Fresh calls for improved economic growth were issued to all political parties by Greater Birmingham business leaders today after inflation rose to 2.7 per cent in April – the highest figure since September 2013.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) said that with interest rates being held at a record low, everything points to a contraction in real wages and a general slowdown in the UK’s economic output.

Rising air fares (up 18.6 per cent from the month before) were partly due to a later Easter  and were blamed as a major contributor to the increase in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

The price of clothes jumped to the highest level for six years, with a rise of 1.1 per cent between March and April. Electricity and food prices also went up, but there were falls in the cost of gas, petrol and diesel

“The lower value of the pound continues to make it more costly for UK firms to import goods, which in turn, will impact levels of consumer spending; a key driver behind economic growth in this country.

“With the Bank of England holding interest rates at a record low level and wage growth stagnant, it all points to a contraction in real wages and a potential slowdown in the UK’s economic output.

“However, we must not lose sight of the fact that the sharp rise was predicated on higher air fares (which came about as a result of the Easter holiday being pushed back to April) and tobacco and alcohol duty also going up more than it did 12 months ago – a unique set of factors unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.

“In light of the latest figures and ahead of the General Election, we are calling on all of the political parties to provide detailed answers on how they plan to boost economic growth to offset business concerns around price pressures.

“Today’s results also reflect some the underlying themes which emerged from our last Quarterly Business Report– with local manufacturers particularly squeezed by the increase in factory gate costs, but also exhibiting high levels of optimism when it comes to turnover projections for the next 12 months. We will be starting the surveying for the next report on Monday and it will be interesting to see whether these trends continue into the second half of the year.”

One man’s determination to revive the reputation of a Birmingham sporting icon and Olympic gold medallist has paid off with the news that the forgotten hero is to be honoured by a prestigious Blue Plaque.

In 1976, Birmingham-born John Curry made figure skating history at the Winter Olympics taking home two gold medals for team GB and becoming a sporting hero, winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But in the years that followed, Curry slowly slipped out of the public consciousness, and his untimely death in 1994 left a generation completely unaware of his achievements.

Actor and writer Tony Timberlake embarked on personal journey to change this, first through his one man show, Looking For John, which premiered at Birmingham Repertory Theatre last November and secondly by nominating John Curry, with the support of The REP theatre to be honoured with a Blue Plaque in his home city.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Carl Rice and John Curry’s brother, Andrew, unveiled the Blue Plaque, awarded by Birmingham Civic Society, in honour of John’s achievements on Monday, May 15^th.  John grew up in Acocks Green and the plaque will feature on the house where he was born at 946 Warwick Road, now Arden Lodge Residential Home.

Tony Timberlake said: “Getting recognition for John Curry has been a labour of love.  Watching him win Olympic gold forty years ago had a huge impact on me as a youngster and it’s never left me.  My play Looking for John made me think about John’s legacy – how he changed the world of figure skating and how he never denied who he was in his personal life.  I felt he deserved to be remembered and celebrated again in the city where he was born and then died. I’m thrilled that John Curry will be celebrated once more and remembered forever in this way.”

John Curry OBE (1949 – 1994) was a world champion ice skater and gold medal winner at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. He was born in Acocks Green and first learnt to skate at Solihull Ice Rink. Gavin Orton, Chairman of Birmingham Civic Society said: “Towards the end of last year the Society received a nomination from Tony Timberlake and the Birmingham Rep for a Blue Plaque to John Curry.  The REP were about to premiere a play, Looking for John, directed by Tessa Walker, an Associate Director at The REP, and written and performed by the actor, Tony Timberlake. This nomination was supported by the Lord Mayor and we are delighted to be honouring John’s achievements today.”

The Birmingham Civic Society has been responsible for erecting Blue Plaques in the city since 1953 and there are currently over 80 around the city.  The society receives several nominations every year and there’s currently a waiting list of over 20 years. To be honoured with a Blue Plaque, a person must have been born, lived or worked in the city and have achieved greatness, by, for example, making a significant contribution to their community or by excelling in their career.

The launch of the world’s first Pet Food Pledge and a national awareness campaign urgespet owners to critically assess what’s in their dog’s diet. Just as parents carefully avoid ‘nasties’ in their children’s food, dog owners are being encouraged to do the same for their beloved four-legged friends. 

The campaign is backed by research highlighting that 85% of UK dog owners are unsure of the ingredients in today’s dog food, with less than a fifth surveyed (19%), actually stopping to read the ingredients in their pet’s food*.  

Forthglade, a Devon-based natural dog food company established in 1971, is behind the ‘Dump the Junk’ initiative, along with support from famous farmer, and renowned dog owner, Adam Henson.

Dump the Junk aims to educate dog owners about the nasties that can be a hidden part of pet’s diets and the potential effects these can have on pet health and behaviour. The campaign will see pet owners pledge to improve their own dog’s nutrition and help spread the word across the UK to ‘dump the junk’. By arming dog owners with the knowledge, they’ll be able to spot a nutritionally balanced dog food from a poor quality counterpart.

Adam Henson explains:     “We all want what’s best for our dogs, but we lead such busy lives, we often don’t have the time to stop and decipher confusing dog food labels. We put too much trust in what we see on packs and tins; clever packaging and vague phrasing make it all too easy to assume you’re getting something you’re not. 

“Dump the Junk is an important campaign set to lift the lid on the real contents of poor quality dog food and help pet owners make informed decisions about what they feed their canine companions. Good nutrition is at the heart of what makes a happy, healthy dog, which is why I am asking UK pet owners to make their pledge today for the benefit of dogs nationwide.”

The campaign has published a Dog Food Nasties Watch-List (attached), which identifies exactly what pet owners should be watching out for and why – as well as, advice on what consumers should look out for when searching for a nourishing dog food. Potential health horrors include vague non-specific protein sources listed as ‘meat’, ‘meat by-products’, or ‘meat and animal derivatives’. ‘Corn or Wheat gluten’ are also listed as ingredients to avoid.

Pet foods containing artificial flavourings or sugars are also being named and shamed, as these can lead to problems ranging from a lack-lustre coat, bad breath and upset tummies through to hyperactivity or even lethargy. 

Gerard Lovell, Joint Managing Director of Forthglade explains more: “In the 46 years that Forthglade has been creating natural dog food, the serious negative impacts of low quality and unsuitable food ingredients come up time and time again; common issues include digestive problems, hyperactivity and other behavioural issues.

“There are some great natural dog foods out there but sadly there are also many meals on offer that are best avoided.  Unfortunately, the law only requires pet food manufacturers to list contents by category, which is why you often see the words ‘meat’ or ‘animal’, but no indication of species. This allows a manufacturer to alter the recipe between batches depending on what meat is cheap at the time.” 

Lovell continues: “There are also a host of ingredients to watch out for. ‘Corn and Wheat gluten’ are cheap waste products from the human food industry commonly added to pet food to make the protein content higher, but are actually an inferior source to animal protein and difficult for the dog to digest – not to mention common causes of allergies.” 

British Airways returns to Birmingham Airport after a ten-year break this weekend with each way flights throughout the summer from just £29.

The first British Airways flight for a decade will take off from Birmingham at 7.20pm today to the Italian city of Florence.

The other summer-only services that will operate every weekend are to the popular Spanish sunspots of Malaga, Ibiza and Palma.

British Airways last flew from Birmingham in 2007 when the regional airline business was sold to Flybe.

Customers will travel direct from their doorstep on modern Embraer 190 jet aircraft, with spacious cabins and two abreast seating so everyone can have an aisle or window seat.

The last of the main parties to launch their manifesto, the Conservatives celebrated the release of their party platform with launch event on Thursday 18^th May, at Halifax, a traditional Labour seat, which has over years become a swing seat, meaning it could go either way. As with her campaign events, Theresa May was the centre of attention, and there were lots of references to her catch phrase ‘strong and stable leadership/government.’  The key policies within the manifesto, as with the two other main parties were: the economy, Brexit, healthcare and housing.

The economy is an area where the Conservatives have often been eager to point out the good work they have done. Indeed, in their manifesto they promise to provide sound public finances, low taxes, better regulation and free trade deals with markets around the world to ensure a better and healthier economy.  They also promise to protect the national living wage of £7.50 an hour that they introduced in 2015/16, and to ensure that with Brexit approaching, workers’ rights and protections are not forfeited, through the introduction of new workers’ rights as part of the Great Repeal Bill. The Conservatives also promise fairer corporate governance with new rules for takeovers, executive pay and possible worker representation on boards. In regards to income tax, the Conservatives promise to raise the minimum personal allowance to £12,500 whilst raising the maximum level to £50,000.

On Brexit, the manifesto sticks very closely to what has  been said by Theresa May throughout the campaign. The Conservatives if elected to government will bring the UK out of the EU, the single market, the customs union and end freedom of movement-apart from the case of the border with the Republic of Ireland- this is what has been called a ‘hard Brexit.’ With the Great Repeal Bill, the Conservatives promise to convert all EU law that they wish to maintain into UK law, making it laws created in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast that are purely British, fulfilling their pledge to ‘take back control’. Finally, in acknowledgement of the recent Supreme Court decision, the final agreement for Brexit will be subject to a vote by Parliament. Contrasting with the Liberal Democrats desire to hold another referendum on the deal.

Health care policy has attracted much criticism on the Conservatives in their seven years in government. Therefore, it is not surprising that they have in their manifesto, pledged £8 billion in investment for the NHS, with £1 billion going into mental health research and funding. The manifesto promises to reform antiquated laws such as the Mental Health Act, and improve Health and Safety regulations to take this into account. The ‘triple lock’ on pensions will be replaced in 2020 with a ‘double lock’, keeping the link with earnings and prices but scrapping the minimum of 2.5% a year increase. The state pension age will rise with increases in life expectancy. The reforms on healthcare also promise to focus on the least well of pensioners, meaning that those with assets of £100,000 will need to pay for their own winter fuel payments and contribute to the government contribution.

With housing becoming an increasingly demanding issue for many within the UK, the Conservative manifesto gives a brief inkling of what they would do to remedy this situation if elected. The manifesto promises a full implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, pledging to halve rough sleeping over the course of the next parliament, and to remove it completely by 2027. This would take place through the implementation of a Housing First approach, giving priority to rough sleepers for new houses. The Conservatives would also modernise the home buying process, they would improve upon their ‘Help to Buy’ scheme, and increase protection for renters, make landlords provide longer tenancies and finally ensure that all properties meet required standards.

By Vivek Rajkhowa

The Liberal Democrats launched their manifesto for the upcoming general election on Wednesday 17^th May. In this article, their four key policies and the details of these four policies will be highlighted.  After extensive research and reading, the four key policies of this manifesto are: the economy, Brexit, health and social scare and housing.

The economy has been a big talking point for all political parties during the election campaign. In their manifesto, the Liberal Democrats have taken their campaign speak and made into properly articulated policies. They promise to eliminate the day to day deficit and only borrow to invest more into the country. They promise to bring in an additional £100 billion of infrastructure investment to help develop the economy through using a new British Housing and Infrastructure Bank using public money to attract private finance. In order to finance this increased investment, they pledge to introduce a 1p increase in income tax, as well as ending the 1% cap on pay rises in the public, give public sector workers more disposable income. They promise to introduce a national Spending Review and National Wellbeing strategy and review board to assess how they are doing in terms of keeping the books balanced and the economy growing. Also, pledged within the manifesto are promises to reduce tax loopholes currently being exploited by big business, and to increase corporate tax and to introduce a General Anti Avoidance Rule, to penalise businesses who do not pay their fair share of tax.  The Liberal Democrats will also expand the activities of the British Business Bank to ensure that they are providing investment in small and start-up businesses. Further to this they promise to develop skilled workers through advanced apprenticeships and national colleges, and to stamp out zero hour contracts.

On Brexit, the Liberal Democrats wish to remain in the single market and the customs union, as well as allow freedom of movement to remain in place, a contrast to the Conservatives and the Labour who wish for freedom of movement to end. The Liberal Democrats like Labour wish to protect the rights of both UK citizens living in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK, so that neither can be used as bargaining chips during negotiations. Finally, on Brexit, as they have constantly said during the campaign process, the Liberal Democrats are committed to giving the British people the final say on any deal with the EU. This would take the shape of a referendum that would decide if Britain accepts the deal, doesn’t accept the deal, or remains in the EU completely. This last policy is sure to be controversial with some.

Health and Social care is the area where the Liberal Democrats truly show their desire for change. They promise that the 1p increase in income tax would be used to increase funding for the NHS. This investment would also be used to improve priority areas of service such as mental health and A and E. They would also reduce waiting times and limit the cost of social care for the elderly. The Liberal Democrats would also reinstate student bursaries to encourage more young people to enter the NHS. Finally, the Liberal Democrats would create a Cross Party Health Convention to review the progress the NHS is making and whether or not it is keeping within budget and is delivering the services that it is meant in to a proper and effective way. There would also be an independent budget agency set up to ensure money is being used properly.

Housing has become a very pressing issue for the electorate, and as such the Liberal Democrat pledges in their manifesto, should perhaps address these concerns. Promising to build 300,000 new houses by the end of the new Parliament in 2022, the Liberal Democrats have set out an ambitious plan. They also wish to build ten new garden cities in the UK, to provide proper environmentally friendly housing. In order to fund these schemes, the Liberal Democrats would use the Housing and Development Bank to provide long term capital investment. To improve the chances of renters and buyers in the property market, the Liberal Democrats would end what they call restrictive Right to Buy Schemes, replacing them with Rent to Own and Rent to Buy schemes. They would also ban letting fees and introduce three-year tenancy agreements and capping up front deposits.

By Vivek Rajkhowa