by Cobalt123 on flickr

Press release:

Arts, Culture and Sports will take centre stage in Birmingham Labour’s City Council agenda with the calling of an Arts, Culture and Sports Summit.

The Summit will bring together arts and sporting organisations across the city. Its remit will be to see how the City Council and its partners can encourage the development of arts, culture and sport in Birmingham. The Summit will also be asked to examine how the leisure sector can be an attraction for inward investment and the creation of jobs and career opportunities.

Labour in Birmingham believe arts, culture and sport are critical factors for the city’s future economic and social success. Sir Albert Bore, Leader elect of the City Council will take personal responsibility for the strategic direction. Deputy Leader elect Ian Ward will oversee the city’s arts, culture and sport budget, with the Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Contracting & Improvement Stewart Stacey ensuring that the city’s arts and sport budget is effectively used by organisations receiving grants for the City Council.

The City Council’s radical devolution plan will also ensure that many decisions about arts and sports funding are made at a local level, in
District Committees.

Sir Albert Bore commented, “Over the last few years the steam has run out of the City Council’s commitment to arts, culture and sports. We are not making the best of the many opportunities inherited from the past. For example we have not one major international sporting event planned for the City in the years beyond 2012. We need to start working now to attract visitors and create jobs.

“We know there has been growing frustration amongst those who value arts and sports across the City. Our Summit will give them an opportunity to advise the City Council on how we can reinvigorate the cultural and sporting life of the city.

“Labour has created a unique structure where three members of the Cabinet have arts and sports promotion as part of their portfolios, and with District Committees given the opportunity to develop arts and sports as they see fit for their local communities. This is a new era and we want to work in partnership with those who have knowledge and expertise in these fields”, he added.

L-R Ian Harrison (Triple Eight) & Guy Jones (MG Motors) with drivers Jason Plato & Andy Neat at MG

From MG Motor UK:

Have you ever watched motor racing on the television and wanted to be part of the glitz and glamour? Well MG Motor UK may be able to help.

MG is searching for candidates to form a top team of promotional staff for the rest of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season. For successful candidates it could be the start of a career in modeling or promotional work.

The MG KX Momentum Racing team is already attracting lots of attention from race fans and the Press with double-champion Jason Plato leading the championship in his racing MG6 GT after three rounds of the series. His teammate, Andy Neate, has been dogged by bad luck but is fighting back strongly with seven rounds of the championship still to go.

As a member of the eight-strong MG promotional support team, you will be able to help us have as much success off track as the drivers are having on the tarmac.

We are looking to uncover the faces of the future. So, if you are an aspiring model or have always fancied trying out some promotional work then this could be just the break you were looking for. It’s an opportunity to get involved with an iconic brand at a series of high profile events, covered live on ITV.

MG Motor UK will cover all your expenses, provide accommodation over the race weekends and arrange for photographs to be taken throughout the season which you can use to start or add to your portfolio.

This opportunity is open to people over the age of 17. Although the races are at tracks across the UK, the factory support team always departs from the MG factory in Birmingham, so being located in the Midlands would be an advantage – we are always keen to work with the local community.

If you want to join the MG team then you need to provide us with two recent photographs and explain in no more than 500 words why you think you have what it takes to be one of the faces of MG for 2012.

Please remember that the MG team will be chosen for their personality and brains and not just their looks so the statement is far more important than a glamorous picture!

To be considered please send your photographs and statement along with your date of birth, home address and contact numbers to: MG Promotional Staff Search, MG Motor UK, Sales & Marketing Department, Lowhill Lane, Longbridge, Birmingham B31 2BQ. You an also e-mail info@mgmotor.co.uk using MG Promotional Staff as the subject heading.

The closing date for applications is Monday, May 28 2012 at 5.30pm. Candidates who are shortlisted will be invited to a final review and fitting of team clothing at MG Birmingham later that week.

For more information about MG in motorsport visit www.mg.co.uk and any questions can be sent to info@mgmotor.co.uk

Ambulance in Motion by Benjamin Ellis on Flickr

The M5 Southbound was closed for two hours this morning after a report of a man falling from the bridge at Junction 4 was received by emergency services just before 10.30am.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived to find a man in lane one of the southbound carriageway of the M5 motorway with multiple serious injuries.

“Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed dead at the scene.”

Long delays followed as the southbound carriageway was closed at the scene, with traffic being diverted off the motorway and around the Lydiate Ash traffic island before rejoining the M5.

Motorists were advised to avoid the area as traffic trailed back for four miles to Frankley Services.

Ian Tovey, stuck in traffic on the M5, reported on twitter that the motorway had reopened at around 12.30pm

Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. Any witnesses are urged to contact West Mercia Police on 101 or 0300 333 3000 incident reference: 131S 170512.

Council House by Clare Lovell on Flickr | Click for original

The Labour Group on Birmingham City Council has announced the Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees which will monitor the performance of the City Council and the work of other public bodies which serve the people of Birmingham.

Councillor Carl Rice, the senior Scrutiny Chair said that Labour’s new scrutiny committees will have a wider remit than previously. “The Overview and Scrutiny Committees are to develop policy and think through the
challenges that the City will face in the future.

“Labour has a vision of Birmingham as a green, safe, smart and fair city. We want to become Britain’s Enterprise Capital. We need to harvest ideas and develop policies from every possible source.

“We have put together a first class team who will be able to meet this challenge. We will be the “critical friend” of the decision makers within the council and crucially the voice of the public,” he added.

Labour’s team of overview and scrutiny committee chairs will be:

• Councillor Carl Rice (Ladywood) will chair the Resources, Governance and Member Development committee.
• Councillor Susan Barnett (Billesley) will chair the Health and Social Care committee
• Councillor Ian Cruise (Longbridge) will chair the Birmingham Economy and Jobs committee
• Councillor Majid Mahmood (Hodge Hill) will chair the Partnership, Contract Performance and the Third Sector committee
• Councillor Victoria Quinn (Sparkbrook) will chair the Transport, Connectivity and Sustainability committee
• Councillor Lisa Trickett (Moseley and Kings Heath) will chair the Districts and Public Engagement committee
• Councillor Anita Ward (Hodge Hill) will chair the Education and Vulnerable Children committee
• Councillor Waseem Zaffer (Lozells and East Handsworth) will chair the Social Cohesion and Community Safety Committee.

Council House at night by Sakkra Paiboon on Flickr

Birmingham Council Leader Elect Sir Albert Bore has announced his Cabinet to colleagues in the City Council Labour Group this evening. The nominations will be put before the City Council AGM on Tuesday 22 May when Labour formally takes office from the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition that has held power in the city for the last eight years.

“This has been a difficult choice,” said Sir Albert. “The new Labour Group contains many talented people.

“I’ve focussed on those experienced councillors who will be able to push forward our manifesto commitments to make Birmingham Britain’s Enterprise Capital as a smart, green, safe and fair city. I know that they will have the support of every Labour City Councillor and those who voted for radical Labour change at this month’s council elections.”

Councillor Tahir Ali will be Cabinet Member for Development, Jobs & Skills, with responsibility for translating the vision to make Birmingham the enterprise capital of Britain, by growing businesses, creating jobs, lifting people into work and better wages, and ensuring the young people of the city are equipped with the right skills to match those needed in the market. Tahir first became a City Councillor in 1999 and he represents Nechells ward. Most recently he was Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Member for Transport, Regeneration & Environment, and was a member of the corresponding Overview & Scrutiny Committee. Previously he was Cabinet Member for Local Services & Community Safety.

Councillor Steve Bedser will be Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, responsible for social care, public health and the support of vulnerable adults. Steve first became a City Councillor in 1998 and represents Kings Norton ward. In recent years he has been an active member of the Equalities & Human Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee and the Shadow Cabinet Member for Adults & Communities.

Councillor John Cotton will be Cabinet Member for Social Cohesion and Equalities, responsible for promoting services to reduce deprivation across the city, whether these are delivered by the City Council itself, partner agencies, private or third sector organisations. John first became a City Councillor in 1999 and represents Shard End. In recent years he has been an active member of the Local Services and Community Safety Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and was Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Member for this portfolio.

Councillor Brigid Jones will be Cabinet Member for Children and Family Services, with responsibility for children’s care and education services. Brigid first became a City Councillor for Selly Oak in 2011. Since her election she has served on the Vulnerable Children Overview & Scrutiny Committee, where she has quickly demonstrated a grasp of the issues around this challenging portfolio.

Councillor James McKay will be Cabinet Member for a Green, Safe and Smart City, responsible for creating an environment and sustainable infrastructure where people and businesses can flourish. James first became a City Councillor for Harborne in 2011. Since his election he has served on the Leisure, Sport & Culture Overview & Scrutiny Committee, as Labour’s lead spokesperson.

Councillor Stewart Stacey will be Cabinet Member for Commissioning, Contracting and Improvement, responsible for the introduction of the Living Wage in the city as part of a Business Charter for Social Responsibility and the introduction of a “Buy Birmingham first” policy by the City Council. Stewart first became a City Councillor in 1982 and represents Acocks Green. In recent years he has served on the Co-ordinating Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and has previously served as a Cabinet Member and Deputy Leader of the Council.

The Labour Group has already confirmed Councillor Sir Albert Bore as Leader and Councillor Ian Ward as Deputy Leader.

Councillor Sir Albert Bore first joined the City Council in 1980. He has previously been Leader of the City Council and has represented local government at national and international level.

Councillor Ian Ward first joined the City Council in 1995 and has been Deputy Leader of the Labour Group since 2005. He has been an active member of several key committees including the Council Business Management Committee and was Labour’s lead scrutineer on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Prior to 2004, Ian was Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport & Culture.

Image by Paul Conneally on Flickr | Click for original

The Department for Education has told Colmers Farm Junior School in Rednal that it must apply for academy status.

At least 16 primary schools across the city are now known to have been approached to become academies, including Northfield Manor, Primrose Hill, West Heath and Jervoise.

The headteacher informed parents on Friday via the school’s weekly newsletter that the DfE had requested that “the governing body proceed with initiating the process of converting to an academy.”

But there is a cloak of secrecy surrounding which schools are being converted, with many parents being kept in the dark, as governors and staff are fearful of speaking out and considering not taking the academy route.

It is understood that all the schools approached have been told that they must apply or their governors will be removed so that the application can be moved forward. The government is attempting to force academy status as they work towards their aim of making all primary schools academies by 2015.

It is thought that around 30 schools across the city have been approached, but some estimations say that as many as 80 have been told to apply for academy status.

The government cites the success of secondary academies as a reason for enforcing the change on ‘failing’ primary schools. There has been some doubt cast on just how successful academies are.

There is also doubt as to what methods and data have been used to select which schools are classed as failing. Some of those selected have struggled in recent years but are currently showing marked improvement. Jervoise School in Weoley, for example, has been turned around by headteacher Kevin McCabe over that last three years and continues to improve.

If you are unsure whether your child’s school has been told to become an academy, you should ask the headteacher directly. If you are concerned that parents will not be kept informed or consulted, write to your board of governors requesting a full and open consultation before any application for academy status is progressed by the governing body.

Parents from some schools affected have set up facebook groups where parents can discuss the moves:

Save Jervoise School

Colmers Farm Junior School – Academy?

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View all posts regarding forced academies

It’s Pirate Day today (Saturday 12th May) at Rubery Market!

The family event, organised by The Craft Parlour, has fun and activities for all ages. Funds raised will be split between the Aplastic Anaemia Trust and summer craft workshops for children.

Attractions include:

• Walking the plank
• Treasure hunt
• Tarot readings
• Pirate fancy dress competition
• Face-painting
• Pirate barbecue
• Rubery Police – Children can sit in a police car while you take advantage of property marking and crime prevention advice.

The events all take place at Rubery Market, The Nexus Centre, (rear of) 186-210 New Road, Rubery B45 9JA (Co-op car park)

Please consider signing these two petitions: one to Birmingham City Council and one to Education Secretary Michaael Gove:

The first is the Birmingham Anti Academies Alliance petition to Birmingham City Council:

Latest Signatures

The second from Ask Parents First asks Michael Gove to visit Birmingham to meet with parents from threatened schools:

Latest Signatures

Image by Paul Conneally on Flickr | Click for original

Image by Paul Conneally on Flickr | Click for original

Around 45-50 people attended a public meeting tonight at Northfield Baptist Church to discuss local primary schools being ‘forced’ into academy status.

President of Birmingham National Union of Teachers (NUT), the largest representative of teaching staff, Gay Hatton led the meeting where parents and other interested parties heard from four speakers before being asked to contribute.

Rick Hatcher, Professor of Education at Birmingham City University and joint chair of Birmingham Anti Academies Alliance, provided some statistics which appeared to throw doubt on the performance benefits which the government claims academy status affords.

Ask Parents First campaigner Sarah Burton called for open and democratic consultation for all schools considering the academy route.

Jeremy Paige NUT representative for Bournville School, which recently turned down academy status after a hard fought campaign by parents and staff, stressed how parents need to campaign and support staff and governors.

NUT Midlands Regional Secretary Kit Armstrong explained how staff were afraid to speak out, not just for themselves, but for fear of what may happen to their schools. She stressed the need for a wider coordinated campaign.

Labour councillor for Northfield Brett O’Reilly supported calls for an open, democratic process. He pledged to write to all heads and governors at schools in Northfield ward requesting that they respect this, and that he would ask other Labour councillors to do the same.

Groups of parents from Northfield Manor, West Heath and Primrose Hill Primary Schools then got together to organise how they could begin their campaigns.

If you are a parent of a child at one of these schools, or suspect that your school may have been approached but have not yet spoken out, get in touch with Ask Parents First for advice and to be put in touch with others: askparentsfirst@hotmail.co.uk

 SIGN THE PETITIONS

We asked each of the winning candidates for a reaction to last week’s election results. We will post as we get them.

Valerie Seabright (Labour) is the newly elected councillor for Kings Norton Ward:

Today the newly elected councillors in Birmingham were officially sworn in. Northfield constituency now has a majority of Labour councillors and with the strength of unity that brings we will be able to ensure the localisation and devolution agenda will implemented so that residents in each of our wards will have a bigger say.

I am delighted to be representing Kings Norton and have already started picking up casework identified during our campaign. Many thanks to those people in Kings Norton who signalled for a change and have recognised the work my other two colleagues Steve Bedser and Peter Griffiths have started.

UPDATE: 10/5/12 Don’t forget there is a public meeting on local schools being forced into academy status in Northfield tonight. If you know or suspect your child’s school could be affected, the meeting is at 6pm at Northfield Baptist Church, Bristol Road South, Northfield. B31 2NQ More details

Image by Paul Conneally on Flickr | Click for original

The National Union of Teachers today announced that staff at 13 schools in Birmingham have asked to be balloted on strike action in reaction to the government’s plans to force some primary schools to accept academy status.

NUT General Secretary Christine Blower said: “Forced academies have nothing to do with raising standards of education. There is no evidence at all to support the notion that changing the status of a school will transform the educational attainment of its pupils. The majority of the school communities in Birmingham do not support this move. The Local Authority needs to listen to the people who elected them.

“Primary academies are a fairly new phenomenon and there is no evidence to suggest that a change in status will automatically raise standards. What it will do is take the school further away from the local community and make it accountable only to the Secretary of State in London or a private sponsor or Trust.”

The list includes several schools in the Northfield constituency. These are schools where staff have requested that their union offer them a ballot and is by no means a comprehensive list of all local schools which have been requested to become academies.

• Jervoise Junior School, Weoley
• Northfield Manor Primary School, Northfield
• West Heath Primary School, West Heath

Other local schools known to have been asked to accept academy status are:

• Primrose Hill Community School, Kings Norton
• Reaside Junior School, Frankley

There are more schools that have been approached but have not yet publicly announced. We will update as we hear of more.

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If you suspect your child’s primary school may have been approached or are interested in learning more, there is a public meeting in Northfield tomorrow night (Thursday 10th May). Click here for details

Or write or speak to the board of governors to make sure they know your views

Read Richard Burden MP’s guest post – Stop the School Bullies

This piece on local primary schools being forced to accept academy status is from Richard Burden, MP for Birmingham Northfield:

“Bullying schools? Moi?” is what I expect the man from the DfE to say next. But that is what is happening with Michael Gove’s Forced Academies programme. Like a lot of other bullying in schools, the culprit often protests innocence and it’s difficult to prove because the victim is frightened to speak out. But you still know it’s happening.

Birmingham has a number of primary schools on Mr Gove’s “hit list” for conversion into academies. It’s sometimes difficult to find out exactly which they are. Not surprisingly the schools themselves are reticent to have such information published. You can understand their fear of being stigmatised as “failures”, even though the list itself is none of their making and they will not necessarily have done anything to warrant being on it.

But they still get to find out that they are on that hit list.

Sometimes they may be invited to a meeting.

Sometimes they may get a phone call from the man from the ministry.

Sometimes it may be a visit from an officer of the local Council wringing their hands and saying that academy status is the way the Government wants the school to go and there is not much they can do about it.

“Isn’t there an alternative?” the head may ask. That’s likely to provoke an understanding shake of the head.

“You can always try to resist it” comes the reply, “But this is the way things are going and the Government may close you down if you don’t do what they say. Or they could remove the Governors and impose an academy anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to go for it now while you have some control of the process rather than have something foisted on you later? I know you care about the children and it’s all about getting school standards up, you see.”

“But wait a minute,” the head may say, “Aren’t the results figures you are using out of date? What about the change programme we introduced a couple of years ago and the improved results we got last year and the forward plans we already have?”

“I know – and that’s excellent – but the results reference period is what it is I’m afraid. The improvements you are making will make you even more attractive to an academy sponsor. Don’t worry. We are here to help you every step of the way.”

As long as you do what you are told.

It’s appalling to see this happening to schools in Birmingham. Worse than that, so very little of what is said to schools is ever put in writing. This was graphically exposed by a BBC Radio 4 Report a few weeks back. It mirrors what I have heard and seen for myself.

In the meantime, dedicated heads and governors are left in an invidious position. Some will resist what is being foisted on them and rightly so. As a local MP, I have backed schools which have made that decision. In other schools, circumstances may be different. We should not condemn heads or governing bodies whose genuine judgement is that the interests of children will be best served right now by going down the academy road. Faced with a local education authority as dysfunctional as Birmingham has proved to be in recent years, you can understand why some heads and governors reach that conclusion. It is always important that they continue to operate as part as a local family of schools rooted in communities but at least some may judge that they are as likely to be able to do that as an academy.

They should have the right to make those judgements, in consultation with the communities they serve. But it should be a local decision. Not one forced on them by covert Ministerial bullying.

That’s why the Forced Academies programme is wrong.

Richard Burden MP

02/05/12

Richard Burden is Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield

Read about the public meeting re forced academies in Northfield on Thursday 10th May 2012

For those who live in the Longbridge ward area, you are already lucky to have a team of enthusiastic and dedicated neighbourhood police officers.

Recently PC Karl Pierpoint, who has worked in the Longbridge area for a while now,  was promoted to Acting Sergeant for the neighbourhood team. This is fantastic news as Karl knows the community well and will lead by example.

You only have to spend a short time with Karl and it soon becomes apparent that this is not just a job for him but a job he cares about.

You can meet the rest off the Longbridge team on their website 

Do you have issues you want to raise about your local area? Want to know what your local councillors and police officers are doing?

Police & councillors get together at least once a month for neighbourhood tasking meetings which are open to the public.

The tasking meetings are held on Wednesdays at 8pm the Great Park Pub on Ashbrook Drive, Rubery Rednal and the dates fot the next three meetings are:

23rd May 2012
20th June 2012 and
25th July 2012

Longbridge officers also hold regular Meet and Greet sessions at locations around the ward. You can find details on these, the neighbourhood policing team and their priorities on the Longbridge Neighbourhood Team web page.

Other ward teams hold similar meetings and meet and greets and you can find them on their respective pages:

Northfield Team

Kings Norton Team

Weoley Team

West Midlands Police have informed B31 Voices of an increase in thefts from cars and have requested that we issue a warning.

Acting Sergeant Karl Pierpoint said: “We have had a slight increase in theft from motor vehicles around the Hollymoor, whereby offenders are entering vehicles by an unknown means/device causing no damage and searching vehicles stealing any valuables.

“Owners are not always reporting these as they think they have left the doors unlocked.”

Obviously, this is a serious situation and we urge you all to take appropriate  precautions and notify West Midlands Police if you are the victim of such a crime by calling 101.

Image by Paul Conneally on Flickr | Click for original

Birmingham’s Anti Academy Alliance is to host a public meeting in Northfield this week amid claims that: “Michael Gove plans to seize around 30 Birmingham Primary schools and turn them into academies.”

The AAA claims that the government may be set to ‘force’ failing schools in Birmingham to accept academy status. The Alliance says that: “Many of the schools that Michael Gove wants to seize are in areas with high unemployment and poverty. ”

It has been suggested that several primary schools in the Northfield area could be affected, including Northfield Manor, West Heath Primary and Primrose Hill Primary. The AAA are holding a public meeting to discuss the issues surrounding academies this Thursday evening in Northfield.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Michael Gove told the Birmingham Post that: “some city schools were ‘not good enough’ and that ‘determined action’ was needed to improve education.” as he suggested that improving schools in Birmingham was essential to improving youth unemployment figures. Around 10% of 18-24 year olds in the city currently claim Job Seekers Allowance.

There are suggestions that the government’s portrayal of the apparent success rate of academies may be exaggerated and concerns that some primary schools may be uneccessarily forced into academy status.

The Guardian today ran an article about forced academies, focusing on Birmingham primary schools. In the article, the headteacher of an undisclosed Birmingham primary school describes how her school is being threatened with ‘special measures’ and forced academy status, despite the hard work she and her staff have already successfully undertaken to improve the school dramatically, lifting it out of special measures.

If you would like to hear some of the arguments and concerns regarding forced academies in Northfield and across Birmingham, you can attend the meeting, aimed primarily at parents and staff of Northfield Manor, Primrose Hill and West Heath Primary schools:

Public meeting opposing forced academies in Birmingham:

Date: Thursday 10th May 2012
Time: 6pm
Venue: Northfield Baptist Church, 789 Bristol Road South, Northfield B31 2NQ

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Read more:

No to forced academies - Anti Academy Alliance

Michael Gove blames some schools for high unemployment in Birmingham - Birmingham Post

Headteachers claim forced academy status is unjustified - The Guardian

Birmingham primary school teachers balloted over academy issue – BBC News

Image by Pete Ashton on Flickr | Click for original

A Notice of Demolition has been served on the landmark disused Longbridge Station on the site of the Longbridge redevelopment. Members of the Northfield Past Facebook group have expressed their disappointment and opposition to the demolition.

Founder Dave Adams said: “It’s with great sadness that I have learnt that St Modwen have applied to Birmingham City Council’s planning department for permission to demolish the old Longbridge/Austin railway station on Bristol Rd South, particularly as no public consultation has taken place.

“The Birmingham City Council, Bromsgrove District Council and Worcestershire County Council Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Longbridge Area Action Plan stated:- ‘Conserve and, where appropriate, enhance the historic, industrial and cultural heritage of the Longbridge study area. (SEA Directive: cultural heritage; RSDF: environmental assets, culture and recreation)’”

Dave added: “I urge all people who have an interest in local history or heritage to contact the Birmingham city councils planning dept to raise objections and to please sign the online petition that will be set up.”

If you feel strongly about this proposal, you can sign the online petition below (Lead petitioner: Dave Adams).

You can also view the application online and leave comments. The application is open for consultation until Sunday 13th May 2012.

Planning application number: 2012/02808/PA

Site Address: Lot 16, Former MG Rover Works, Longbridge, Birmingham B45 9TX

Planning Office address: Planning Management, BCC, PO Box 28, 1 Lancaster Circus, Queensway, Birmingham B1 1TU

Planning Office Phone: 0121 303 1115

Longbridge Ticket Office through the years:

Latest Signatures

We’ve asked each of the winning candidates for a reaction to last week’s election results. We will post as we get them.

Brett O’Reilly (Labour) is the newly elected councillor for Northfield Ward:

I would like to thank all those who turned out to vote and in particular, those who voted Labour!

I intend to work hard to serve the residents of Northfield and to improve the community in which we live. I want to be accessible to all and will do my upmost to engage local people in local decisions. We need to get back to local politics and ensure that it is the people of Northfield, and furthermore; Birmingham, who are given a voice in these tough times.

My main aim is to improve the lives of all in our community, from replacing slabs and repairing roads, to housing repairs or providing protection for vulnerable people. Whatever the issue may be, I will be there to help.

If I could send out one clear message to the people of Northfield, it would be that while I may now be an elected councillor, my values, my enthusiasm and my dedication have not changed. I am on your side and here to help.

I once again thank all the people who voted for me and I look forward to serving as your local councillor.

We’ve asked each of the winning candidates for a reaction to last week’s election results. We will post as we get them.

Jess Phillips (Labour) is the newly elected councillor for Longbridge Ward:

I am ecstatic to have won the election last night in Longbridge and feel proud as a brummy to be representing this great city.

I look forward to a united Labour Team in the ward, working under a ruling Labour Council really being able to make changes for the ward and the city.

The hard work starts now and it is vital that in a time of drastic cuts we look at ways to retain and improve services for the residents of the ward such as elderly care services, children centre’s and youth provision.

The longer game for the ward will be to ensure that the regeneration of the area picks up momentum and properly takes account of what is needed and wanted by the people of the area.

Thank you to everyone who went and voted on a cold, wet and rainy day – it is truly an honour to represent you.

The Birmingham Rep are hoping to find more participants to take part in their Neighbourhood Rep production in Weoley Castle. 

The Witches Promise will be performed in July at Weoley Castle ruins. The local community has been invited to take part as actors, musicians, puppeteers and more.

Rehearsals started a couple of weeks ago but more adult participants are being sought. No experience is necessary.

If you are interested in finding out more and joining in with this exciting community project, you can contact company manager Ruth Morgan on 07801 053 967

A taster:

Read more about the Weoley Neighbourhood Rep production

UPDATE 1845 hrs – Scene cleared. Road opened. May be some delays until traffic gets flowing again

Friday 4th May:

It has been reported to us on Twitter and Facebook that the top end of Longbridge Lane (between Groveley Lane / Cofton Road and Redditch / Birmingham Road) has been closed by police following a serious accident.

Residents report that the road has been closed since around 5pm  and traffic is backing up down to Hopwood, West Heath and Longbridge.

Police are diverting traffic and one resident was told the delays could be in place for several hours.

Please find an alternative route if you can. Some local residents are being allowed access.

Will provide updates and more information as we get it.

(With thanks to Julie Merrick Hancock, “@claretgirl” and “@Emmawhizz”)

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by Ian Britton on Flickr | Click for original

Votes in yesterday’s mayoral referendum have been announced and residents of the city have decided against having an elected mayor at this time. 

Results

57.8% of people said they would like to keep the present structure of a council governed by a Council Leader and Cabinet while just 42.2% opted for the elected mayor option. In a local election that saw an exceptionally low turn out of around 29% across the city, just over 200,000 people voted in the referendum.

Similar referendums took place in nine other cities and all, with the exception of Bristol, voted against having an elected mayor. [NB: Leeds result still awaited at time of writing.]

Change still needed

Siôn Simon, the former Labour MP for Erdington, who stood down to concentrate solely on working on the campaign for an elected mayor said: “A Labour council will make a massive difference to people’s lives here. But an elected Mayor would have made more. That is a conviction for which I gave up my seat in Parliament and to which I have dedicated the two most intense years of my life.

“What I want to do for Birmingham didn’t change last night. The journey didn’t end. Though we will have to change the route. People are still suffering and under-achieving in this city when they shouldn’t. The system still needs to change.”

No clear government deal

Labour MP for Hodge Hill Liam Byrne also supported the campaign for an elected mayor. He said: “I’m sad local residents didn’t vote for a mayor – but I totally understand it.

“Right now, when people are having such a hard time, they needed a lot of convincing that an elected mayor would be a good thing when the government refused to set out what extra powers were on the table.

“People have a right to expect a clear deal on the table. And I’m afraid the government didn’t offer it.

“Now the job is to take our city in a new direction – starting by getting our city back to work.”

Yes campaign rolls on

And the campaign to work towards achieving an elected mayor system in Birmingham is set to continue.

Campaign Director of the newly retitled ‘Yes to Birmingham’ campaign Julia Higginbottom said: “We have no intention of stopping! You cannot let the people of Birmingham be ignored.

“We need more Brummies to demand radical change and improvements – in education, skills, job creation, transport – the inequality, deprivation and exclusion have massive impacts on many Brummies’ lives. This has to be recognised and addressed as a matter of critical urgency.”

The campaign aims to keep informing and educating the people of Birmingham so that they may better understand local governance and make more informed decisions and demands.

Julia said: “Our campaign continues as before – to raise awareness, to get people interested and engaged in city politics so that they can make an informed decision – but crucially they can hold their politicians to account. People need to understand that we can make change happen, we can control our destiny – and we should demand the right to do that.

“This is not about particular types of institutions. This is about Birmingham and the people of Birmingham.” she added.

[Awaiting reaction from 'No' campaign supporters. This article will be updated when we receive some]

Northfield MP Richard Burden has reacted to the news that ex-MG Rover employees are due to receive as little as £3 each in compensation following the closure of the company in 2005 which saw 6500 workers made redundant.

Responding to reports that former MG Rover workers are to be rewarded with compensation of just £3 each from the Trust Fund the Phoenix Directors promised to set up when the company closed in 2005, local MP for Longbridge, Richard Burden, said:

It is now more than seven years since the Phoenix Four made their promise to set up a trust fund for former MG Rover workers, when the company closed in 2005.

After seven years of waiting, former workers are now being told they will receive just £3 each. That is nothing more than an insult to the people who did everything that was asked of them by the Phoenix Four and ended up losing everything.

The Phoenix Four may have lost their reputations when MG Rover closed but they still managed to do very well out of the company financially.

All this stuff about the case at the High Court is a smokescreen. The Phoenix Four could each put £1 million each into the Trust Fund for employees. They’re just not doing so.

Their dispute with HBOS is a commercial one. It does not change the promise the Phoenix Four made to their employees. They are wrong to make their former employees accept all the risk of the outcome of this dispute. They should agree to shoulder some of that risk themselves.

The Phoenix Directors should personally put £1 million each into the Trust Fund for their former workers. There are thousands of them so £4 or £5 million split between them won’t change their lives. But it would help them, and the local community, to draw a line under the closure and move on.

Polling station at Colmers School

Labour gained 20 seats across the city last night to become the controlling party of Birmingham City Council, including winning three out of four seats in Northfield constituency from tory councillors despite a low turnout at the polls. In total, Labour were top of the poll for 29 of the 40 seats up for election last night, taking the majority of council seats and leadership from the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition.

Labour gains

The first result of the night saw Labour take the Longbridge seat from an existing Conservative councillor for the third year running.  Candidate Jess Phillips won over Conservative Ken Wood with a majority of 533 votes.

In Kings Norton, former teacher Valerie Seabright won the previously tory seat for Labour by 283 votes.

And in Northfield, council cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families Les Lawrence (Con) was ousted by Labour’s Brett O’Reilly by just 61 votes.

The Conservatives held closely fought Weoley, with Eddie Freeman taking a majority of just two votes over Labour’s candidate Steve Booton.

View all the results in detail

Turnout

Turnout across the south of the city was reported to have been lower than expected and the four Northfield constituency wards were no exception. Kings Norton, Northfield and Weoley saw a drop of around 8-9% in voters, all with a turnout of around 27% of the electorate. Longbridge saw a smaller drop of 4.5% but still had the lowest turnout with just 26.34% hitting the polls. Turnout across the city was around 29%

View all the results in detail

Two horse race

Each constituency saw a huge majority of the votes split between Conservative and Labour parties. Liberal Democrats saw another decrease in the number of votes, coming in last behind UKIP, Green Party and the BNP in Longbridge with just 163 votes. Lib Dems managed 4th in Kings Norton, Northfield and Weoley but polled just 584 votes across the three wards.

Across the constituency the smaller parties took a small number of votes: Lib Dems 747, BNP 732 and Greens 717. UKIP nominated candidates in three wards and polled 955 across the three. The newly formed Communities Against the Cuts party polled 129 votes in Kings Norton for their candidate Chris Hughes.

View all the results in detail

Labour Council

At the end of the night Labour had gained a total of 20 seats across Birmingham, 11 from Conservative and 9 from Lib Dems. The Labour Party needed to gain just 4 to take the majority and win control of the council.  Gains were made in traditionally Conservative seats, such as Sutton Vesey ward which has not had a Labour councillor since it was created in 1945.

Labour now have 77 councillors on the council, compared to 28 Conservative and 15 Lib Dem.

Mayoral referendum

Results for the referendum on whether Birmingham should have an elected mayor will be in later today. Early indications suggest a ‘No’ vote will be returned. The count begins at 2pm and we will bring you the results as soon as they are live.

Your views

As ever, we’d love to hear your views!

Are you pleased with the results? Who did you vote for?

Are you happy to have a Labour controlled council?

Do you think this will be a positive or negative change for Kings Norton, Longbridge, Northfield & Weoley and the city as a whole?

Leave your comments below!

View all the results in detail

Image by amortize on Flickr | click for original

Labour gain – majority 283

Claire Elizabeth Berwick – Liberal Democrats – 170

Ged Hickman – Green Party – 131

Christopher Lawrence Hughes – Communities Against the Cuts – 129

Peter James Derek Hughes – UK Independence Party (UKIP) – 297

Valerie Seabright – Labour Party – 2047

Frances Waldron – British National Party – 145

Barbara Iris Wood – The Conservative Party – 1764

—-

Stats 2012:

Electorate: 17,247
Majority: 283
Total votes for ward: 4,683
Total percentage turnout for ward: 27.15 %

Stats 2011:

Electorate: 16,872
Majority: 337
Total votes for ward: 6,108
Total percentage turnout for ward: 36.20

Image by Helen Ogbourn on Flickr | click for original

Labour gain – majority 61

Kirsty Jayne Axe – Green Party – 179

John Hamilton Borthwick – UK Independence Party (UKIP) – 353

Howard Rodrick Hamilton – British National Party – 201

Les Lawrence – Conservative Party – 2177

Andy Moles – Liberal Democrats – 201

Brett O’Reilly – Labour Party Candidate – 2238

—

Stats 2012:

Electorate: 19,597
Majority: 61
Total votes for ward: 5,349
Total percentage turnout: 27.29%

Stats 2011:

Electorate: 19,092
Majority: 54
Total votes for ward: 6,881
Total percentage turnout for ward: 36.04

By Richard Clifford on Flickr

Tories hold by just 2 votes

Ross Kendall Axe – Green Party – 239

Steve Booton – Labour Party – 2115

Eddie Freeman – Conservative Party – 2117

Steven Alan Haynes – Liberal Democrats – 216

Leslie John Orton – British National Party – 213

—–

Stats 2012:

Electorate: 18,027

Majority: 2

Total votes for ward: 4,900

Total percentage turnout for ward: 27.18%

Stats 2011:

Electorate: 17,655

Majority: 12

Total votes for ward: 6,239

Total percentage turnout for ward: 35.33%

RESULT

Labour gain – Majority 533

Graeme Carruthers – UKIP 305

Susan Pearce – Green 168

Jess Phillips – Labour 2,069

Christopher Pritchard – BNP 173

Andy Thompson – Lib Dem 163

Ken Wood – Conservative 1,536

—-

Stats 2012:

Electorate: 18,784
Majority: 533
Total votes for ward: 4,947
Total percentage turnout for ward: 26.34%

Stats 2011:

Electorate: 18,328
Majority: 447
Total votes for ward: 5,671
Total percentage turnout for ward: 30.94%

4/5/12 00:35 Result: Longbridge – Labour win – majority 533 – Full results

You can follow today’s local election (and mayoral referendum) live here on B31 Voices.

The best way to track today’s events is on twitter, but don’t worry if you “don’t do twitter”, read on!

If you use twitter, here are hashtags you should follow:

• #brumvotes12 for a local picture
• #LE2012 and LE12 for a broader picture
• #brummayor for comment on the mayoral referendum

We’ve added an updating widget here so you can view live tweets using the #brumvotes12 hashtag

Birmingham City Council media office will also be live blogging results from around the city as they come in and you can keep tabs and join in the conversation here from 9pm tonight:

Or view results as they come in for each ward across the city on this map:

View 2012 Birmingham local elections in a larger map

So election day is finally here and polling stations across the city have just opened. Today’s results could lead to significant changes to the governance of the city.

A third of the 120 seats on Birmingham City Council will be up for election today. The council is presently controlled by a majority coalition of the Conservatives (39 seats) and Liberal Democrats (24) with Labour currently holding 57 seats.

With most of the seats up for election being held by Conservative (18) or Lib Dem (13) councillors, just 9 Labour seats are being contested. Labour need to gain just 4 seats across the city to take back control of the council for the first time in 8 years.

Voters will also have the opportunity to have their say on whether Birmingham should have a directly elected mayor in today’s Mayoral Referendum.

We’ll be tweeting and posting up to date information throughout the day and will bring you results for Kings Norton, Longbridge, Northfield and Weoley as they come in. You can follow all the election action and results LIVE with us.

If you still need advice or information you can check out:

• Election 2012 : Polling Stations and voting advice
• ’500 words’ from local candidates
• Some opinions on the Elected mayor referendum
• LIVE Election coverage with B31 Voices