06/07/2014 Midlands Today

Good evening. Back to you.

The Shadow Housing Minister and Wolverhampton MP Emma Reynolds

says the country is in a housing crisis with just half the

But the Government says house building is at its highest level

since 2007, with more investment in affordable homes.

Lizz Wright plays house with her young daughter.

Affording a real home is something of a fairytale.

We saved as much as possible. But didn't get anywhere. We were moving

at a snail's pace. So Liz and her family have given up

renting and moved back home with her parents in Birmingham to save

for a deposit. Liz wants to live here in the

Kings Heath area of Birmingham, where a three bedroom house can

cost up to ?250,000. Getting

on the property ladder isn't cheap. In recent years house prices in the

West Midlands have risen by 56%. According to the

National Housing Federation, the average deposit needed is

?35,000, with the average house Speaking on the Sunday Politics,

the shadow housing minister said the country was in the midst

of a housing crisis. We're not building half of what we

need. This government has presided over the lowest building since the

1920s. Builders are operating flat out.

The building of new homes and estates is often proving to be

For the Wright family, the drive for more affordable homes

A man died in a crash which closed part of the M6 motorway

The accident, involving a car and a lorry, happened just before 5am.

The dead man was a passenger in the car.

The drivers of both vehicles received hospital treatment

68 years ago today the very first tractor rolled off the production

line at Massey Ferguson's Banner Lane factory in Coventry.

The plant went on to produce nearly three and a half million tractors,

but until today there were no signs it ever existed.

Today was about remembering what was once one of the Midlands if not UK's

important factories ` Massey Ferguson's Banner Lane.

On this day in 1946 the first little grey Fergie or T20

It was all made possible by this man, Harry Ferguson,

It signifies brilliant engineering. It all happened here in Coventry.

The administration headquarters were raised to the ground two years ago `

removing all traces of what was the western world's

It's hard to imagine that at one time nearly 10,000 people

worked here, producing up to 100,000 tractors every year.

Ted Everett was an official photographer for

Massey's, starting there in 1952, and behind him the last tractor to

Sometimes when I did visits... The full stint of walking was under

three miles. I was always smiling. Terrific.

These days Massey's is owned by AGCO ` an American firm who shifted

production to France, although they do still employ 500

Tennis, and Halesowen's Jordanne Whiley has

The 22`year`old partnered Yui Kamiji, from Japan,

to victory in the Wheelchair Women's Doubles final, beating their Dutch

It's their third Grand Slam victory this year after the Australian

Let's get the weather forecast now, from Charlie Slater.

Largely clear. Still a few showers. Because of the clear skies,

temperatures are falling. Lots of dry weather. Sunshine and showers

continue. Hello. We are going to carry the

weekend weather into the first part of