Updated 9:45pm 11 February 2012:

Get involved

RSS news for you | Forums
Send your stories

Powered by Google

Paul Dale

Paul Dale

Birmingham council housing service demoted to ''one star''

BIRMINGHAM’S council housing service has been demoted from two-star ‘good’ rating to one-star and only ‘fair’, following an inspection by experts.Read

Fury at Birmingham City Council decision to sell off Pype Hayes Hall

ANOTHER of Birmingham’s historic buildings is set to be sold to the highest bidder – because the council can’t afford to run it.Read

Scramble for jobs at Birmingham City Council

HUNDREDS of Birmingham City Council staff are involved in a bitter struggle to keep their jobs during the worst public spending cuts for decades.Read

Birmingham schools run up £1.5m bill on alternative therapy sessions

BIRMINGHAM schools have forked out more than £1.5 million for stress-busting alternative therapy techniques – including massages for children and teachers.Read

Birmingham's Gun Quarter gets the bullet

BIRMINGHAM’S world famous Gun Quarter is set to be renamed – because ‘politically correct’ councillors said they didn’t want the city to be associated with firearms.Read

11,000 Birmingham City Council workers facing pay cuts or the sack

MORE than 11,000 Birmingham City Council workers will be forced to accept controversial new contracts – involving wage cuts of up to £6,000 a year – or face losing their jobs.Read

Sainsbury's told to move bottle bank in Northfield store redevelopment

STORE giant Sainsbury’s has been told an extension to one of its Birmingham supermarkets can go ahead only if a noisy bottle bank is moved away from homes.Read

Birmingham City Council's carries out assessments on 25,000 children suspected of being at risk of abuse

A STEADY rise in the number of children being taken into care has landed Birmingham City Council with a £3 million headache.Read

Birmingham MPs unite to oppose plan for elected mayor

TWO political opponents have united in Birmingham – to campaign against the city getting an elected mayor.Read

Birmingham City Council callers could end up talking to computers

Service Birmingham, the company which runs the city’s controversial call centre, is considering installing voice recognition technology.Read

Birmingham care homes lose legal fees battle

AN ATTEMPT to force Birmingham City Council to increase the fees it pays private residential and nursing homes to look after frail elderly patients has been thrown out by the High Court.Read

No promises from Birmingham City Council over free museum entry policy

COUNCIL leaders have refused to rule out the possibility that free admission to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery could be scrapped.Read

Bishop of Birmingham slams city's poverty record

THE Bishop of Birmingham has hit out at the ‘‘immorality’’ of a society prepared to sit back and allow families to live in poverty.Read

Birmingham City Council: Social care funding cuts still on the agenda

MOVES to save £53 million by axing social services care packages for thousands of vulnerable adults have not been ditched, even though a judge decided that Birmingham City Council leaders behaved unlawfully when approving the controversial cuts package.Read

Birmingham education chief's pledge to keep education ouf of the red

BIRMINGHAM’S head of education insisted his budget will stay out of the red even though plans to save £6 million by axing free home to school transport have been shelved.Read

Birmingham Children to keep free bus passes after council U-turn

THOUSANDS of Birmingham school children can keep their free bus passes after council officials ditched plans to make them pay for travel to and from classes.Read

Birmingham City Council debt to reach record levels

BIRMINGHAM City Council’s debt level will reach an incredible £2.5 billion next year, it has emerged.Read

Birmingham councillors won't wait for their tea

CASH-strapped Birmingham City Council is to spend almost £2,000 feeding councillors doing just three hours of work.Read

Attack on Birmingham MP in council chamber

ONE of Birmingham’s newest MPs has been accused of being a “hypocritical Johnny-come-lately” over his campaign against post office closures.Read

Nearly 500 fines handed out to Birmingham smokers for litter offences

MORE than 14,000 fixed penalty notices have been issued since Birmingham council wardens were given powers to fine people for environmental offences.Read

Author Profile

Paul Dale has been writing about local government in the West Midlands for more than 20 years. The Post's public affairs editor, he is a previous political editor of the Coventry Evening Telegraph and Local Government Correspondent of the Oxford Mail.