:00:00. > :00:00.weather. Not a wash-out but stay tuned for the details.
:00:00. > :00:24.We have seen a massive reduction in the service we are offering to the
:00:25. > :00:30.community. We'll have your reaction to
:00:31. > :00:33.the industrial action and speak to A mental health worker is stabbed to
:00:34. > :00:37.death at an inpatient unit at a Gloucester hospital `
:00:38. > :00:39.a man has been arrested. Thousands
:00:40. > :00:41.of epilepsy patients could miss out on a life changing operation,
:00:42. > :00:53.because the NHS won't pay for it. I am very eager to have the surgery
:00:54. > :00:59.and then be free of medication. The myriad of midlands links with
:01:00. > :01:03.the mythical musical world of Oz ` And another glorious day ` you're
:01:04. > :01:10.probably wondering where the rain is. Well, you could be asking the
:01:11. > :01:14.same question tomorrow ` will it Good evening, thousands
:01:15. > :01:29.of public sector workers across the Around 50,000 people
:01:30. > :01:34.including teachers, firefighters, carers and council workers took
:01:35. > :01:38.industrial action over changes to Around 300 schools were either shut
:01:39. > :01:43.or partially closed because And nearly 3000 workers took to
:01:44. > :01:48.the streets of Coventry, Stoke, Hereford, Wolverhampton and
:01:49. > :01:52.Birmingham in organised rallies. Sarah Falkland was
:01:53. > :01:57.at the largest demo in Birmingham. The turn out wasn't
:01:58. > :02:00.as spectacular as the sunshine. Birmingham might be home to Europe's
:02:01. > :02:03.largest local authority, but fewer than 2,000 people took to
:02:04. > :02:22.the streets. Dave Pitt is a firefighter from
:02:23. > :02:25.West Bromwich. On paper,
:02:26. > :02:27.things don't look too bad for him. Four years ago, as a probationary
:02:28. > :02:31.firefighter, he was earning ?20,000 and now he's earning ?28,000 ` but
:02:32. > :02:34.that doesn't tell the whole story ` as he's struggling to pay pension
:02:35. > :02:48.contributions of over 14 per cent. For us it's one thing or the other,
:02:49. > :02:50.having the heating on or paying our pensions.
:02:51. > :02:54.She earned ?40,000 in 2010 but couldn't keep up with what she
:02:55. > :03:00.says were ever increasing demands and now earns ?5,000 less.
:03:01. > :03:07.The workload is never`ending. I have a young daughter. I bring her home
:03:08. > :03:09.and all I want to do is get on with my work because it is never
:03:10. > :03:10.finishing. Teachers ` even primary school
:03:11. > :03:12.ones ` were well represented... And for them it's not just
:03:13. > :03:22.about pay, pensions and conditions. The geography and history curriculum
:03:23. > :03:24.are very poor and I don't know who has written them. I am struggling to
:03:25. > :03:26.make an exciting. The government has condemned today's
:03:27. > :03:28.strike as illegitimate because It stands by recent pay freezes,
:03:29. > :03:31.arguing that the county's still clawing its way
:03:32. > :03:48.out of the great recession, but There is a ?10 billion in local
:03:49. > :03:54.authority funding. The top 1% in our society ` their wealth has risen by
:03:55. > :03:55.80% in the last year. They should give a little bit back.
:03:56. > :03:57.For many, there's just a one per cent pay rise
:03:58. > :04:00.Librarian Geoff Millington earned ?17,000 in 2010
:04:01. > :04:11.You hope that when you retire you will be able to put some money in
:04:12. > :04:12.the bank for your retirement. We cannot.
:04:13. > :04:14.There could be more strikes in the autumn, unions warn.
:04:15. > :04:16.Well, that was the picture in Birmingham,
:04:17. > :04:19.but across the Midlands there were picket lines and protests too.
:04:20. > :04:22.Let's have a look now at how the strike affected the region,
:04:23. > :04:31.we'll start with BBC Radio Stoke's Political reporter, Phil McCann.
:04:32. > :04:38.This town Hall was just one location in Stoke`on`Trent where there was a
:04:39. > :04:42.picket line today. There was another at the tax office opposite and at
:04:43. > :04:46.the city council headquarters. Around 200 people gathered to hear
:04:47. > :04:50.speeches and is to attend a rally. 41 schools have been shot across
:04:51. > :04:54.Staffordshire today. Many others are partially closed. Beans are not
:04:55. > :05:05.being collected and council buildings closed. Let's look at the
:05:06. > :05:10.situation in Coventry. There are picket lines across the region, the
:05:11. > :05:18.biggest impact here in Coventry has been on schools. 30 are closed in
:05:19. > :05:22.Coventry and 25 across Warwickshire. Lady Godiva, a woman who was not
:05:23. > :05:29.afraid to demonstrate, today overlooked a rally of the council's
:05:30. > :05:33.12,500 workers in the city centre. My colleague has been finding out
:05:34. > :05:38.what has been going on in Hereford and was to share. Unison tell me
:05:39. > :05:48.that there are over three hot fuzz and `` three 3,000 public sector
:05:49. > :05:56.workers here. There are nine schools closed in was Jewish, with more
:05:57. > :06:05.partially closed. `` in Worcestershire. The library and art
:06:06. > :06:15.gallery have been closed as well. Let's find out what it's like in
:06:16. > :06:19.Shropshire. Workers from the Defence Caught Group have walked out of a
:06:20. > :06:23.depot here to stage a rally. They are joined by union members from
:06:24. > :06:29.across the public sector. In Shropshire, eight schools have
:06:30. > :06:33.closed. The local authorities say that services have not really been
:06:34. > :06:39.affected. This is the busiest picket line in the county today.
:06:40. > :06:43.What's different has destroyed me to people here who were not able to
:06:44. > :06:45.stand their children to school or use council services?
:06:46. > :06:47.Ben Godfrey has been assessing the impact in Wolverhampton.
:06:48. > :06:50.at the school gate and an infant school in Wolverhampton
:06:51. > :06:54.Just a few classes were affected by striking NUT members ` but it
:06:55. > :07:06.In the city centre, we found Nicholas Baggott ` out of work for
:07:07. > :07:13.I have two children at home who I have to arrange childcare for. It's
:07:14. > :07:14.a nightmare because my other child doesn't want to go to school because
:07:15. > :07:17.his brother doesn't have to. In the city centre, we found
:07:18. > :07:20.Nicholas Baggott ` out of work for over six months and turned away from
:07:21. > :07:26.perusing the latest job vacancies. I'm a bit gobsmacked. I have been
:07:27. > :07:29.told to come back tomorrow. Jobcentre Plus told us all
:07:30. > :07:32.of its buildings were open today. Here, though, it appeared to be for
:07:33. > :07:35.those with pre`arranged interviews. There was something
:07:36. > :07:37.of a carnival atmosphere in St. Peter's Square, as 150 attended
:07:38. > :07:57.a rally over pay and pensions. It's lovely. This is a difficult
:07:58. > :08:01.sell to members of the public he has seen their council tax go up this
:08:02. > :08:03.year and also ?120 million of cuts from the city council. Would you
:08:04. > :08:04.like a sticker? Shaun Taylor `
:08:05. > :08:06.who's been unemployed for two years But when I told
:08:07. > :08:31.the 35 year old there were teachers My mum is a teacher. So I know the
:08:32. > :08:33.struggle that she goes through. The pressures, the union pressures,
:08:34. > :08:35.pressure from the government. At least 50 city schools
:08:36. > :08:37.were affected by the strike. The local authority says
:08:38. > :08:39.there's been minimal disruption We've had lots of comments
:08:40. > :08:48.about the strike on Twitter Julie Baldwin says,
:08:49. > :08:54."I'd like to know whether any of the parents plan to 'fine' the schools
:08:55. > :08:57.involved for causing their children But Keith Morgan says, "Most
:08:58. > :09:02.of the people working in the private sector would give their eye teeth to
:09:03. > :09:07.have the terms and conditions that And Helen Pinches says,
:09:08. > :09:11."I'd be unhappy if my conditions of I'm joined now by James Morris,
:09:12. > :09:17.Conservative MP for Halesowen Let's address that point
:09:18. > :09:23.from firefighter Dave Pitt in Sarah Falklands report ` he has to choose
:09:24. > :09:39.between the heating and paying his I don't know about his personal
:09:40. > :09:44.circumstances but we are reforming public sector pensions. If you look
:09:45. > :09:47.at the firefighters pension scheme, it would take someone in the private
:09:48. > :09:52.sector having to make a third of their salary in contributions to get
:09:53. > :09:58.a sent `` similar level of pension. I'm a long`term economic plan is on
:09:59. > :10:04.unsustainable footing. We have cut the deficit by a third. We have had
:10:05. > :10:12.to cut public spending in order to keep the nation's finances in decent
:10:13. > :10:17.shape. Any good news for public sector workers?
:10:18. > :10:23.We have the deficit down by a third, but still have a lot of work to do.
:10:24. > :10:28.Public sector pay is capped at 1%. Even Labour are agreeing that it
:10:29. > :10:32.must be capped at 1%. We are hoping that wages will be able to grow as
:10:33. > :10:37.the economy recovers, but we need to keep fiscal discipline. We still
:10:38. > :10:41.have a long way to recover from the difficulties that we inherited four
:10:42. > :10:48.years ago. There has been heated debate on
:10:49. > :10:53.social media today. One man said, it's not just teachers striking. If
:10:54. > :11:00.you have an issue, how about talking to MPs who have just had an 11%
:11:01. > :11:05.increase. MPs have had their pay frozen for
:11:06. > :11:13.two years. They are subject to the public sector pay freeze. No
:11:14. > :11:17.decisions have been made. You spent time with emergency
:11:18. > :11:22.services, police and mental health workers recently. You see how
:11:23. > :11:27.difficult a job is. Doesn't that deserve to be rewarded?
:11:28. > :11:31.I think it is rewarded properly. Not according to the people have ``
:11:32. > :11:36.to have taken industrial action today.
:11:37. > :11:41.I think this was an unnecessary disruption. The reality is that we
:11:42. > :11:45.have capped public sector pay at 1% because we need to continue the
:11:46. > :11:48.effort to get the deficit down as part of a long`term economic plan to
:11:49. > :11:50.get Britain's finances back on a stable footing.
:11:51. > :11:54.Thank you. You're watching Midlands Today,
:11:55. > :11:56.good to have you with us. A boost for Uttoxeter,
:11:57. > :12:00.supermarket chain Waitrose is to move onto the old JCB site,
:12:01. > :12:02.creating nearly 200 jobs. And working hard to help others
:12:03. > :12:05.unwind, the Shropshire couple who have moved from sheep
:12:06. > :12:12.farming to lavender growing. Police in Gloucester are continuing
:12:13. > :12:15.to question a 60`year`old man on suspicion of murder after
:12:16. > :12:19.a female worker at a mental health It happened at the
:12:20. > :12:35.Wotton Lawn Hospital in Gloucester Staff at this secure hospital
:12:36. > :12:40.gathered for a meeting this morning, 24 hours after a worker was stabbed
:12:41. > :12:45.to death. Police arrived yesterday morning but the female carriers
:12:46. > :12:50.systems could not be saved. The man arrested is in his 60s and believed
:12:51. > :12:55.to be a patient here. He is still in cost to this evening, being
:12:56. > :12:59.questioned by police. This hospital is equipped with ?88. It only takes
:13:00. > :13:06.patients with acute mental health problems. Today staff from the
:13:07. > :13:10.hospital next door it said news of the stabbing has left everyone
:13:11. > :13:17.shaking. Where I worked a lot of people have been shocked by what has
:13:18. > :13:20.happened. All the nursing staff within the hospital don't expect to
:13:21. > :13:25.come to work and have this sort of thing happen. It's not something
:13:26. > :13:29.that you would expect to happen. For those representing mental health
:13:30. > :13:35.workers, yesterday's attack has been disturbing news. Some of our members
:13:36. > :13:38.have phoned us in distress today saying they cannot believe this has
:13:39. > :13:48.happened. They feel worried about everyone involved, themselves, the
:13:49. > :13:51.families. They have never `` they never thought it would happen at
:13:52. > :13:57.this hospital and now they're faced with the reality that this has
:13:58. > :14:01.happened. The trust which runs this unit says its thoughts are with the
:14:02. > :14:02.family of the woman who died, what they could not comment further while
:14:03. > :14:07.the investigation was under way. The parents of Christina Edkins,
:14:08. > :14:09.the schoolgirl who was stabbed to death on a bus in Birmingham last
:14:10. > :14:12.year, have spoken out calling on young people to support
:14:13. > :14:14.the knife surrender campaign. It's hoped people will dispose
:14:15. > :14:17.of weapons in the roadside bins. Today's was painted purple in memory
:14:18. > :14:23.of Christina, her favourite colour. Her family say violent crime has a
:14:24. > :14:45.terrible impact on everyone?s lives. It destroys the family, plus the
:14:46. > :14:55.family and friends. To do this today is really nerve wracking. Wrap them
:14:56. > :14:56.up and put them in the bin and that could save another life. It's not
:14:57. > :14:58.big and it's not clever. Thousands of epileptic patients
:14:59. > :15:00.across the Midlands could miss out on a life changing procedure
:15:01. > :15:03.because of a row over funding. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in
:15:04. > :15:06.Birmingham ` which is the regional centre for brain surgery has
:15:07. > :15:08.suspended the treatment, because it Our Health correspondent,
:15:09. > :15:11.Michele Paduano has more. Renovating his bathroom, David
:15:12. > :15:16.Knowles is getting on with life. An operation offers an 80% chance
:15:17. > :15:22.of a cure, but 45 minutes after confirmation
:15:23. > :15:26.that he was to go to hospital that He was called back
:15:27. > :15:38.and told it was cancelled. All of a sudden I have been
:15:39. > :15:43.confronted with the fact that it has been cancelled due to funding. I
:15:44. > :15:45.find it pretty diabolical. His company had made preparations to
:15:46. > :15:48.cover for the software engineer Staff cannot believe that a wrangle
:15:49. > :16:03.over price has left him in limbo The doctor has expressed sympathy.
:16:04. > :16:08.The patient is right at the heart of their considerations. In this case,
:16:09. > :16:09.it is clearly not the case and is very disappointing.
:16:10. > :16:20.I am very eager to have the surgery and then be free of medication and
:16:21. > :16:22.able to work to my full potential. I have no idea what that potential is.
:16:23. > :16:25.The surgery involves cutting out a damaged part of the brain.
:16:26. > :16:27.But special electrodes are implanted in the brain to check
:16:28. > :16:30.for electrical activity and payment for these is at issue.
:16:31. > :16:32.University Hospitals Birmingham has apologised that it hasn't met
:16:33. > :16:34.its normal high standards, but says that it is currently not
:16:35. > :16:51.In a statement, NHS England said, "we do routinely fund epilepsy
:16:52. > :16:58.The hospital said it was inappropriate for us to interview
:16:59. > :16:59.the surgeon. He said it was a football match between the hospital
:17:00. > :17:11.and NHS England. So hopefully David will eventually
:17:12. > :17:13.get the operation, Nearly 200 jobs are to be created by
:17:14. > :17:18.the supermarket Waitrose, which is The company's moving to a site which
:17:19. > :17:23.was owned by the digger maker JCB. It's being seen
:17:24. > :17:27.as a major boost to the market town, which suffered during the recession
:17:28. > :17:30.when some high street names left. Here's our Staffordshire reporter,
:17:31. > :17:34.Liz Copper. In the heart of Uttoxeter,
:17:35. > :17:37.this is where generations But the huge town centre site was
:17:38. > :17:46.flattened and has lain forlorn Now though plans to build new homes
:17:47. > :18:00.and a supermarket are This is an historical site which has
:18:01. > :18:00.been derelict for some time. Waitrose helps kick`start the
:18:01. > :18:02.redevelopment. From as early as 1871, the Bamford
:18:03. > :18:04.family were manufacturing The digger maker JCB had
:18:05. > :18:07.a long presence here. But as the last machine rolled out,
:18:08. > :18:11.to a new purpose built factory six years ago,
:18:12. > :18:23.there was a commitment from the I'm sure we could make more money
:18:24. > :18:32.doing other things than what we are doing. It really is, I don't know if
:18:33. > :18:32.this word is appropriate, but it's a legacy.
:18:33. > :18:34.The recession had a significant impact on Uttoxeter's
:18:35. > :18:37.high street, with the departure of some big names.
:18:38. > :18:39.Margaret Button successfully ran her floristry business through
:18:40. > :18:47.How does she feel about the prospect of a new supermarket in town?
:18:48. > :18:54.I am really happy about that. It is going to make such a difference to
:18:55. > :19:02.the town. The whole area is going to look fabulous. We already have a new
:19:03. > :19:04.area in town where all the shops have been taken. We just need people
:19:05. > :19:05.to go back into the high Street. There are also plans to transform
:19:06. > :19:19.part of the 22 acre site Building of the homes here is
:19:20. > :19:20.expected to get under way by later this year with a supermarket opening
:19:21. > :19:23.at Christmas. It may be set
:19:24. > :19:25.in the mythical world of Oz, but the musical Wicked has more than
:19:26. > :19:28.a few connections to the Midlands. The costumes made for the show start
:19:29. > :19:32.life in Warwickshire, and one of Our Arts Reporter Satnam Rana
:19:33. > :19:36.has ventured down the yellow Stratford Upon Avon ` home of
:19:37. > :19:43.the Royal Shakespeare Company ` but it's also home to this ` materials
:19:44. > :20:08.which make up costumes for the UK This piece of fabric is part of this
:20:09. > :20:08.here so you will not release the eighth.
:20:09. > :20:10.It's all assembled here and then shipped out to tailors
:20:11. > :20:21.I love it because when I put a new actor in a costume I love to see
:20:22. > :20:23.them perform, through their shoulders back and laugh. That is a
:20:24. > :20:23.real treat. The costumes are designed
:20:24. > :20:25.by award winning Susan Hilferty. There are over 7,000 fabrics used,
:20:26. > :20:37.from sequins to feathers to There are over 3,000 items of
:20:38. > :20:42.costume here, each fitted individually to cast members. There
:20:43. > :20:48.is even a bit of royalty. The embroidery crafted on this piece is
:20:49. > :20:52.`` was made by the same woman who works for the Queen.
:20:53. > :20:54.Wicked has become a global phenomenon, performed in 100 cities.
:20:55. > :20:57.And the UK tour stops off at the Birmingham Hippodrome
:20:58. > :21:04.For lead actor Liam from Coventry it's a sort of a home coming show.
:21:05. > :21:11.The UK tour may be bringing a global musical to the region, but our
:21:12. > :21:16.This is the first show that my friends from school will be able to
:21:17. > :21:25.watch. You get to see me do what I do now. They are all asking me when
:21:26. > :21:26.I'm going to stop acting. They have realised that it's my full time job
:21:27. > :21:30.now. it's a sort of a home coming show.
:21:31. > :21:34.The UK tour may be bringing a global musical to the region, but our
:21:35. > :21:37.region is taking its talent on and Coping with the changing weather is
:21:38. > :21:41.an occupational hazard for most farmers, and Shefali you've
:21:42. > :21:43.been to Shropshire to visit Earlier this week, I went along to
:21:44. > :21:48.meet Joanna and Robin Spencer who've turned their small holding into a
:21:49. > :21:51.rather successful cottage industry. The couple were forced to stop
:21:52. > :21:55.farming sheep after the foot But
:21:56. > :22:00.as I found out they've really had to work hard to make sure their crop
:22:01. > :22:14.thrives in the Midlands climate. When you think of Shropshire, you
:22:15. > :22:19.don't normally associated with lavender. That is unless you're
:22:20. > :22:22.familiar with the area. This family have been working the fields of
:22:23. > :22:28.purple for the best part of 20 years. They gave up a small farm
:22:29. > :22:32.after an outbreak of foot and mouth. In 2002, they decided to grow
:22:33. > :22:38.lavender instead, setting up this business here. After foot and
:22:39. > :22:44.mouth, the regulations were so restricted for a small holding that
:22:45. > :22:50.we have to think of something to do with the land. I have always loved
:22:51. > :22:50.lavender. I am very keen gardener. Trying to establish, without
:22:51. > :22:55.irrigation, is difficult. Trying to establish, without
:22:56. > :23:06.irrigation, is We are very reliant on the weather. We try very hard to
:23:07. > :23:11.count about, especially by growing British grown plants rather than the
:23:12. > :23:17.imported ones from abroad. They cannot withstand the weather. Their
:23:18. > :23:22.efforts have paid off, from what was initially just a trial planned with
:23:23. > :23:29.200 lavender plants, they now have hundreds of acres of fields. There
:23:30. > :23:33.are plans for even more. In the next five years, they hope to produce
:23:34. > :23:38.30,000 bunches. Joanna and Robin have built a cottage industry. I
:23:39. > :23:42.diversifying into areas other than just growing lavender, such as
:23:43. > :23:47.small`scale production and sale, they have squeezed every drop of
:23:48. > :23:56.potential as of this plants. When we started, we used to get our lavender
:23:57. > :24:01.distilled from commercial stills. That produces very nice lavender but
:24:02. > :24:05.we found that demonstrators were using a copper still, which produced
:24:06. > :24:10.a much rounder, more mellow, richer note. This is a demonstration I have
:24:11. > :24:16.just done, from a whole bucket of flowers. That little ribbon at the
:24:17. > :24:21.top is like liquid gold. It produces a ten millimetre bottle of oil that
:24:22. > :24:28.retails at about ?8. That is equivalent to about ?800 per litre.
:24:29. > :24:37.Liquid gold it certainly is. From essential oils, jams, they sell it
:24:38. > :24:38.all here. This `` the soothing properties of lavender make this a
:24:39. > :24:53.relaxing form of retail therapy. There were supposed to be some
:24:54. > :24:56.thunderstorms and rain today but you may have noticed that there weren't
:24:57. > :25:00.any. It has been a different story in the east of the country but we
:25:01. > :25:05.will get a taste of what is going on there over the weekend. The rain may
:25:06. > :25:09.hold of till Saturday. This combination of rain and showers,
:25:10. > :25:13.with some sunny spells in between and it should be quite humid until
:25:14. > :25:17.the end of the weekend. Things will turn a fresher than. If you have the
:25:18. > :25:24.opportunity, you should get out there and enjoy the weather. At rain
:25:25. > :25:27.over the weekend is going to come from this Western system. That will
:25:28. > :25:32.swing in from the west through the course of the weekend. Right now
:25:33. > :25:36.it's sunny out there with plenty of sunshine to enjoy. Quite warm as
:25:37. > :25:42.well. Today started with high temperatures of 24 degrees, so it
:25:43. > :25:47.will take some time for those to drop. A pleasant end to the day and
:25:48. > :25:54.then clear spells and a combination of clear spells and clouds later. It
:25:55. > :25:59.will be warm and smugly overnight. You can see that there is just the
:26:00. > :26:02.first indication of a bit of light rain there in the north`east. That
:26:03. > :26:07.will extend further west through the course of tomorrow afternoon. For
:26:08. > :26:11.most of the day it will be dry, again with plenty of sunshine in
:26:12. > :26:19.certain places. Particularly in the western half of the region. We will
:26:20. > :26:23.still manage highs of 21 Celsius in the South with light northerly
:26:24. > :26:28.winds. A dry night tomorrow. Saturday could be dry until that
:26:29. > :26:32.rain arrives from the West later at Saturday.
:26:33. > :26:34.Back now to our top story about strikes across the region,
:26:35. > :26:36.and to our reporter Sarah Falkland who's outside
:26:37. > :26:45.Sarah, what's been achieved today do you think?
:26:46. > :26:51.That's not going to go down at all well with the unions. This square
:26:52. > :26:55.was full of public sector workers earlier today and the mood was one
:26:56. > :27:01.of defiance. People want to be listened to. We heard earlier from
:27:02. > :27:07.Dave Prentice from Unison. He doesn't just want a quick fix. That
:27:08. > :27:12.would just be a sticking plaster for all the pay freeze is they have had
:27:13. > :27:16.to endure. He once a five`year plan with stability for public sector
:27:17. > :27:25.workers. Those kind of PlayStation 's which the MP quoted is not going
:27:26. > :27:34.to wash at all. `` play catering. Thank you. Some breaking news: A
:27:35. > :27:38.second man has been charged with the murder of a man in Sparkbrook. The
:27:39. > :27:41.Birmingham father of four was stabbed last week. I will be back at
:27:42. > :27:54.10pm. Good evening. with some new adventures to share
:27:55. > :28:02.with YOUR little ones. Please, double please.
:28:03. > :28:11.We're going to Dad's office today. These look really yummy.
:28:12. > :28:17.I'm so excited about going to school.