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Dudley Council bosses have welcomed news of multi-million Government funding for the Metro expansion from Wednesbury into Brierley Hill.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in parliament that Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is to get £60 million towards the completion of the second phase of the scheme. The first phase, from Wednesbury into Dudley town centre, is already well under way and is expected to be carrying passengers by next year.

The Coronation Champions Awards have been backed by a star-studded list of ambassadors, with celebrities supporting the awards and praising the efforts of volunteers across the UK. The exciting new awards launched by Royal Voluntary Service and Her Majesty The Queen Consort, have attracted the attention of big names including Dame Judi Dench, Alex Jones, Gethin Jones, Tasha Ghouri, Sam Ryder, Elaine Paige, Tom Read Wilson, Felicity Kendal and Nadiya Hussain.

A senior leader, a political economist, and a construction and manufacturing industry expert at Birmingham City University have reacted to today’s Budget announcement from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Professor Julian Beer, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham City University, said: It is really great news that the West Midlands has been chosen to host one of the Tech hubs clustered around universities in England.

A new world’s first collection of gold sovereigns, the first to be created in honour of the accession of a British monarch, has been released in celebration of the accession of King Charles III. As the nation prepares for the first royal coronation in 70 years, The 2023 King Charles III Accession Sovereign Range released by gold sovereign specialists Hattons of London, will be the first in history to bear the King’s royal cypher.

Worcester Cathedral has been awarded the Silver Eco Church Award, by A Rocha UK – the Christian environmental charity committed to equipping churches and their congregations to care for the environment.

After achieving the Bronze award last year, the Cathedral’s Eco Group has been busy working towards Silver, implementing a number of initiatives to improve its eco rating and involve the whole community.

Over half (55%) of people in poverty are finding it difficult to pay for their insurance amidst the cost-of-living crisis – leading some to give up insurance as they prioritise food and energy bills, new report warns.

New research by the Social Market Foundation (SMF), supported by Fair By Design, found that insurance is becoming increasingly unaffordable for those on low incomes as they are charged “a poverty premium” – meaning they pay more for insurance cover due to reasons they cannot control, such as where they can afford to live.

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to announce in this week’s Budget an additional £33 million over the next 3 years to support veterans, in recognition of the sacrifices they’ve made for the UK. The majority of the funding package (£20 million) will go towards the Veteran Capital Housing Fund - a new project to provide extra housing for veterans through the development of new builds and refurbishment of veteran social and charitable housing.

The City of Wolverhampton Council has re-affirmed its commitment to the city’s armed forces community at a special Armed Forces Covenant signing ceremony at its Civic Centre. The Armed Forces Covenant was re-signed by the Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE on behalf of the council and by Major Maxwell Sones on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

BBC director general Tim Davie apologised to licence fee payers after a day of disruption for sports programming on the network.

Football shows were pulled at the last minute when presenters and commentators walked out in support of Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker. The host was suspended on Friday after he criticised the government's controversial asylum policy.

A West Midlands Metro tram has been named after the late Theresa Stewart, who was during the 1990s the first and so far only woman to lead the UK’s largest local authority.

It is the second time a tram on the Birmingham to Wolverhampton line has been named in her honour – the earlier model was retired from service in 2015 when the fleet was renewed and has since been scrapped. During a long and distinguished career in local politics Theresa Stewart led Birmingham City Council from 1993 to 1999 and was also the Lord Mayor of Birmingham for the year 2000-2001. She died in 2020.

Celebrated British Jamaican photographer and artist Vanley Burke launches his first outdoor sound installation, Reactivating sounds of Blackness, in Handsworth Park, Birmingham. Working with artist Gary Stewart and community interest company, Museum X, Reactivating sounds of Blackness takes people on a journey through a fusion of layered sounds and conversations exploring Black culture and intangible heritage in Britain.

A portrait of Harry and Meghan is to be removed from the Duke of Sussex pub in Waterloo, the hostelry's owners have confirmed.

To mark the royal wedding in 2018, the Duke of Sussex pub in Waterloo commissioned the late Paul Karslake to paint a portrait of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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