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A West Derby Member of Parliament has called on the education minister to visit areas where his cost-cutting policies will make the maximum impact. MP Stephen Twigg, a former schools minister, urged Education Secretary Michael Gove to go to Liverpool and explain the effect of his cuts on youngsters.

Birmingham City Council has been accused of waste after it was revealed that £46 million targeted to tackle unemployment in the poorest wards has helped only 170 people to find jobs in just over two years. When administrating the Working Neighbourhoods Fund, the council said when the programme began that 4,000 people would be found long term jobs.

In a few constituencies at the last general election officials miscalculated the resources needed to deal with the amount of voters, so many people lost their democratic right to vote. The elections of 11 returning officers were criticised by the Electoral Commission, but only three of those – including Birmingham – have agreed to give up their payments.

Birmingham City Council is taking stock of the harshest public spending cuts in decades. There has been a temporary block on spending, including freezing payments from a £400,000 community improvement scheme. New calculations suggest that city council budgets could lose up to £200 million over the next four years as a result of the Budget. Council leader Mike Whitby has warned the final figure may be even higher.

The new West Midlands Police deputy chief constable said it was “too early” to say what effect the Government’s austerity measures would have on the force. David Thompson said the force’s recent restructure, codenamed Programme Paragon, had anticipated budget cuts. He said the plan will help the force save about £50 million, or eight per cent of budget, over three years.

As an employer you must keep records that show you pay at least the national minimum wage (which increases in October) to anyone who works for you and is entitled to it. If you pay your workers well above the minimum requirement, then it’s likely that your standard payroll and other business records will be sufficient for this purpose. HMRC compliance officers are entitled to ask you to produce your records for inspection.

Birmingham has been the biggest job loser in the recession. The Second City, which is at the centre of much of Britain’s car industry, is taking the brunt of job cuts during the global economic crisis. Employment figures from the Work Foundation say that Birmingham has suffered the biggest rise in the number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance.

Coventry City Council is trying a new scheme in order to drive down the amount of time and money lost through short term absence, which accounts for most sick leave. Under the trial, which began in December, staff who feel unwell must ring an NHS-qualified nurse instead of their boss to tell them they’re not coming in. They are asked a series of questions to work out what their illness is, and when they might be able to be fit to return to work.

A Birmingham based Gulf War hero has been kicked out of the Army while on sick leave – and told that he owes £8,000 in wages. Corporal Darren Clemie was signed off sick in 2005 after he and colleagues were accused of gun smuggling and drug possession while in Basra. He was acquitted but remained on sick leave and on full pay until the Army stopped paying him without warning, and informed him he had been discharged in a phone call.

Birmingham City Council’s personnel department is tackling the issue of staff who ‘swing the lead’ with a new £45 million computerised human resources system being introduced. The council has a big problem with staff absence as the average sickness level is 15.6 days per employee, and the council’s target is 9.7.