More than 40 businesses and civic leaders have sent an open letter to party leaders seeking commitment to High Speed 2 Phase Two. Known as HS2, the Phase One of the project will connect the train from London to Birmingham.| This phase received Royal Assent in 2017 and its construction is set to be finished in 2027. Nevertheless, Phase 2A and Phase 2B that will connect Birmingham to the East Midlands, Manchester and Leeds have not yet been backed by parliament. Midlands Connect, Midlands Engine, Northern Powerhouse Partnership and Core Cities UK organised the open letter calling for a cross-party…
Author: Manuel Del Solar Fernandez
Known for her role as Arya Stark in Games of Thrones, Maisie Williams has visited Birmingham City University (BCU) media students to speak about her career and Daisie, her new app. Watch the entire video in this live stream. https://twitter.com/fahimakhatun_/status/1088081432533233664
A study on the payments for people assessed as needing help to pay for their own care and support services has pointed out the issues of the project. Known as ‘Direct Payments’, the local payments were created by giving to users a personal budget to spend according to their own choosing preferences. At the moment of writing 28.5% of Birmingham eligible citizens are using them. It is expected to increase to 30% by April 2019. One of the main problems that the report identifies is the lack of knowledge of Direct Payments and the services it can offer by social workers. Two respondents to…
Image by: Jim Larrison EU citizens who wish to stay in the UK will have to apply for settled status before June 2021, according to the government website. The settled scheme will allow EU nationals that have lived in the UK more than 5 years to have the same rights as British citizens. The online application system opened today. https://twitter.com/sajidjavid/status/1087284414680363008 If you have lived in the UK more than 5 years EU nationals who have been UK residents continuously for 5 years can apply for settled status. If you want to apply for this status, you must have lived in the…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3M0wGarbgY A campaign has started in the West Midlands to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The organiser of the campaign is Manjit K Kang, Diversity Ambassador for NatWest. She said: “It is a huge year for the community, Sikhs around the world will celebrate the 550th anniversary of the probably truest ambassador of diversity and inclusion.” The social media campaign is collecting testimonies of leaders from the region in relation with the anniversary. The testimonies are being collected on Facebook and Twitter under the hashtag #WestMidands550. “The campaign tries to…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFHnA9Xag44 The world’s oldest working steam engine is once again running on steam, after a local restoration project. The Smethwick Engine was designed by James Watt in Birmingham, and first put into service on the Birmingham-Wolverhampton Canal in 1779, saving water by pumping it back up the canal locks. Ian Colley, a heritage engineer with ThinkTank, said: “This steam engine made a significant difference because it’s the blueprint to all modern steam engines that came after it, (James Watt’s) use of a separate outside condenser allowed the engine to work faster and be more efficient, so it could do…
A new exhibition in Birmingham will feature banners created in tribute to the suffragettes. Remember to include a featured image too.
New show Still No Idea is at the Birmingham Rep this week.
Three museums and galleries in Birmingham will host a series of events at night this week as part of a nationwide festival.