The Birmingham Post (England) back issues from March 2009:
Colmore Row levy will see millions pumped in.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ALUN THORNE Head of Business The heart of Birmingham's professional quarter is set for millions of pounds of investment in the coming years after local businesses agreed to a new improvement levy. Businesses in the area surrounding Colmore Row have been ...
BIRMINGHAM POST COMMENT: Don't bank on a romantic notion; 24 HOURS.(Leaders)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Birmingham City Council's proposal to open a municipal bank, some 30 years after the last such institution was forced to close its doors because it couldn't drum up enough business, always had the feel of something based more on romantic than practical foundations. The idea that ...
Colmore Row improvement plan shows long-term ambition; 24 HOURS.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... In normal times the overwhelming support for a third Business Improvement District in Birmingham would arouse little comment. With the previous two Birmingham BIDs - covering Broad Street and the retail sector - having delivered tangible results, the vote for a new BID covering ...
Investment group first with dual listing move; In association with Lloyds TSB INVESTMENT Early Equity sees benefit of online share trade platform.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ALUN THORNE Head of Business A leading investment business with its roots firmly in the West Midlands is the third company to be admitted to Investbx - notching up a significant 'first' in the process. Early Equity, which is managed by Birmingham-based ...
'Significant' Chinese order boosts future of Jaguar Land Rover; In association with Lloyds TSB.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Jaguar Land Rover has been given a "significant" boost as it awaits further news on whether the Government will step in to help it through the credit crunch. The company - which supports tens of thousands of jobs in the region - confirmed that a memo of understanding had been ...
pounds 12bn rights issue; In association with Lloyds TSB.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Banking giant HSBC is expected to announce a pounds 12 billion rights issue when it reports its annual results today. Europe's biggest bank is also expected to slash its dividend and put its troubled US sub-prime mortgage arm into runoff, as it announces a steep drop in full ...
pen portrait; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Name: Elizabeth Munday Age: 29 Job Title: Solicitor, family team, Mills & Reeve Best thing about Birmingham/West Midlands? How friendly and approachable people are. If you look lost, strangers approach you rather than the other way around! ...
Longbridge plans go on despite Modwen losses; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets PROPERTY.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: JOHN CRANAGE Industrial Editor The showcase pounds 750 million project to regenerate the former Rover factory site at Longbridge is safe even though the company driving the scheme has crashed into the red. St Modwen Properties chief executive Ted Oliver gave ...
We're lucky to have Sir Roy; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: lord kumar bhattacharyya The Midlands is going through a lot of change - we are living in extraordinary times. And that is why the appointment of Sir Roy McNulty as chairman of regional development agency Advantage West Midlands is a master stroke. ...
Open for business in Birmingham; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ANNA BLACKABY Busines Staff Given the reports flying around at the moment, you would be forgiven for thinking the whole banking sector had been paralysed by a catastrophic cocktail of unprecedented losses, bonus rows and public chastisement. But the headlines ...
Pensions don't indicate success; city view In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Alun Thorne The concenpt of performance related pay has been brought into sharp focus in recent months. As the world's leading financial institutions have queued up to announce one set of disasterous results after another, so the world has looked on aghast as those at ...
Leading figures join city event to boost recovery; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ALUN THORNE Head of Business Leading figures from politics and business are set to take centre stage at a national event set to further enhance Birmingham's reputation as one of the UK's conferencing capitals. Heavyweights Kenneth Clarke, Minister for Economic ...
Plea to focus on learning and skills; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... The Minister for the West Midlands has urged Black Country politicians and business leaders to focus on education and skills to haul the area out of recession. Ian Austin MP (Labour Dudley South) said training of potential employees was the key to providing hard-pressed firms ...
Access to credit is the key to a brighter future; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Geoff Percy The first quarter of 2009 has been as tough as expected. Availability of credit in the corporate sector is now of major concern. The first monthly CBI Access to Finance Survey shows that three in ten firms have seen credit lines removed or reduced, and of ...
Waterford Wedgwood sale could save 1,700 jobs; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... More than 1,700 jobs in the UK and Ireland - including hundreds in North Staffordshire - could be saved after administrators secured a sale of the struggling china and crystal firm Waterford Wedgwood. US private equity group KPS Capital Partners has agreed to buy Waterford's key ...
Confidence survey finds yet more gloom over the prospects for an early recovery; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... British businesses are well and truly in the doldrums with scant optimism for an early recovery, according to the latest confidence survey by KPMG. More than four-fifths of senior executives questioned now view the prospects for the UK economy as either 'bad' or 'very bad'- ...
Midlands hardest hit by recession; In association with lloydstsb.com/corporatemarkets.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ALUN THORNE Head of Business West Midlands industry has been hit harder by the recession than manufacturing in any other part of the UK. The EEF attributed the slump in sales of motor vehicles - accompanied by shutdowns across most of the motor industry since ...
Lawyers in full swing for charity; The Great Trade UP.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Big deals are par for the course in The Great Trade UP- the charitys wap-athon that has some of the biggest names in Birmingham business competing to trade up and raise money for charity. The lawyers at Shakespeare Putsman have driven ahead, swapping up to a day's golfing for ...
Brum bank scheme to rack up pounds 200m debts.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: PAULDALE Public Affairs Correspondent Establishing a municipal bank could turn out to be one of Birmingham City Council's costliest commitments in recent years, with initial estimates for the project already running at pounds 200 million. Provision has been ...
Emergency pounds 1m scheme to save crumbling 700-year-old church.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ED CHADWICK Staff Reporter An emergency repair fund of pounds 1million is urgently needed to save one of Birmingham's oldest churches from closure. The 700-year-old St Edburgha's, in Yardley, could be shut within years unless cash is found to make the spire ...
Police continue to quiz pair on stab death in lorry theft bid.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Detectives investigating an attempted lorry robbery which resulted in one man being stabbed to death have been granted more time to question twomen, police said. Dean Skidmore, 36, died from his injuries after he was wounded at the Station Road Industrial Estate in Coleshill, ...
Schools given go-ahead for pounds 370m revamp.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Black Country secondary schools have won Government approval forapounds 370million revamp. Wolverhampton City Council has been given the go-ahead to rebuild or refurbish under the Building Schools for the Future programme. The local authority will now begin the search ...
Blaze drama at city apartments.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Six fire crews were called to a blaze in an apartment block in Birmingham city centre last night. Nobody had to be evacuated from the block in St Paul's Square, Hockley, and nobody was hurt by the fire, which started in furniture on the ground floor stairwell of the six-storey ...
Tories 'Stalinist' slur in row over cash savings.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: PAUL DALE Public Affairs Correspondent Birmingham City Council leaders have been accused of running a "Stalinist command economy", where orders are passed down from on high with little chance that they can ever be put into practice. The accusation came from ...
Hundreds meet in bid to ensure knife victim's death was not in vain.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: CHRIS HENWOOD Staff Reporter Hundreds of mourners turned out for a memorial service and anti-knife crime conference organised by the family of a dad-to-be stabbed to death after an argument with a friend. Leon Francis was knifed through the heart when a row ...
Popular TV gardening show puts down some new roots in city.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: NICK McCARTHY Staff Reporter The popular flagship BBC programme Gardeners' World is putting down new roots in the heart of Birmingham. The show is leaving its generous two acre Berryfields site in Stratford-upon-Avon and is moving to a new home in the city ...
Ex-council leader jailed for cheating charity.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: MARK COWAN Crime Correspondent Police today condemned a former Midland council leader jailed after stealing more than pounds 80,000while boss of a charity which was set up to help homeless youngsters. David Cartwright was branded a "common conman, confidence ...
Cancer drug offers hope to thousands.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... A breakthrough blood cancer therapy which was successfully trialled at a Birmingham hospital is to be made available to patients from today. New drug Vidaza will be available privately following a global clinical trial which included patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in ...
Pilot to stop convicts' cash claims is axed.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... A "get tough" scheme that docked the welfare benefits ofWest Midlands criminals who failed to comply with court rulings is to be scrapped after it forced offenders to commit more crimes. The eight-year-old pilot scheme launched with a round of "get tough" headlines, but only ...
Appeal to seal deal on town revival scheme.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... The city council has been told to tie up a deal for the pounds 25 million regeneration of Stirchley as soon as possible. The development which will bring Tesco to the suburb, renovate the High Street and see the derelict Stirchley Baths brought back as a community centre and gym ...
Restoration work on view.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... One of the world's largest helicopters will be on display when a centre dedicated to conserving and restoring aircraft opens its doors to the public. The Michael Beetham Conservation Centre, based at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in Shifnal, Shropshire, will be open to ...
Tory raises storm over cash plans for centralised defence training HQ.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: JONATHAN WALKER Political Editor Conservatives have been urged to gag a Midland MP after he revealed the taxpayer was underwriting a pounds 12 billion defence project in Wales which will cost hundreds of Midland jobs. Mark Pritchard (Con The Wrekin) vowed to ...
Town shows its pride in soldiers.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Hundreds of soldiers were given heroes' welcomes in a parade to mark their regiment being given the freedom of a Midland borough. People lined the streets of Stafford to welcome back 250 troops from the 22 Signal Regiment which has recently returned from a six-month tour of ...
MPs complaint tries to put Wales in its place.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: JONATHAN WALKER Political Editor Welsh children are populating English classrooms, Welsh badgers are infecting English cattle and Welsh water is flooding English towns, according to a Midlands MP. Daniel Kawczynski (Con Shrewsbury and Atcham) called for ...
Ramsay admits 'memory lapse' NATIONAL.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has admitted there may have been inaccuracies in accounts of his football career, but attributed it to the passing of time. Ramsay, 42, spoke following allegations that he lied about signing for Rangers football club and playing in its first team. ...
National Botanic Garden; NATIONAL.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... A young girl makes her way to join other members of the public in a world record attempt yesterday at the National ...
EU leaders reject plea to bail out 'east bloc' NATIONAL.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... EU leaders yesterday flatly rejected a new multi-billion euro bail-out for eastern Europe, suggesting that additional aid be given to struggling nations only on a case-by-case basis. The hardline stance came as Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany warned that the global ...
WIN a meal for two at the city's three Michelin restaurants.(Competition/Offers)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Today we are offering the ultimate prize for gourmets and food-lovers everywhere - the chance for one winner and their guest to dine at EACH of Birmingham's three Michelin-starred restaurants. All you have to do is answer the question below. At Purnell's you can win ...
A shift of power; Japan's industrial heartland has some salutary lessons for the West Midlands.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Anthony Rowley reports Visiting Greater Nagoya in Japan's industrial heartland between Tokyo and Osaka is like stepping into the past - the past of the once great industrial complex that stretched from Birmingham and the Black Country to Coventry. The way in ...
Thatcher as a tragic heroine.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: sarah evans It's done nothing to revive the tarnished reputation of politicians as a whole, but two BBC dramas last week about Margaret Thatcher started the long overdue process of raising our erstwhile leader from the demonic depth into which she has been flung to ...
Letter: End contract cleaning culture of the NHS.(Letters)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Eleanor Smith Dear Editor, I read your article yesterday date 25/02/09 about the NHS being undervalued. I believe that the key to valuing staff is to ensure that they have secure and stable employment and properly remunerated for the work they do. I am proud ...
Letter: We're now seeing the folly of closing the pits.(Letters)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Davey Hopper Dear Editor, March 12 (under three weeks' time) marks the 25th anniversary of the start of the year-long longminers' strike. A quarter of a century on, the devastating economic and social problems resulting from the pit closure programme are still ...
Letter: JLR deserves financial support just as much as banks.(Letters)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Mike Whitby Dear Editor, Thank you for forwarding me a copy of your letter to Lord Mandelson regarding the communique we set out at the Auto Summit last month. It is right that the campaign in support of Jaguar Land Rover now turns its focus to the immediacy ...
Letter: Comments out of touch with Lozells.(Letters)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Mr SH Saeed Dear Editor, I am writing to respond to Mr Blackett's article in Birmingham Post about where I live, work and volunteer (Lozells). I welcome his visit to the area and his kind anecdote about his short stroll on Lozells Road. However, I am ...
Tipping the balance of trade; LIFESTYLE As top politicians gather in Birmingham tonight to debate the world's economic crisis, Consumer Editor Emma McKinney looks at how Fairtrade is helping people fight poverty.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Emma McKinney Political heavyweights will meet movers and shakers from the consumer world in Birmingham tonight to debate the impact of the global recession on small-scale farmers and producers. The debate, at the Hippodrome in Hurst Street from7pm, will form ...
Master and the pupils; culture Jazz diary.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Four intriguing gigs this week offer delights of different kinds, froman off-the wall guitarist to a pianist with two bands and a trumpeter getting serious down in the big smoke. But the most tempting is a semi-educational affair at a location deep inside the warren that is Birmingham ...
Super group take back the city; CULTURE With Snow Patrol heading to Birmingham, Andy Welch meets the band's frontman.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Andy Welch It is funny how you expect people to look a certain way depending on their job. Off the pitch, the majority of professional footballers are walking proof that money can't buy taste, while many pop stars specialise in wearing the sort of clobber ...
Concerts evoke passing of eras; CULTURE review.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Christopher Morley Philharmonia at Symphony Hall *** English Symphony Orchestra *** Worcester Cathedral There was a profound sense of an era slipping away in much of the music I heard during two concerts at the ...
Changed climate but we're 'open for business' - Whitby; MIPIM 2009.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ALUN THORNE Head of Business Birmingham is to tackle the world's largest global property conference with a "beer and sandwiches" approach this year, council leader Mike Whitby has stressed. He said that the city and its private sector partners would once ...
Most advanced diesel Jaguar on show; MIPIM.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... The most advanced diesel Jaguar produced is set to be the star of an international property show next week. The new XF Diesel is being launched to the international press in the south of France but will stay in the region for an extra week to help publicise the regeneration work ...
Short-term fun means long-term business; MIPIM.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Gary Cardin So does sitting enjoying a coffee and croissant in the sunshine of Cannes with the sun glinting on the Mediterranean have any commercial advantages over battling traffic chaos to get to work in Birmingham? Soon the world will be descending on Cannes for the ...
Teamwork counts to put the Black Country back on map; The Black Country is changing as it adapts to an economy less relient on manufacturing. Alun Thorne looks at how this proud region is adapting to these changes and it is selling its message at MIPIM 2009.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: Alun Thorne In its heyday, the Black Country was the UK's powerhouse, a place of world class industry and rich in potential. Now, Team Black Country - the four local authorities with their delivery companies, co-ordinated by regeneration and growth champion Black Country ...
Students get chance to kick-start their careers; CREATIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ANNA BLACKABY Creative Industries Editor Birmingham's marketing community has laid down a challenge to the next generation of creative talent which could kick-start the careers of budding PRs and designers in some of the city's top agencies. As part of a ...
Trimedia chosen; CREATIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Trimedia has been appointed by Warwick Conferences to raise awareness of its award-winning facilities and help attract more companies and organisations to Coventry for professional and management training. The appointment follows a three-way competitive pitch and will see ...
Jazz web treble; CREATIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Birmingham digital consultancy Fireloop Creative has won the contract to continue to develop the website for the Birmingham Jazz Festival for the third year in a row in 2009. The event celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and kicks off on July 3, running for ten days. The ...
Firm is 'One to Watch' CREATIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Golley Slater has been named "One to Watch" in the annual 2009 Best Companies to Work For Survey. Golley Slater HR director Mike Williams said: "Best Companies take ...
Animation call; CREATIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Animation Forum WM and LUCID are hosting an evening on Wednesday to explore new possibilities stemming from animating for mobile technology. The free event, When Animation Goes ...
Russia's crucial role in market; AUTOMOTIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: ivan bonchev Russia's links to the West Midlands automotive industry have been brought to the fore in recent months, with the 100,000th Land Rover Freelander rolling off the factory floor for Russian shores and, more recently, news that struggling Birmingham van maker ...
Aston is drop-head gorgeous; AUTOMOTIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... One of the stars of the Aston Martin stand at Geneva tomorrow will be the new drop-head DBS Volante. The Gaydon carmaker says the new model will "appeal to drivers who wish to combine the excitement of driving a finely-tuned sports carwiththe invigorating feeling of being open ...
Jaguar 'buy me' message welcomed; AUTOMOTIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Jaguar showed it still has a roar when every one of 111 used cars with a total value of more than pounds 2 million that went under the block at a recent Manheim auction in Bristol was sold. Among the bidders were 65 Jaguar dealers, representing more than two thirds of the ...
Business as usual for carmakers at Geneva; AUTOMOTIVE.(News)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: JOHN CRANAGE Automotive Editor For the world's carmakers the show must go on, and this week at the Geneva Motor Show the emphasis is expected to be put on showcasing green technologies and the industry's longer term prospects while individual companies worry over their ...
Distributor operates in relatively 'safe' sectors; CAPITALISATION SHARE TIPS.(Business)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Sunday Telegraph Distribution group Bunzl (581p), which generates half of its revenue from the US and a fifth from Continental Europe, has benefited from the weak pound. The group reported an eight per cent rise in pre-tax profits to pounds 206.9 million last week. ...
Quiz of the Day.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... 1. In which European Union country is the province of Extremadura? 2. Julian Lloyd Webber, brother of composer Andrew, is a renowned performer on which musical instrument? 3. In soccer, which two teams would contest a Steel City derby? 4. What name is given ...
Extra bite for charity; POST PEOPLE.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Handmade Burger Co celebrated the launch of its new charity initiative - Handmade Burger Gives Back - with an evening of delicious food and fantastic entertainment for all the charities and community projects involved at the restaurant in Touchwood. The launch of the scheme, an ...
Reviving the spirit of one Spencer Milbank.(Features)
Mar 02, 2009 ... Byline: john bright I pop into the benefit launch of Warwickshire cricketer Tony Frost. A good turnout by the Bears mafia and a few hangers on like my good self and sports pundit Gary Newbon. And I am accosted by businessman Roger Newman. Does ...