A new Platinum bus service is coming to South Birmingham this Sunday (4th December).
The new National Express West Midlands X61 service will replace the current 61 bus, and will run from Birmingham City Centre to Frankley via the Bristol Road.
The luxurious Platinum buses have been running on several routes since 2015.
The introduction of the X61 – which serves Frankley, Northfield and Selly Oak along the A38 route – will allow passengers to travel to and from the city with extra leg room, free wifi, mobile device charging ports, high backed leather seats and next stop announcements, as well as faster journeys.
Services will run up to every 15 minutes at peak times and journey prices will remain the same as all National Express WM services.
The friends & family of a young woman tragically killed in a road accident last week are fundraising for her funeral.
Sophie Case, 20, from Frankley was a passenger in a car that crashed in Adams Hill, Bartley Green on Saturday morning (26th November). Sadly, despite attempts to resuscitate her, Sophie passed away at the scene of the accident.
Those close to her have made tributes and a Go Fund Me page has been set up to raise £2500 towards her funeral.
Our thoughts remain with Sophie’s family and friends.
West Midlands Police are seeking a man – believed to have a Scottish accent – who subjected a 63 year old woman to a serious sexual assault in the Wychall area of Kings Norton last month.
The attack happened on a footpath between Popes Lane and Wychall Road at around 5pm on Friday 18th November.
The woman was walking near Wychall Reservoir in Kings Norton Nature Reserve when a well dressed man with a Scottish accent approached her and asked for a light for a cigarette.
She obliged and continued but, moments later, on the pathway between Popes Lane and Wychall Road, she was attacked. The man grabbed her from behind, pulled her to the floor and assaulted her.
Click to enlarge
The man is described as:
White
Aged in 30s-40s
Scottish accent
Smartly dressed – blue trousers & black pointed shoes
Smelled strongly of aftershave
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Fay Mason, said: “This is a shocking attack on a woman by a stranger…we need to identify her attacker as soon as possible.
“The lady has provided some strong appeal points, namely that he spoke with what she’s convinced was a Scottish accent and that he was well dressed.”
And DC Mason appealed to anyone with any information to get in touch. She said: “If anyone believes they know who the offender is − or was near Wychall reservoir at around 5pm on Friday 18 November − I would urge them to contact me.”
Anyone with any information is urged to contact DC Mason by calling 101 or by email on f.mason@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org Please quote crime no. 20BS/229900Z/16
Our thoughts are with the victim of this incident x
Three people – including a 6 year old girl – were injured last night when their car overturned into a ditch following a collision last night. The driver of a second car was unharmed and arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
The accident happened just after 8.30pm on Sunday 5th December when emergency serv ices were called to a two car collision in Egghill Lane Frankley – between Frogmill Lane and Frankley Hill Lane.
The three casualties managed to get out of the overturned car with assistance from fire and ambulance crews. The driver (40s) sustained a cut to his face and pain in his hip and leg and the female passenger suffered a cut to her face as well as shoulder and hip pain. Both were given pain relief by paramedics before being transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for further checks.
A 6 year old girl, who was also a passenger in the overturned car, suffered a chest injury, wrist pain and a bump to her head in the collision. She was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital by ambulance for full assessment.
The driver – and sole occupant – of the second vehicle was discharged at the scene by ambulance crews and arrested on suspicion of drink driving after recording a breath test of 238 µg / 100ml – almost 7 times the legal limit of 35 µg/100ml
Serious injury collision Egg Hill lane Frankley roads closed at the moment. Driver arrested roadside breathtest 238 limit is 35 (sh)
A 51 year old man from Dudley has been charged with driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level above limit and was bailed to appear at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on 20th December.
Anyone with any information on the accident should call West Mercia Police on 101
West Mercia Police were able to arrest three suspected thieves in the Rubery area last week, thanks to the vigilance of residents.
Shed burglary
On Monday 5th December, officers were called after a watchful neighbour saw a man acting suspiciously near a house in Whetty Lane.
Police were called and quickly arrived to arrest two men and recover property stolen from a shed. One man has been charged and the other is helping police with their enquiries.
Vehicle crime
In a further incident, a resident spotted a man on his driveway in Hazel Road, breaking in to his car, just before 10pm on Thursday 8th December.
The offender made off but the victim followed him and called the police who arrested him in Valley Farm Road.
The arrested man, 33, was charged in relation to the car crime and also charged with the breach of his Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO).
Further burglary arrest
In addition, a 24 year old woman was arrested on Saturday 10th December 2016 in connection with a burglary that happened in September in East Works Drive, Cofton Hackett.
The woman has been charged to appear before Kidderminster Magistrates Court in January 2017.
Please keep your property safe and secure, be vigilant and report ANY suspicious activity to the relevant police force. **Don’t be afraid to call 999 if a crime is in progress. If you have any other information, call police on 101
A man has been arrested and charged with kidnap and robbery offences, along with possessing a knife, after a string of robberies targeting taxi drivers in Bartley Green.
19 year old Mohammed Abdurahman was arrested by West Midlands Police on Saturday (10th December) and charged in relation to three knifepoint robberies which took place close to his home in Rush Green, Bartley Green.
Four young men were waiting in the street for the taxi to arrive and two men got into the car. One grabbed the car keys and took £125 cash, a phone and a taxi data device.
Abdurahman has also been charged in relation to two further knifepoint robberies – both in Mill Lane – on 30th October and 8th December. In both cases, the victims were threatened with a knife and made to drive to cash machines.
He was set to appear before Birmingham Magistrates today (Monday 12th December) charged with three robberies, two counts of kidnap and possessing a knife.
While Christmas is a happy, family time for many, it rarely comes without stress or strain. For those who may already be feeling vulnerable, it can be a very difficult time.
If you’re struggling, need help or just someone to talk to, please reach out to someone and seek help.
If you know someone who is struggling, please be prepared to offer them support – even if it’s just to listen or to let them know of the support available.
Here we list some of the support available. Please get in touch if there’s any other issue you need assistance with and we will always try and direct you to the right support. If there is any service that you know of but don’t see listed here, let us know.
The Project @ The Depot, Belton Grove, Longbridge Website | Facebook | Twitter | Phone: 0121 453 0606 The Project also have an advisor based at Northfield Community Partnership (below)
The pressures of Christmas – spending more time together, increased alcohol consumption, financial worries – can have an impact on already abusive relationships. According to West Midlands Police, last year saw a 30% increase in domestic abuse reports over the festive period. Please don’t suffer – ask for help.
West Midlands Police have a section on their web page with lots of advice on domestic abuse including how to browse the internet safely for support information, how to get help, how to protect yourself and who to contact. If you are suffering domestic abuse, you can call the police on 101, or 999 in an emergency
The Project @ The Depot, Belton Grove, Longbridge Website | Facebook | Twitter | Phone: 0121 453 0606 The Project also have an advisor based at Northfield Community Partnership (below)
Birmingham City Council emergency line: homeless, 18 years and older, and require emergency assistance call: 0121 303 2296
Streetlink: If you’re sleeping rough and need help – Website | Phone 0300 500 0914
The Project @ The Depot, Belton Grove, Longbridge Website | Facebook | Twitter | Phone: 0121 453 0606 The Project also have an advisor based at Northfield Community Partnership (below)
St Basils support for 16-25 year olds who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Website | Youthline: 0300 30 30 099
Shelter: Website | Housing helpline: 0808 800 4444 8am – 8pm on weekdays & 8am – 5pm on weekends, 365 days a year.
The Birmingham Gateway Monday-Thursday 8.45am – 5.15pm and Friday 8.45am – 4.15pm Telephone: 0121 675 4249
Someone to listen
Samaritans Confidential, anonymous support. There to listen at any time – you don’t have to feel suicidal to use the service. Website | Email | Phone: 08457 90 90 90 (24 hour)
AgeUK Local support for older people Website | Phone: 0800 678 1174
A friend or relative: you may feel you don’t want to burden those closest to you with your worries, especially at Christmas, but just being able to share with someone who knows you well may make a difference.
If you need some advice or don’t know where to turn for help, there are plenty of people locally who will always try and help get you connected to the right person or organisation:
B31 Voices: If we can help in any way, please get in touch.
The Project @ The Depot, Belton Grove, Longbridge Website | Facebook | Twitter | Phone: 0121 453 0606 The Project also have an advisor based at Northfield Community Partnership (below)
Local churches are often willing to offer support, regardless of religion. See the Birmingham Churches Together websiteto find your nearest church and their contact details.
Local councillors Your councillors are there to represent you and, with their contacts, can often help with a variety of issues or point you in the right direction. Click here to find yours and their contact details
Fire fighters from Northfield Fire Station have issued a powerful fire safety message following a fire in a bungalow in Longbridge this morning.
Crews from Northfield Blue Watch and Kings Norton attended the fire at a home on the development at the old Longbridge car plant site at around 7.30am.
Luckily, the resident was not at home at the time of the fire, but photos taken by fire fighters at the scene demonstrate the importance of closing internal doors. It’s clear to see that, despite the devastating affect in the homes, the bedroom was largely unaffected.
A spokesman from Northfield Community Fire Station said: “It certainly shows the importance of closing your internal doors before you go to bed at night! Be aware of overloaded sockets this festive season and throughout the year & test your smoke alarm!”
Watch Commander Phillip Richards praised fire crews and thanked the local community. He said: “I attended this fire this morning as officer in charge and would like to thank the crews from Northfield and Kings Norton blue for the professionalism in dealing with a hot dangerous incident […]. Your training and experience made it as safe as it could be. Then when the fire was out you took it on yourselves to get the message out there to make others safe. Thank you.
“Also to the people of B31 – you rallied round with phone numbers and addresses, tea and so many other things – a proper community! Thank you!”
Advice
Please test your smoke alarm and if it’s not working, call 0800 389 5525 free for help and advice.
Keep internal doors closed as these provide a barrier to fire and help slow the spread.
Don’t overload sockets and make sure you turn off and unplug when you’re out or in bed.
Well done to the local community who supported the fire service this morning, and we wish the lady affected all the best.
A massive thank you to our fire crews and emergency services who help keep us safe!
From West Midlands Police: “Police were called to woods off Rubery Lane, at just before 9am after the body of a man was found by a member of the public. The death is not being treated as suspicious and will be referred to the coroner.”
Our thoughts go out to the man’s family and friends – and all those affected – at this awful time and we hope they have the support they need.
Hello, as promised, here is our second newsletter to keep you up-to-date with how we are progressing with the project to re-develop your local leisure centre.
As you know, once completed, the new facility will include:-
25 metre 6 lane swimming pool
Training / learner pool
Changing village
Fitness suite
Dance studio
A community room
As you have probably noticed and can see from the photographs [..] we have demolished the old buildings and dug up their foundations.
We are currently crushing the brick and concrete rubble for re-use on site as a mat on which to build the new facilities.
You’ll be glad to hear that we managed to remove the crest from the front of the building, the two foundation stones and the weather vane and have stored them safely for potential re-use on the new scheme.
On the theme of re-using and re-cycling, the metal recovered from the old building has been sent away to be recycled and the timber has been sent to be chipped and used as bio-fuel. As far as possible throughout the project we will divert as much waste as we can from landfill.
Upcoming activities
Over the next couple of months we will carry out the following works:-
Completion of the crushing of the rubble. Unfortunately this is, by its very nature, a noisy operation but we are using modern machinery and have sited the crusher to minimize any disruption to the surrounding residents.
Commence construction of the new building, starting with the basement plant room for the new pools and progressing on to the new pools themselves.
The construction of the concrete parts of the new building will continue for approximately 5 months, after which the steel frame for the first floor and roof will be erected.
While we are constructing the concrete elements it might appear that not a lot is happening as very little will be visible over the top of the hoarding, but we will be working hard behind the hoarding to deliver the new leisure centre as soon as we can.
In the new year we will cut some viewing panels into the hoarding so that people on the footpath along Bristol Road South can see what we are up to.
Considerate Constructors Scheme
As an associate member of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, ISG are committed to provide a first class service to our clients, we are also extremely passionate about ensuring daily operations cause minimum disruption to the local community during our works. With this in mind we are opening up various ways of communication with the local residents.
Monthly newsletters such as this one that will keep you informed about what we are doing and will introduce some of the site team.
A notice board has been erected on the site hoarding by the main gates.
Scheme website; details to follow and a link will be displayed on the notice board.
Monthly drop-in meetings onsite every first Friday of the month, please feel free to drop in if you have any questions.
Visits to local schools to be arranged in association with our client, Serco.
Vision panels will be cut in the hoarding to allow pedestrians to see what we are up to.
We will also be working with B31 Voices to make information about the project more widely available. They can be contacted in various ways, as follows:- www.b31.org.uk Tw: @b31voices; www.facebook.com/b31voices
Important Health, Safety & Environmental Information
I would like to thank all local residents for continuing to bear with us whilst we carry out our works. Your safety is paramount to us at ISG and therefore we do have to insist on stringent measures to maintain our high standards.
ISG strive to ensure that the highest standards of Health, Safety and Welfare are maintained for all employees, sub-contractors, client third parties, visitors and members of the public involved in the project.
We are very aware that traffic can get very busy around this area, particularly at each end of the day. As such we have arranged the site entrance and have it manned at all times to ensure that delivery vehicles are taken off Great Stone Road immediately so as not to disrupt traffic.
Also, in order to minimize disruption to the surrounding areas we will not be working at weekends or Bank holidays unless there is a specific operation that is less disruptive if carried out at these times. We will let you know of any such operations in the weeks leading up to them in more detail.
The site has been set up with CCTV cameras which are monitored off-site, with mobile patrols that can visit if the need arises. Over the Christmas period we have arranged to have 24hr/day manned security on site to ensure that any issues can be dealt with as quickly as possible.
As part of our first aid provision on site we have an emergency defibrillator.
This is also available for use by members of the public if an incident occurs near the site.
We will put posters on the hoarding to inform people and will register it on www.heartsafe.org.uk/AED-Locations, a database of AED’s available for public use.
If you have any questions about the project or site safety, please contact me, Mark Glanville, Project Manager, mark.glanville@isgplc.com, or drop in to the office and I will be happy to speak with you.
Last but not least I and my team would like to wish you, your families and loved ones a
West Midlands Police are seeking witnesses to an accident last night in which a local man died.
The accident happened just before 8pm in Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury, close to the junction with Hagley Road West, Quinton.
The 43 year old local man was struck by a car and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
A female driver who was involved in the collision stopped nearby and is assisting West Midlands Police collision investigators with their enquiries.
Wolverhampton Road was closed for several hours as a crash reconstruction team worked at the scene.
DC Jamie Simon from West Midlands Police’s Collision Investigation Unit, said: “It’s an extremely sad start to the New Year: a man has lost his life on what should have been joyful occasion.
“The junction where the collision occurred is very busy, probably more so last night with people heading out for New Year, and I have no doubt several people will have seen what happened or witnessed the build-up to the incident. I would urge them to get in touch and let us know what they saw as their information could be very important.”
If you were a witness to the collision or events leading up to it, or if you have any information at all, please call the Collision Investigation Unit on the police 101 number or email DC Simon directly on j.simon@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk
Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the man at this extremely difficult time. RIP
The community contribution of a Frankley man has been recognised in the Queen’s 2017 New Years Honours List, with Eric Carter receiving a Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for “services to the community in Birmingham”.
Eric has dedicated his time and energy to the Frankley community for many years. He was one of the original members elected to the New Frankley in Birmingham Parish Council when it was formed in 2000 and still serves now, being instrumental in many of the activities and improvements the parish council has brought to Frankley.
Longbridge ward councillor Andy Cartwright, who nominated Eric for the award, said: “Eric is a true role model to all age groups with an outstanding past. He is a former Royal Marine, who this year was also recognised with a Legion d’Honneur award.
“I am proud and thankful to serve as a councillor alongside Eric. His work inspires many hence why I put him forward.”
Congratulations, Eric, and thank you for all that you do for the community in Frankley!
Eric (4th from left) and fellow parish councillors and Frankley Street Champions demonstrating the good work they do locally to Cllr Andy Cartwright (left) and Cllr Lisa Trickett: BCC cabinet member for sustainability, earlier this year (4th from right)
Street Champions are volunteers working hard to keep Frankley clean! If you’d like to volunteer, or find out other ways you can help support your community, get in touch via the New Frankley in Birmingham Parish Council office at Arden Road shops or call 0121 457 9410
Contractors carrying out overnight resurfacing work in Northfield have apologised after works unexpectedly over ran this morning, meaning commuters faced diversions and delays.
Part of Frankley Beeches Road is being resurfaced, meaning the road has to be closed between the A38 Bristol Road South and Hoggs Lane. The works are scheduled to take place during night time hours to avoid disruption on the busy route.
The road should reopen by 6am but this morning (Thursday 5th January) works unexpectedly ran over, meaning that diversions for traffic remained in place until around 8am.
The works – being carried out by contractors Amey on behalf of Birmingham City Council – were delayed when sub standard materials which did not meet Amey’s standards arrived on site. After the delays contractors had to ensure the surface was in a safe condition before reopening to traffic
A spokesperson for Amey said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused this morning due to the overrunning of resurfacing works on Frankley Beeches Road.
“We are working closely with our suppliers and traffic management teams to reduce the risk of any future delays and the works are currently on target to be completed on schedule by Saturday 7th January.”
Frankley Beeches Road will be closed between A38 Bristol Road South and Hoggs Lane overnight until Saturday from 7pm until 6am while resurfacing continues. Work is expected to be fully completed by 6am on Saturday 7th January.
A Rubery man is one of a pair who have been charged with burglary of a 91 year old woman’s home in Sutton Coldfield.
Jerome Jones, 25, of Oak Close appeared before magistrates yesterday (4th January) alongside 38 year old Steven Reid of Sutton Coldfield. Both have been charged with burglary in St Martins Road, Sutton Coldfield last month.
The home was broken into on 19th December and the woman was told to stay in bed while two men searched the house, taking jewellery, personal documents and cash.
Detective Constable Tom Lyons said: “We have had a great response to our request for information and I would like to thank everyone who has shared our appeal and contacted us.”
DC Lyons said that the investigation is continuing and urged anyone with any information to get in touch by calling on 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
West Midlands Police have released CCTV images of two men they want to speak to in relation to an incident where a teenager was stabbed in Northfield on Tuesday evening (10th January).
Click to enlarge image
An 18 year old man was taken to hospital with a stomach injury after he was stabbed in Copse Close, close to Northfield Station, at around 9.30pm. Police today described the man as being in a “stable condition”.
CCTV images have been released of two men that police are keen to identify.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Force CID on 101 or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
A pair of would-be thieves were arrested after Longbridge town centre security staff foiled their attempt to steal from Smyths Toys in Longbridge last night.
The incident happened at just after midnight this morning (Friday 13th January) when a silver Renault Clio was used to smash through into the toy store.
Security staff on the development managed to hold the pair, a man and a woman, in the store until West Midlands Police officers arrived to make the arrests.
St Modwen Development Director, Mike Murray commended security staff. He said: “Through the quick and brave actions of the Longbridge town centre security team, they were able to apprehend the suspects until the police arrived very shortly afterwards. Smyths were open today as usual.”
Anyone who witnessed events can call West Midlands Police on 101
Bristol Road South in Longbridge was closed between Longbridge Lane and Lickey Road while emergency services attended an accident this evening (Friday 13th January).
The accident – involving 3 vehicles – happened at around 10pm. One of the vehicles left the scene before emergency services arrived.
West Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Police and Northfield Fire’s Red Watch attended and four people were taken to hospital: 2 men, 1 woman and a 2 year old boy.
Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, are asked to call West Midlands Police on 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
Photos courtesy of Northfield Fire Red Watch / West Midlands Fire Service
Time is almost up to have your say on council budget proposals which could see further cuts to services – including support services for vulnerable people including the disabled and homeless, parks and museums – in Birmingham.
The city’s finances are already stretched – as part of budget cuts from central government, approximately £590 million has already been saved since 2010. However, Birmingham City Council are required to find a further £50.6 million savings in the year 2017/18, on top of £27.8 million already planned for the year.
As part of the proposals, residents would face a Council Tax rise of 3.99% (2.00% Social Care Precept and 1.99% general Council Tax increases) to help with the savings.
Council Leader Councillor John Clancy said: “Birmingham City Council is facing an extremely tough financial landscape against a backdrop of continuing severe cuts in Government grant. We have already taken around £590 million out of our budget plans since 2010/11 – this includes having had to address an unprecedented 34 per cent reduction in our Government grant – and we expect to have to find around a further £180 million by 2021.
“In such circumstances, the task of putting together the 2017/18 budget posed unprecedented difficulties as dwindling Government funding and unremitting pressure to meet growing demand for adult social care combined to pose the greatest financial challenge ever faced by the council.
“It is inevitable in an age of austerity that unpalatable decisions have to be taken about the services we can continue to pay for, and those areas where the council, reluctantly, must withdraw support.
“Every conceivable saving has been on the table. Some were rejected as being unacceptable, even given the dire circumstances the council finds itself in through no fault of its own.
“We are continuing to invest in our priority areas of children’s services, housing, jobs and skills wherever possible.
“Your feedback is hugely important to us – in fact, we used your feedback from last year’s budget consultation to shape our priorities of children, jobs and skills, housing and health. I want to encourage debate and I want as many people as possible to talk to us as possible.”
There’s still time for you to read through the proposals and submit your objections or support on the budget proposals for five key areas:
Cross Cutting
Proposed savings: £17.9 million
Efficiency savings across the council, including a projected £10 million saving resulting from changes to Information Technology and Digital projects.
Jobs and Skills
Proposed savings: £3.36 million
Weoley Castle ruins
Includes a further half a million pounds cut from payments made to Birmingham Museums Trust. The Trust – which oversees the management of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Thinktank Science Museum, Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House and Weoley Castle ruins – has already seen around half its funding from Birmingham City Council cut in the last 5 years.
Fears are that a further reduction in funding will lead to staff cuts, reduced opening hours, increased admission charges and a reduction in events and exhibitions.
Homes & Neighbourhoods
Proposed savings: £7.5 million
One of the main proposals in Homes and Neighbourhoods is a £1.8 million cut in Parks services, a 20% funding reduction.
Photo by Elliot Brown
It is anticipated that this could lead to the closure of some of the city’s 6 ranger hubs. Current hubs in South West Birmingham are Lickey Hills Country Park and Woodgate Valley Country Park, with further hubs in Sheldon, Kings Heath, Sutton and Edgbaston Reservoir.
A reduced ranger service would mean less, or even no, time to support essential volunteer activities and to work with schools and community groups and so on.
It is possible that park keepers, such as at Cofton Park, will no longer be supported and park rangers based at the hubs to close may also lose their jobs.
Cofton Park
A percentage of grass in parks and on the highways will no longer be maintained, giving way to “rank grassland”. There would also be a reduction in the amount of maintained shrubs and flower beds in parks and at the roadside.
Planters and baskets on high streets would no longer be funded unless sponsorship could be secured from other sources.
A group of local organisations, including the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, has come together write an open letter against these proposed cuts, citing the effects on health, wellbeing, the environment and wildlife. Read the letter
Also of note is the proposed halving of the recently announced Local Innovation Fund. The fund is distributed at ward level to groups, organisations and individuals doing work which supports the council’s priorities (Children, Housing, Jobs and Skills, and Health). Initially the fund was to run for two years with £2 million per annum being awarded. It is proposed to halve the fund to £2 million to be administered over a 15 month period.
Health and Wellbeing
Proposed savings: £21.5 million
The largest chunk of savings is proposed in the Health and Wellbeing category. The council hope that some of these savings will come as a result of renegotiating provision and funding of social care services with other partners and stakeholders.
The Supporting People budget supports the city’s most vulnerable residents: young people (including care leavers), victims of domestic abuse, homeless individuals and families, the disabled (including mental health, learning disabilities and physical disabilities), gypsies and travellers, offenders and ex-offenders. It is proposed that the budget would lose £5.2m in 2017/18 and a further £4.8m the following year.
It is proposed that there would also be a £3m cut to the Enablement Service – which helps people be discharged from hospital quicker after a life changing event and supports them at home – and a £2m cut to home care packages, which is expected to be achieved by sending single carers instead of pairs where appropriate.
A further £2.5m saving in proposed by assessing care needs locally and utilising existing local services more effectively.
Children
Proposed savings: £300,000
Understandably, one of Birmingham City Council’s priorities and facing the least cuts.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Consultation closes on Wednesday 18th January. Still time to send in your thoughts!
atch Commander Phillip Richards praised fire crews and thanked the local community. He said: “I attended this fire this morning as officer in charge and would like to thank the crews from Northfield and Kings Norton blue for the professionalism in dealing with a hot dangerous incident […]. Your training and experience made it as safe as it could be. Then when the fire was out you took it on yourselves to get the message out there to make others safe. Thank you.
