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A significant slice of about £35 million has been taken off the budgets of more than 120 regeneration projects across the West Midlands. Doomed regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has been ordered to take 10 per cent off its existing budget this year as part of a round of Government spending cuts. AWM said it had cut £34.8m from its regeneration projects by axing 11 and cutting back on 110 others.

This week’s annual Conservative Party conference at Birmingham faced a BBC blackout due to a strike. The public would have been denied seeing Prime Minister David Cameron’s first speech as national leader, but the walkout was ended by new negotiations thanks to an “improved” offer from BBC management over pension conditions. Members of Bectu, the National Union of Journalists and Unite are digesting the new deal.

Nottingham City Council was among the pioneers of an official anti-smoking stance when it introduced a ban on workers taking smoke breaks during working hours in 2005. Increasing numbers of bodies are doing the same, as workers could be forced to clock off when they go for a cigarette under proposals made by a Norfolk council.

More than 296,000 school days were lost to term-time holidays in the Black Country and Staffordshire in a year, mainly because high prices led to parents booking breaks during term time. Councillor Ian Parry, Staffordshire’s cabinet member for children, said: “I also appreciate that the price of holidays during August in particular is completely unfair on hard-working families.

MP for Birmingham, Erdington, Jack Dromey said that West Midlands Police will be shedding 2,500 jobs as a result of Government spending cuts. Mr Dromey, who is married to fellow Labour MP Harriet Harman, raised the matter with Commons leader Sir George Young in the chamber.

A shortfall of almost £8 million is being predicted by council chiefs in Wolverhampton for next year.

An emergency motion to the current TUC Congress 2010 concerned the 26,000 redundancy notices at Birmingham City Council.

West Midlands Police is trying to manage resources in the face of spending cuts since the new Government has not ring-fenced law and order for special protection. West Midlands hopes a new programme of ten local policing units will help the force save about £50 million, or eight per cent of budget, over three years.

Advantage West Midlands (AWM) is one of nine regional development agencies to be scrapped and replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships. AWM employs more than 300 people in Birmingham with a budget of £200m for 2010/11. It is not known what potential savings will be made from the changes.

Councils such as Birmingham’s are being called upon to save money by sharing chief executives. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles urged authorities to consider sharing one chief executive with their neighbours, after funding for his department was cut by another £220 million.

The new West Midlands Police deputy chief constable David Thompson said it was “too early” to say what the force would look like in the face of massive potential cuts by the Government.

Nottinghamshire Police has recorded the biggest drop in crime in England and Wales, according to a new report. Forces across England and Wales recorded an average reduction in crime of 8 per cent – while the midlands force managed a 15% reduction in the past year.