Pulse

Category: Politics

  • Pulse West Midlands headlines: 11 February 2026

    Pulse West Midlands headlines: 11 February 2026

    Leo Ross murder sentence confirmed, Birmingham bin strike mandate extended into September, and West Midlands Police reports a 16-year jail term in a child safeguarding case plus Guardian Taskforce arrests and seizures across the force area.

    Teenager sentenced for murder of schoolboy Leo Ross in Hall Green

    Credit: West Midlands Police

    West Midlands Police says a 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 13 years in custody, for murdering 12-year-old Leo Ross.

    Police say Leo was attacked in Hall Green on 21 January 2025 as he walked home from school, near Trittiford Mill Park.

    Police say there is no indication the two knew each other and there is no known motive. The youth defendant cannot be named for legal reasons.

    The Crown Prosecution Service says the boy pleaded guilty to murder at Birmingham Crown Court on 29 January 2026.

    The CPS also says he admitted assaults on three elderly women in separate incidents near the same area between 19 and 21 January 2025.

    Sentencing took place at Birmingham Crown Court on 10 February 2026.

    Birmingham bin workers vote to extend strike mandate into September

    Birmingham’s long-running bin strike could run into September 2026 after a reballot.

    ITV News reports Unite says its members voted to extend industrial action for another six months, taking the mandate past the May local elections and into September.

    ITV reports the dispute began after the council announced the scrapping of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role and changes to drivers’ and loaders’ conditions.

    ITV reports Unite claims the changes mean some workers face pay cuts of up to £8,000, describing it as fire-and-rehire.

    Birmingham City Council has said it has made offers and wants the dispute to end. ITV reports the council has also said Unite’s demands would risk another equal pay bill running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

    ITV also reports the council confirmed fortnightly bin collections are set to begin in June 2026, even if industrial action continues.

    Birmingham mosque worker jailed in child safeguarding case

    Credit: West Midlands Police

    West Midlands Police says a former agency IT support worker at a Birmingham mosque has been jailed for 16 years for a campaign of rape and sexual abuse against boys as young as nine.

    Police say five boys were abused, with the oldest aged 14. Police say the mosque cannot be named for legal reasons.

    Police say the offender, Said Daauud, stopped working at the mosque in February 2022 but continued to attend and was well known to the congregation.

    Police say their investigation began in May 2022 after mothers raised concerns about grooming behaviour.

    Police say the investigation led to charges including one rape, nine sexual assaults, and four offences of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

    Guardian Taskforce reports arrests and weapons seizures across force area

    West Midlands Police says Guardian Taskforce teams have made arrests and seized knives, drugs and suspected criminal cash across multiple locations.

    Police say a man stopped in Wolverhampton city centre on 6 February was arrested after officers seized two wraps of Class A drugs and a knife.

    Police say Dean Everall, from Bridgnorth, has been charged with possession of a bladed article and possession of Class A drugs, and is due to appear at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 5 March.

    In Chelmsley Wood, police say officers found a machete, cash and multiple wraps of Class A drugs during a stop in Roebuck Close on 7 February, and a 19-year-old man was arrested and later bailed pending further enquiries.

    Police say a 26-year-old man was given a community resolution after a stop in Balsall Heath on Edward Road where cannabis was seized.

    In Shard End, police say a 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of a bladed article after a “zombie knife” was found nearby, and he was later bailed pending enquiries.

    Police also say a 22-year-old man was charged in Lye with possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply after officers found cannabis, cash and mobile phones believed to be linked to drug dealing.

  • Birmingham Council sets out draft three-year budget plan as Cabinet meets

    Birmingham Council sets out draft three-year budget plan as Cabinet meets

    Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet is due to consider the draft three-year budget report that sets out spending plans, savings proposals and council tax assumptions before it goes to full Council.

    Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet is due to consider the city’s draft budget plans for the next three financial years at a meeting on Tuesday 10 February 2026.

    The agenda includes a report on the council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), covering the period from 2026/27 to 2028/29.

    This is the document that frames the big calls: what the council expects to spend, where it plans to save, and what assumptions it is making about income such as Council Tax and government funding.

    What the papers say

    In the draft report to Cabinet, the council sets out a net General Fund revenue budget of £1.907bn for 2026/27.

    The report also states that the plan requires £95m in savings across the MTFP period.

    On Council Tax, the report assumes a maximum 4.99% increase in each of the three years. That figure is typically made up of the core rise plus the adult social care precept.

    The report also notes that the Final Local Government Finance Settlement had not been received at the time the report was written. In practice, that means some figures and assumptions may still be subject to confirmation.

    Exceptional Financial Support and legacy costs

    The papers refer to Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), a mechanism councils can use with government agreement to manage certain costs.

    The report says that, as previously reported to City Council, the 2025/26 budget was approved with £11m of EFS and adds that no further EFS is being requested from Government. It links the earlier EFS position to historic equal pay liabilities and earlier budget pressures.

    What happens next

    Cabinet decisions are not the final sign-off for the budget. The Cabinet meeting is the stage where the draft report is considered before it moves on to the wider Council decision-making process.

    For residents, the practical point is simple: these papers are where the direction is set, including the assumptions that shape service budgets and Council Tax planning.

  • Pulse West Midlands headlines: 10 February 2026

    Pulse West Midlands headlines: 10 February 2026

    Birmingham’s cabinet considers key budget papers, police issue two public appeals, and rail passengers are warned of late-night disruption between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton

    Birmingham cabinet considers draft budget papers for 2026/27 to 2028/29

    Birmingham City Council’s cabinet is scheduled to meet on Tuesday 10 February 2026 at 10:00.

    Key items on the agenda include:

    • 2026/27 to 2028/29 Budget Setting for the General Fund Revenue Account
    • 2026/27 to 2028/29 Capital Programme Medium-Term Financial Plan
    • 2026/27 Treasury Management Strategy and Policy

    Other items listed for the same meeting include performance and savings monitoring, procurement strategies, a housing repairs contract extension, an item related to a Perry Barr residential scheme, a City of Sanctuary strategy, Kings Heath and Moseley Places for People, and appointments to outside bodies.

    Police appeal after reported sexual assault in Perry Barr

    West Midlands Police has published an appeal after a woman reported being sexually assaulted at a shopping park in Birmingham.

    Police say it happened at around 3pm on Saturday 20 December at One Stop in Perry Barr.

    Officers say they want to identify a man pictured as part of their enquiries. Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting crime reference 20/482030/25.

    Wolverhampton disturbance appeal: police seek witnesses

    West Midlands Police has issued an appeal linked to an incident on Bevan Avenue, Wolverhampton.

    Police say they were called on 8 February after a report of a disturbance outside an address. Officers say they are working to understand what happened and want to speak to anyone who was in the area between 9pm and 10pm.

    Police also say they want to speak to two people pictured as part of their enquiries, and that they are not being considered as suspects.

    Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting log 4371 of 8 Feb.

    Rail disruption warning for late services via Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton

    National Rail has published disruption information for late night Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Wolverhampton, due to engineering work.

    The notice says the work runs from Monday 16 February 2026 to Thursday 19 February 2026, and that engineering work is taking place between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton, closing some lines.

    National Rail says the 22:30, 23:00 and 23:30 Euston to Wolverhampton services will be diverted after Birmingham New Street via Aston and Bescot Stadium, extending journey times and arriving later into Wolverhampton.