Category Archives: West Midlands

Mormons hoping to build first new temple in UK for 30 years

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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seeking permission to build temple in Sutton Coldfield

The first new Mormon temple in the UK for 30 years is to be built in Sutton Coldfield as a venue for “sacred ceremonies” and in pursuit of an “ultimate goal” to have temples dotted around the UK.

The large white edifice will feature a 314ft spire and an imposing entrance arch. Planning permission has yet to be granted, but the church hopes construction will begin this year and take up to three years to complete.

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West Midlands fire service chief found dead at home in Birmingham

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Police say death of Wayne Brown, reportedly under investigation over academic qualifications claims, not being treated as suspicious

Wayne Brown, the chief of West Midlands fire service, has been found dead at his home in Birmingham. Police said his death is not being treated as suspicious. He was reportedly being investigated over claims on social media about his academic qualifications.

Greg Brackenridge, chair of West Midlands fire and rescue authority, said the fire service’s thoughts were with his family. “We are devastated to report that our chief fire officer, Wayne Brown, was this morning found dead at his home address,” he said. “The death is not being treated as suspicious by West Midlands police.

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Two die in collision involving police vehicle in Shropshire

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Man in 60s and woman in 50s pronounced dead at scene of crash in Morville Heath on Saturday

Two people have died and two others sustained injuries after a crash involving a police vehicle in Shropshire.

A man in his 60s who was driving a Skoda Octavia and a woman passenger in her 50s died at the scene in Morville Heath on Saturday, West Mercia police said. A woman in her 20s who was also in the car sustained minor injuries.

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Indian police accused of harassing Sikh activist in UK before his sudden death

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Family of Avtar Khanda question UK authorities’ account that his death was reviewed by police and that there was no foul play

A Sikh activist in Birmingham complained that Indian police were verbally harassing him by phone and threatening his family in Punjab months before his sudden death in June, a Guardian investigation has found.

The death of Avtar Singh Khanda, which family and friends have said was suspicious, coincided with a plot that was playing out across the Atlantic where, US prosecutors have alleged, an Indian government official with close ties to Indian intelligence was ordering the murder of high-profile Sikh activists in Canada and the US.

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West Midlands police force says it doesn’t deserve to be under special measures

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Second biggest force in England and Wales accused of carrying out poor investigations and failing victims of crime

West Midlands police said they did not deserve the humiliation of being placed into special measures, as the official watchdog declared it was failing victims and needed extensive improvement.

The second biggest force in England and Wales, based in Birmingham, is accused by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) of carrying out poor investigations into crimes, leading to poor results for victims.

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Replica 1960s Black Country infants’ centre celebrates Windrush and NHS

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Museum’s re-creation of Wolverhampton institution marks 75 years of national health service and Windrush generation

From the exact shade of the orange juice to the colour of the lino, every last detail of a new 1960s replica of a Wolverhampton infant centre has been researched thoroughly by staff at the Black Country Living Museum (BCLM).

The Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre, open to the public from Monday, will commemorate 75 years of the NHS and the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving in the UK, through stories and characters from the period.

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Female drug users at risk of exploitation in mixed-sex treatment groups, study finds

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Research reports vulnerable women targeted for grooming into sex work and calls for ‘gendered response’

Female drug users are at risk of being groomed into sex work and other forms of exploitation when they attend treatment programmes with men, according to new research.

Some women reported feeling vulnerable to “predatory males” in mixed groups where they were often outnumbered two-to-one by men, but said they were not given an option to access women-only treatment programmes.

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Tory mayor Andy Street decides to stay in post despite Sunak scrapping HS2 leg

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West Midlands mayor says he remains committed to high-speed rail link to Manchester after suggestion he might quit over move

The Conservative mayor for the West Midlands has decided not to quit over HS2, after the prime minister confirmed he was scrapping the high-speed rail line from Birmingham to Manchester.

Andy Street had lobbied heavily to keep the northern leg of the project, and a spokesperson said on Wednesday morning he might quit if his campaign was unsuccessful.

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