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Neil Elkes

Neil Elkes

Birmingham Council House

Council salary switch D-Day looms

MORE than 40,000 city council staff will find out the winners and losers in a salary shake up next month. Read

The big screen in Chamberlain Square.

Group 'shunned' over big screen 'carbuncle'

BIRMINGHAM'S conservation champion today slammed city council planners after being ignored over plans for a big screen in Victoria Square. Read

Circus Spectacular

All the fun of the circus for Brum

ROLL up, roll up for the seaside spectacular of the year - right here in the heart of Birmingham. Read

Winson Green prison

Prisoner released by mistake

A VIOLENT offender was released from Winson Green prison just a week into a six month sentence. Read

The big screen in Chamberlain Square.

Bust up over plan to move big screen

CONTROVERSIAL plans which may "shatter the peace and ambience" of Birmingham's Victoria Square with a big screen will be decided by city planners tomorrow. Read

Gay victory in late bar fight

NATIONAL pub chain JD Wetherspoons has scaled down plans for a late night club in Birmingham's gay quarter following protests from city centre residents. Read

A new-look Digbeth.

Bold new look for Irish Quarter

STUNNING architects' designs show how Birmingham's Irish Quarter could be transformed in a £95 million re-development. Read

Gay outrage over late night bar bid

CONSERVATIONISTS have teamed up with Birmingham's gay community to fight plans for a new nightspot. Read

Blues fans target PM in stadium plea

THOUSANDS of Birmingham City fans have called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to back their club's bid for a new stadium. Read

Gordon Brown

Blues fans target PM in ground plea

THOUSANDS of Birmingham City fans have called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to back their club's bid for a new stadium. Read

Council in radical shake-up

WIDE ranging services from housing to planning will be available on a single phone line under the most radical shake-up at Birmingham City Council in decades. Read

Ken Hardeman

Delay over Hardeman successor

CITY Tories will delay naming a replacement for the late council regeneration chief Ken Hardeman until mid-Septmber. Read

The Rev Richard Bashford

A heavenly gift for the city's cabbies

A BIRMINGHAM vicar is the patron saint of city cabbies after totting up £3,500 worth of trips on the meter last year. Read

Parents' fury at 'failing' schools

PARENTS demanded top-level talks with Birmingham's education boss after claiming some schools were "failing" their children. Read

City cuts number of empty homes

THE number of empty homes in Birmingham has been slashed by a third in a hard-hitting drive to reduce homelessness. Read

Family's agony over gym killing

THE brother of a man gunned down in a city gym three years ago has spoken of his family's devastation that the killers have still not been caught. Read

Beach fun goes undercover

THE dream of sitting on a deckchair, sand between the toes and the sun beating down on your knotted hankie during a day out in Birmingham has been ruined by one of the wettest summers on record. Read

We need one head honcho

AN EXPERT panel of Birmingham business and community leaders have enthusiastically backed calls for an elected mayor. Read

Blues seek PM's backing for new stadium

BLUES have launched a bid to get Prime Minister Gordon Brown's backing for a new state-of-the-art stadium. Read

New Street dream can become reality

A FINAL push by senior politicians working together will secure the long-awaited dream future for Birmingham's New Street Station. Read

Author Profile

A local news reporter in the Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield and south Staffordshire area since 1995, Neil Elkes is the local government correspondent covering the activities of Birmingham CIty Council - Europe's largest local authority. An avid reader and collector of comics Neil is writing a column on this for the Birmingham Mail website.

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