A masterplan document for the new mini Solihull aka The Arden Project is now available to view online. The document sets out the framework and structure of a 3-billion-pound new town near Birmingham airport. 

The Arden Cross project aims to tap into the hoped for economic benefits of the new hs2 interchange station by building 3,000 new homes. The project is expected to take around 20 years.

Birminghams 5-18-year-old school pupils will not be expected to adhere to social distancing on West Midland School buses however pupils aged 11 years old and upwards will be expected to wear face coverings on public transport.

Schools are adapting over the summer holidays in preparation for the return of the citys 32,000 children in the September

Masks are not currently required in schools as they are deemed to be likely to interfere with learning.

Councillor Sharon Thomson - North Edgbaston - Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods, has warned against giving money to homeless people and has called for a change in public perception of street homelessness.

Highlighted as a major issue since the beginning of the Covid 19 crisis, she has commented that "a number of individuals not willing to engage with specialist services in the past were now making progress.

She added that public handouts could relate to "lack of engagement with appropriate services".

With little or no public presence in the City centre during lockdown some of Birmingham’s homeless people have had to accept help from organisations such as Shelter, St Basil’s and Crisis.

Face coverings are now compulsory for customers in shops in England from today, with supermarkets are varying their approach towards customers.

Sainsbury’s will not be challenging customers, ASDA has said enforcement is "the responsibility of the relevant authorities" whilst Waitrose will be reminding customers of the rules.

Tesco will be selling facemasks to customers on entry to their stores.

Labour MP for Yardley, Jess Phillips, has been the victim of a fabricated Twitter headline in what she says could put her life at risk.

The Mock-up news article relating to Shamima Begum - one of three east London schoolgirls who travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State group (IS) could have incited hatred towards Ms Phillips.

Ms Phillips responded on Twitter; a social media platform: "Sorry somehow lost the first bit of thread there let's start again. 1.Yesterday I was alerted to a completely fake headline that was being put on @Twitter about me, that puts me my family and staff at risk of violence. It is completely fake."

The Tweet had been shared 280 times before being reported to Twitter Support.

The UK government has signed deals for 90 million doses of promising coronavirus  vaccines as well as 100 million doses of the Oxford University vaccine being developed. However, it is still uncertain which of the experimental vaccines may work.

The preliminary results of a clinical trial suggest a new treatment for Covid-19 shows it reduces the number of patients needing intensive care. Patients are two to three times more likely to recover and stays in hospital have been shown to decrease from nine days to six days

NHS staff at University Hospital Birmingham given free bikes to get around in celebration of 72nd anniversary.

Staff at University Hospitals in Birmingham were given the 72 bikes from Halfords to help their mental and physical health during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The hospital also received e-scooters originally donated to NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham to help those working on construction.

Graham Stapleton, CEO of Halfords, said: “We’ve been supporting NHS workers since the beginning of lockdown, for example by offering free car health checks, bike servicing and supporting NHS workers whose bike were stolen. We’re delighted to be able to make this gift”

New rail services could connect millions of extra people to Birmingham airport.

Midlands Connect hope to attract more passengers to the regions main airport by launching new rail connections to the Midlands and the north.

Rail bosses in the West Midlands have recently submitted a bid to the Department for
Transport for an initial £20m to develop designs, planning and final costings.

The Birmingham Airport Connectivity rail improvement scheme will cost up to £180 million and aims to boost the regions economic recovery after Covid-19.

Work is due to start in 2024.

The project, one of seven schemes that makes up the £3.5bn Midlands Engine Rail
programme – will double the number of services to Birmingham International and Coventry from Leamington Spa, Banbury, Oxford and Reading from one to two trains per hour, and introduce new direct services between Birmingham Moor Street, Solihull, Warwick Parkway and Oxford

A Drive-in tour at Birmingham Resorts World Arena has been cancelled amid fears over local lockdowns.
The Utilita Live from the Drive-In concert was due to stop at 12 sites across the UK over the summer – including at Birminghams Resorts World Arena, however promoters Live Nation have axed the tour – due to take place over July and September – over coronavirus fears.

Acts including Wolverhampton's own Beverley Knight were set to perform along with Gary Numan, the Kaiser Chiefs and others.

Refunds will be issued directly to ticket holders within the next seven days, bosses have
confirmed.

UK banks fear up to 800,000 firms employing 3 million people could go bust in the next year if they cannot defer repayments on government-backed loans.
The lending industry is proposing a student loans-type scheme, where coronavirus loans can be converted into a tax debt repayable over a decade when businesses can afford it.

HMRC would have the operational horsepower, existing relationships with, and adequate
knowledge of, companies to manage a programme of this scale.

Banks argue that this would be far simpler arrange and administer, than the UK government taking direct ownership stakes in hundreds of thousands of companies.

“Another savage blow for the Midlands” as BBC plans to axe 52 jobs.
The BBC has been accused of abandoning the West Midlands after plans to cut dozens of
jobs from its Birmingham base were announced.
52 jobs are set to go at the Mailbox, 36 on the central sub editing desk which manages much of the content on the BBC website.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said it was incredibly frustrating that once again the
West Midlands seems set to disproportionately bare the brunt of these BBC cuts and has
urged a rethink.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said there was "no justification" for axing the roles.

A man has been charged over the murder of woman found with fatal neck injuries in Solihull.
Ian Bennett, aged 37, from Moordown Avenue in Solihull, has been charged with the murder of Kerry Woolley, 38 at her flat on the Warwick Rd.
His mother Lynda Bennett, aged 62, also from Moordown Avenue, has been charged with
perverting the course of justice and assisting an offender.
The mother and son will appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court