The Labour Run Council is struggling to pay off a huge bill for equal pay claims that dates back more than a decade. It has also had major issues with a new it system. Our Midlands Correspondent navteonhal is there. The first thing to say is that the city council here has not stopped functioning, it has a legal duty to provide Certain Services and they will continue, but this is a signal to government ofjust how dire the financial situation is here, and admission that the council here cannot pay its bills. The people i have spoken to around birmingham say they are worried about what the future may hold. But for those who have been watching the saga closely, in some ways today has felt inevitable. The pressure on this citys finances has been rising and rising, and europes biggest local authority is now in big trouble. The news that their council is, in effect, declaring itself bankrupt has left many People Living in birmingham shocked and angry. Oh my god, ive never heard of such a thin
I am ending this long running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the h52 project. And in its place. And in its place, we will reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new Transport Projects in the north and the midlands, across the country. This means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our nation. Applause ijust want to remind you exactly what hs2 actually is. Its a High Speed Railway which is what the Hs Stands For and it was touted as the uks biggest infrastructure project, aiming to transform public transport between london, the midlands and the north. The first part, between west london and birmingham, is already under construction and will be completed. But the length stretching further north from birmingham to manchester has now been officially scrapped. A separate leg from nottingham to leeds had already been canned. The last official estimate on hs2 costs, excluding the cancelled section, added up to about £71 bil
Which is pretty spice y. By all accounts. Good evening. In his first speech to the Party Conference as tory leader, rishi sunak said he is only too happy divide opinion and seemingly his own party if thats what it takes to put britain on a long term path to success. But his first big change is to scrap the northern leg of h52, the High Speed Railway that was supposed to link london with manchester a decision his predecessor David Cameron said the country would come to regret for years to come. Perhaps after promising the north a programme for levelling up, it is a gamble the conservatives may come to regret much sooner. Mr suank has also promised a new qualification for further education. That Willl A Levels and the more vocational t levels will be combined that will combine a levels and the more vocational t levels into one single qualification, which in future will be known as the advanced british standard. And to enhance the future, health, of the nation, he is proposing a progressi
Its soaring costs. He pledged to reinvest every penny in other Transport Projects in the north, the midlands and across the country. The speech was widely seen as an opportunity for the Prime Minister to revitalise his party ahead of a general election expected next year. Here are some of his speech. I am ending this long running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the h52 project. And in its place. And in its place, we will reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new Transport Projects in the north and the midlands across the country. This means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our nation. Applause ijust want to remind you exactly what hs2 actually is. Its a High Speed Railway which is what the Hs Stands For and it was touted as the uks biggest infrastructure project, aiming to transform public transport between london, the midlands and the north. The first part, between west london and birmingham, is already under cons
But an opportunity at this conservative Party Conference for the Prime Minister to present himself as an agent of change. As was widely trailed, he announced he will be scrapping the northern leg of h52, every penny of the savings, he said, would be invested instead in transport projects across Northern England and the midlands. Hes promised fundamental reform to the way britain is run and to how the rest of us live. One eye catching announcement, was a new and progressive age related ban on smoking. There will be a new qualification the advance British Standard which will combine a levels and t levels into one single qualification for school leavers. With the reaction from Manchester Our Political Editor chris mason. Manchester this lunchtime, and the Prime Ministers warm up act his wife. Rishi and i are each others best friends, and i couldnt imagine being anywhere else to show my support to him. Rishi sunak began by thanking her, his daughters, his parents as he drew a link between