
:11:08. > :11:10.next decade have won approval today from Government ministers. In
:11:11. > :11:14.Coventry and Warwickshire, an investment of ?90m is expected to
:11:15. > :11:20.create more than 15,000 new jobs by 2025. Nearly 9,000 of them will be
:11:21. > :11:25.in the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector. And in the Black
:11:26. > :11:28.Country, more than 5,000 jobs and 1,500 apprenticeships could be
:11:29. > :11:30.created over the next four years, as private investment worth ?130m is
:11:31. > :11:39.pumped into Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell. The two schemes
:11:40. > :11:42.have received the green light under the City Deal programme ` where
:11:43. > :11:46.councils and business leaders are given more control over how money is
:11:47. > :11:51.spent locally. From Coventry, here's Kevin Reide.
:11:52. > :11:55.In spite of the gloomy skies there was an air of optimism in Coventry
:11:56. > :11:58.and Warwickshire today as the government announced the area was to
:11:59. > :12:01.get a so called City Deal. It'll give the local authority and local
:12:02. > :12:10.enterprise panel more powers to create jobs. We have to see this as
:12:11. > :12:14.a first step. This is as showing governments that if they give us
:12:15. > :12:21.more power, more Cash, we will spend it more effectively and we would get
:12:22. > :12:24.better things for the region. Here in Coventry their user money to set
:12:25. > :12:29.a clear house. It'll be a fast tracking centre the companies who
:12:30. > :12:32.want to expand. One such company is Penso, who carry out specialist
:12:33. > :12:35.design and manufacture for the likes of Jaguar, Land Rover and Mercedees.
:12:36. > :12:39.They're quickly outgrowing their space in Coventry and plan to double
:12:40. > :12:45.their size by building a new factory right next to their existing one.
:12:46. > :12:49.Instead of having a number of organisations go to, and I think
:12:50. > :12:55.there were over a hundred organisations we needed to approach
:12:56. > :13:00.your help, now we can go to one port or they will help us finance, it
:13:01. > :13:07.will help us with grants, it will help us are planning, and also
:13:08. > :13:12.developing our skills for. That is brilliant. The City Deal replaces
:13:13. > :13:15.the work done by the now disbanded Advantage West Midlands, and as for
:13:16. > :13:18.how may jobs will be created forecasts vary, but the Prime
:13:19. > :13:21.Minister said on local radio today it would be more than 10,000.
:13:22. > :13:25.Today's announcement is not a complete rose garden though. We hope
:13:26. > :13:36.to see extra jobs by 2025, and support growth in engineering. The
:13:37. > :13:41.audit commission said other city deals had not yet demonstrated that
:13:42. > :13:43.they can deliver value for money. Kevin Reide, BBC Midlands Today,
:13:44. > :13:46.Coventry. Joining me now is the chairman of
:13:47. > :13:49.the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, Stewart Towe. Nearly
:13:50. > :13:59.6,000 new jobs and 1500 apprenticeships. How important is
:14:00. > :14:03.this to the Black Country? This is fantastic news. We have some the
:14:04. > :14:08.world players in automotive and airspace. What you really need to do
:14:09. > :14:13.now is to make sure we have got those other sites, and those skills
:14:14. > :14:18.available to attract supply chain in, so we can both encourage our
:14:19. > :14:21.existing companies to grow, and also attract inward investment, so we are
:14:22. > :14:24.making the most of those skills which are there in the Black
:14:25. > :14:28.Country. Your proposal also includes support for 2,800 long term
:14:29. > :14:35.unemployed. How tough is it to find work in the Black Country? It is a
:14:36. > :14:39.big problem. To get our young people to understand that careers in
:14:40. > :14:43.engineering are good opportunities, those tenants are there. They are
:14:44. > :14:47.showing growth in all they are doing. We now have a supply chain
:14:48. > :14:51.looking behind them are businesses who want to be part of that advanced
:14:52. > :14:57.manufacturing in our area. We need both young people and the long`term
:14:58. > :15:04.unemployed to understand that these opportunities for them, as well for
:15:05. > :15:08.other people already qualified. What about the here and now? Many those
:15:09. > :15:14.anchor tenants are a long way through their plan but the engine
:15:15. > :15:19.plans. Those are needed built, those jobs are nearly there. We need to
:15:20. > :15:23.make sure that Brownfield sites are available for the supply chain into
:15:24. > :15:28.those, to make sure that when the keys are in place, we can make sure
:15:29. > :15:35.the maximum opportunities are available to the people in the Black
:15:36. > :15:41.Country. Does this mean the local enterprise partnerships are working?
:15:42. > :15:45.It means we know what those issues are, locally. It means that the
:15:46. > :15:49.partnership between the public and private sector is really important,
:15:50. > :15:54.in terms of taking forward the opportunity for the people and the
:15:55. > :15:56.jobs in the Black Country. Thank you.
:15:57. > :15:58.Part of Birmingham City centre is being re`named the 'Social
:15:59. > :16:01.Enterprise Quarter' to promote companies that use their profits to
:16:02. > :16:05.help society. National examples include The Big Issue magazine, the
:16:06. > :16:07.Eden Project in Cornwall and Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen, and
:16:08. > :16:10.it's thought there are 300 social enterprises in Birmingham. Our
:16:11. > :16:14.business correspondent Peter Plisner reports.
:16:15. > :16:18.Making his daily bread. Albert Smith used to be a nurse. That was until
:16:19. > :16:28.he decided to start a social enterprise bakery. For him a
:16:29. > :16:35.liberating experience. I think I can make my own decisions. I am able to
:16:36. > :16:42.create things that in my previous occupation I couldn't. I network and
:16:43. > :16:46.I determine how much how little I pay. And Albert was there today at a
:16:47. > :16:49.special market to launch Birmingham's new Social Enterprise
:16:50. > :16:56.Quarter. So too was council leader Sir Albert Bore whose a big fan of
:16:57. > :17:01.the concept. Every can cluster them, then it will attract others, and a
:17:02. > :17:05.major scare that encouragement to individuals who are thought about
:17:06. > :17:08.setting up a small business, but not done so. The brianchild of Sarah
:17:09. > :17:11.Crawley the head of the Digbeth based Initiative for Social
:17:12. > :17:16.Entrprenuers, the aim now is to increase the number of new firms.
:17:17. > :17:21.What we expect will happen is they will do a lot of inter`trading, they
:17:22. > :17:24.will work together and improve their businesses in terms of the
:17:25. > :17:28.activities they do. It will improve the numbers are people they employ,
:17:29. > :17:35.but also their contribution to the economy of Birmingham. This is a
:17:36. > :17:38.custom factory in the centre of Birmingham. There are 30 different
:17:39. > :17:41.firms operating from these buildings. One of them is SHELANU, a
:17:42. > :17:48.women's craft collective making specialist cards and jewelery. It
:17:49. > :17:54.has a very deep social purpose, which is why it is a sort of
:17:55. > :17:59.enterprise, because it is there, providing a sense of belonging for
:18:00. > :18:02.women in the city, and providing a kind of service for women. Once
:18:03. > :18:05.described as the city of a thousand trades. If more social enterprises
:18:06. > :18:11.are set up, then Birmingham might get the title back. Peter Plisner,
:18:12. > :18:15.BBC Midlands Today in Digbeth. This is our top story tonight: Rated
:18:16. > :18:21.inadequate for four years, now a pledge from Birmingham City Council
:18:22. > :18:24.to transform children's services. Your detailed weather forecast to
:18:25. > :18:27.come shortly from Shefali. Also in tonight's programme.
:18:28. > :18:38.Forget fast and furious football: how about the more genteel version,
:18:39. > :18:49.walk football for the over 55s? Lit by 20,000 lives, a winter
:18:50. > :18:51.wonderland. Join me shortly. Campaigners fighting to protect
:18:52. > :18:55.services at their local hospital are staging a candle`lit vigil tonight.
:18:56. > :18:58.A and maternity services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch could
:18:59. > :19:03.be moved to hospitals in Worcester or Birmingham as part of a ?50m
:19:04. > :19:12.savings plan. Ben Sidwell is in Redditch tonight. Ben, what's the
:19:13. > :19:16.mood at the vigil? There is a small but cheerful group behind me. They
:19:17. > :19:22.are pretty determined. Eight years ago to the day they were here,
:19:23. > :19:26.fighting exactly the same cause. That tiny one, this time they're
:19:27. > :19:34.fighting the battle again. Let's talk to the chairman. Neil, you are
:19:35. > :19:39.fighting to save services? We are beamed at the two years. Basically,
:19:40. > :19:43.we are appealing for the NHS to maintain accessible services with
:19:44. > :19:52.the capacity to cope the people in Redditch. You get out there as a
:19:53. > :20:00.group. Our leaders appointed by the numbers here? Would you expect more?
:20:01. > :20:04.It is a cold December evening. We have a 55,000 strong petition.
:20:05. > :20:09.People do what they can, and we just hope the NHS are listening to the
:20:10. > :20:15.thousands of people they spoke to. B to the town's MP. They are talking
:20:16. > :20:24.about this today. What would your message be? We do need sustainable
:20:25. > :20:30.services here. It is crucial that this hospital is remains open. I was
:20:31. > :20:37.assured as possible will remain open. I want to see the services of
:20:38. > :20:42.this hospital open. We will carry on campaigning until that happens. The
:20:43. > :20:46.guys are going to stay here with the candles. They're been here since
:20:47. > :20:51.four o'clock. They will stay here till about seven tonight. The result
:20:52. > :20:58.could be out sometime in early January. They should know early next
:20:59. > :21:01.month. Back to you. Thank you. Think football and it probably
:21:02. > :21:04.conjures up images like this ` the high`octane, lightning quick action
:21:05. > :21:07.on show when teams such as West Brom and Aston Villa collide in the
:21:08. > :21:10.Premier League. But, in Shropshire today, a footballer's life was a
:21:11. > :21:17.touch more genteel. In fact, everything was done at walking pace.
:21:18. > :21:27.Here's Laura May McMullan. It's still the beautiful game. It's
:21:28. > :21:32.just played at a slower pace. Anyone runs and it's a foul. Walking
:21:33. > :21:37.football was set up in Shrewsbury back in September. It's one of three
:21:38. > :21:49.groups across the county set up to improve the health of older men.
:21:50. > :21:53.Even if you're unfit, don't think you can't do this, because it is
:21:54. > :21:59.walking. It's got tremendous benefits. The sessions are aimed at
:22:00. > :22:03.men aged 55 and over. Robert Formby is the oldest member at 76. I've had
:22:04. > :22:12.my knees done twice but this is great and it keeps me healthy. White
:22:13. > :22:23.alike? For the exercise. It is good fun. I must have said a dozen times,
:22:24. > :22:28.referee, he is running. It is hard to work out whether you're running
:22:29. > :22:32.all you are a fast walker. Health experts say not enough people are
:22:33. > :22:35.exercising. Only a third of adults in England do the recommended 2.5
:22:36. > :22:42.hours a week of moderate exercise. But making a switch in your late
:22:43. > :22:45.40's or 50's can be a benefit. It's about changing people's perceptions
:22:46. > :22:48.and we're finding it's hard to get older men doing exercising The
:22:49. > :22:51.sessions take place every Thursday morning at the Monkmoor recreation
:22:52. > :23:07.ground and more new members are joining every week. New Age UK says
:23:08. > :23:16.a healthy heart is a healthy head. Members are joining every week.
:23:17. > :23:18.For the last nine years, Dave Edwards and his family have
:23:19. > :23:23.brightened up Christmas in their neighbourhood with a vast array of
:23:24. > :23:26.festive lights. And this year, Dave has decked out his home with a
:23:27. > :23:33.staggering 20,000 LED lights to raise cash for a Birmingham hospice.
:23:34. > :23:43.Lindsay Doyle is there now. It looks spectacular? It is incredible.
:23:44. > :23:49.20,000 lives. We have Christmas trees, we have Father Christmas and
:23:50. > :23:53.reindeers. It is incredible. The men behind it is Dave Edwards. Dave,
:23:54. > :24:02.you're been doing this for a number of years? I've been doing this since
:24:03. > :24:10.I was five years old. I'm 22 now. White Highlanders take to you to put
:24:11. > :24:16.them up? It is about 14 hours a day. What is your lectures the belike? It
:24:17. > :24:24.is 90% more efficient than it was before. We hardly even noticed it.
:24:25. > :24:30.It is all the charity? Yes. We tried to raise for local charity. Caters
:24:31. > :24:40.with me now. You must be delighted they do for you? It is fantastic.
:24:41. > :24:44.Dave has already raised ?250 for the hospice, and we would love to travel
:24:45. > :24:49.it, because that put a carer by the bed for at least a week. Come and be
:24:50. > :24:52.inspired by these lights. These are wonderful, Ashley when the ball. You
:24:53. > :24:55.don't know they're here and be inspired by these lights. These are
:24:56. > :25:00.wonderful, Ashley when the ball. You don't know they're here until you
:25:01. > :25:05.can. I was astonished when I saw it. It is fantastic. There is a
:25:06. > :25:11.donations box, if you want to come along, take a look at this
:25:12. > :25:18.spectacular display, and donate if you're able to. Back to you.
:25:19. > :25:25.Time for the weather, and it's been quite mild today, hasn't it? Will it
:25:26. > :25:42.go on, Shefali? Anything the only thing that inspired it is it turning
:25:43. > :25:46.wintry. Rain is coming. You can see that there is increasing pressure
:25:47. > :25:51.around that, which indicates the winds are increasing as we head into
:25:52. > :25:54.the weekend. We get the ball rolling this evening and overnight. The rain
:25:55. > :25:58.is already starting to sweep up on the south`west. It is very
:25:59. > :26:01.fragmented, but there will be some dark centres, indicating where the
:26:02. > :26:12.heaviest outbreaks will be. This will ease in the early hours. In
:26:13. > :26:22.some places there are loads of nine to 10 Celsius. `` Loews. For a brief
:26:23. > :26:26.time tomorrow morning, it is looking very dry, quite quiet, then it is
:26:27. > :26:31.not long before the next band of rain comes. This one could be a bit
:26:32. > :26:37.heavier, more active. You can see a lot of dark colours there. It would
:26:38. > :26:43.be quite torrential, and possibly contain thunder. It won't last for
:26:44. > :26:49.too long. Later on in the afternoon, it will get dryer, but it is milder
:26:50. > :26:54.than today, with highs of 11 degrees. As rain rattled through, it
:26:55. > :26:59.will turn a bit breezy. This is what is going on over the weekend. We
:27:00. > :27:04.have two more bands of rain coming through, but because of the timing
:27:05. > :27:13.of those, one is Saturday and the other is Sunday into Monday. It
:27:14. > :27:17.deals still going to be mild, although it will be quite windy.
:27:18. > :27:20.This is what the weekend is looking at. Highs of nine to 11 Celsius.
:27:21. > :27:23.at. Highs of nine to Tonight's headlines from the BBC. 22
:27:24. > :27:26.air ambulance and police helicopters are grounded after a fault is
:27:27. > :27:30.discovered. And rated inadequate for four years,
:27:31. > :27:33.now there's a pledge from Birmingham City Council to transform children's
:27:34. > :27:37.services. That was the Midlands Today. I'll be
:27:38. > :27:40.back at ten o'clock with more on the ?48 million biomass plant planned
:27:41. > :27:42.for Birmingham which will be able to power 17,000 homes a year. Have a
:27:43. > :27:46.great evening.