Displaying items by tag: Birmingham

Birmingham City Council, Europe's largest local authority, has approved significant service cuts to address a financial crisis, including a 21% increase in council tax over two years. The council, facing bankruptcy, must save £300m, resulting in "devastating" measures. Council Leader John Cotton expressed deep regret for the impact on city residents. Last September, the council announced its inability to meet financial obligations, leading to a section 114 notice declaration, signifying bankruptcy. This was prompted by equal pay claims amounting to £760m and a £80m overspend on a problematic IT system. These austerity measures, labelled unprecedented by Cotton, have prompted widespread criticism from local Conservatives and protests from residents. Up to 600 council jobs are at risk, and public services like libraries, parks, and cultural projects face reductions. Other measures include reviewing school transport, eliminating arts funding, selling off community centres, reducing fly-tipping enforcement, and introducing parking charges in country parks. The financial outlook remains challenging for Birmingham, with looming equal pay liabilities and IT system overspends. Despite a £1.25bn government bailout loan, the city faces the daunting task of repaying this through asset sales. See also

Published in British Isles

The Government has announced a £600 million bailout for local councils, primarily to support elderly care, in response to financial challenges faced by town halls. This emergency funding aims to prevent service cuts and potential bankruptcies. Councils are directed to focus the funding on urgent needs and reduce non-essential expenditures such as consultancy fees and diversity projects. The move follows alerts from over 40 Conservative backbenchers about the risk of increased council tax and reduced services. Financial struggles have already led to bankruptcy declarations from councils like Birmingham, Nottingham, Thurrock, and Woking. A survey reveals that nearly 20% of council leaders in England anticipate needing to implement austerity measures within the next two years. The bailout includes £500 million specifically for social care, and councils will also see a 4% increase in their core spending power. Additionally, £3 million is allocated for flood defence in vulnerable areas. See

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 04 January 2024 21:51

'Local hero' saves mother and child from flood

Birmingham man Liam Stych emerged as a hero by rescuing a mother and her three-year-old daughter from a car submerged in floodwaters near Hall Green's bridge. The incident, highlighted by West Midlands police on social media, involved Stych tying the vehicle to the bridge to stop it from drifting away. He described to ITV News how he had to break the car's back window to save the child and then secure the car with ratchet straps from his van. Stych's pregnant partner, Tia Draper, assisted in keeping the child warm after the rescue. Stych, reflecting on his brave act, stated that he had no choice but to act in the moment and would do it again if needed. The police praised his actions, calling him a 'local hero'. The dramatic rescue underscores the quick thinking and bravery required in life-threatening situations.

Published in Praise Reports
Friday, 23 June 2023 10:43

Birmingham: giant prayer wall

Christians of all denominations gathered on the outskirts of Birmingham to bless the land on which a giant prayer monument will be built. The construction of the 169-feet tall Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will begin soon and when completed will be the largest Christian monument in the world. It will be in the form of an endless loop, containing the text of the prayers of millions of people around the world which have been answered. About 300 people attended the consecration of the land. The monument’s founder, Richard Gamble, said, ‘The blessing of the land ensures that it is built on a sacred foundation of prayer and gratitude. This iconic monument, dedicated to the power of prayer, showcases an endless global database of stories that Jesus answered, making hope visible to future generations.’

Published in Praise Reports
Thursday, 17 November 2022 21:35

Legal action against council over prayer ban

Birmingham City Council issued a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to deter people from gathering outside an abortion clinic with placards and pictures to protect patients from being harassed and intimidated when entering. 40 Days for Life Birmingham are concerned as the order makes it illegal to pray outside the clinic. They are taking the council to court, saying, ‘Through this action, we are not asking anyone to agree with what we believe; others have the right to disagree. We ask for justice, despite our different beliefs. It is disproportionate and unnecessary to ban prayer connected to abortion in an area near a Catholic church and to ban the words “baby” or “mum” in text or imagery.’ The PSPO comes after the Government voted for nationwide ‘buffer zones’ outside abortion clinics. Anyone breaching them faces up to six months in jail for a first offence and up to two years for several offences.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 28 July 2022 23:04

Commonwealth Games: Christians in sport

‘God’s love for me doesn’t depend on how I perform’, says British athlete Adam Pengilly. Christian boxer Katie Taylor said, 'I actually don't know how people get through difficult moments without God in their life'. See During the Commonwealth Games, Passion for Sport will be in Birmingham hosting a special outreach exhibition featuring stories of eight Christian athletes. Three are reigning Commonwealth champions, one is a netball captain, and four are former athletes with great testimonies. Each athlete’s story is heard via a QR code link displayed in the installation. There are also visual creations of key moments from personal journeys. Pray for the success of this outreach installation, may it inspire and immerse people of faith and none into the world of Christian athletes. For 25 years, Passion for Sport has been reporting from major sporting events aiming to introduce sports fans to Jesus through comments, discussions and interviews with top Christian athletes sharing their faith.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 01 July 2022 15:27

Blessing the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games start Thursday 28th July and end Monday 8th August in  Birmingham. They are known as ‘the friendly games’. As thousands of athletes and officials arrive from the 54 nations, The World Prayer Centre wants to prepare a highway of blessing and thanksgiving. The team have joined with Gas Street Church in Central Birmingham for a service that will include worship led by Tim Hughes and Gas Street music, together with prayers and messages from countries including, The Caribbean, India, Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. It’s free to attend this powerful event on Saturday 16th July 2022 for an afternoon of celebration to welcome and bless the nations and territories of The Commonwealth to the UK. Between now and 28th of July we can pray for God to watch over the police and security teams, keeping them safe and giving them wisdom as they keep our streets free from violence.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 11 April 2019 23:18

Passion plays

A thousand years ago, the Church realised how powerful drama could be in communicating gospel truths, and started a tradition of mystery plays, portraying the whole Bible story. Passion plays - focussing on Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection - evolved from these, often using many local community members and seeking to entertain and instruct audiences. This year there will be at least twelve such plays up and down the UK. There is a one-man version, in and around Southampton; at the other end of the scale are the Birmingham Passion Play, with a community cast of nearly 100, starting at the Bullring shopping centre, and the Good Friday performances in Trafalgar Square which might draw 20,000 spectators. Pray for all those taking part in these plays, and for those who are out and about - shopping, on a lunch break, tourists, business people - who might unexpectedly find themselves watching ‘the greatest story ever told’. For more information, see

Published in British Isles
Friday, 22 March 2019 10:00

More Birmingham schools stop LGBT classes

Last week we prayed for sex education to be the responsibility of parents not schools. This week four more schools in Birmingham have stopped teaching about LGBT rights following complaints. The No Outsiders programme in Birmingham will now be suspended until an agreement with parents is reached. The debate began when Parkfield Community School suspended the lessons following parents’ protests. Campaigner Amir Ahmed said some Muslims felt ‘victimised’, but an LGBT group leader said No Outsiders helped pupils understand it is OK to be different. Leigh Trust said it was halting the lessons until after Ramadan, which finishes in June. Also, seven primary schools in Manchester, which have been contacted by parents unhappy over sex and relationships lessons that teach children about LGBT rights, have asked school management to discuss the inclusion of the lessons in the curriculum.

Published in British Isles
Friday, 22 March 2019 09:47

Birmingham mosques attacked

On 21 March, five mosques in Birmingham were targeted in a string of violent attacks overnight and into the morning. Reports of a man smashing windows with a sledgehammer were received at 2:30 am. Officers were then alerted to four similar attacks nearby. West Midlands police said it has yet to establish a motive, and officers from its counter-terrorism unit are investigating. Since the tragic events in New Zealand, police officers and staff have been working closely with their faith partners across the region to offer reassurance and support at churches, mosques and places of prayer.

Published in British Isles
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