Part of Birmingham

Is that what Coventry is going to be? Telegraph report

Yes MR I saw about that yesterday. If the move grabs more cash it will be spent in Birmingham. I was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, then without moving I was in West Midlands. I will now soon be in Birmingham. Perhaps this forum will have to be renamed Whatever anyone else thinks I still use Coventry, Warwickshire and always will. Our old counties were formed by natural features such as rivers, hills, etc. What the government didn't create in way of counties they should leave alone. Norman

Hi all Sad as this is, the fact is that this has been as slow burner since 1974.

I said this would happen a while back and was told by people here that it wouldn't. Coventry will end up as a downmarket suburb of Birmingham.

And with the present proposals for building on green belt land in or near the Meriden Gap, Coventry will be joining Birmingham in more senses than one??

Obviously selling everything off. I knew ages ago but I knew I would be called. Hence Birmingham would pave Coventry over in concrete, someone said on here a while back, also the building on the greenbelts to Birmingham. Doesn't take an idiot to work it out. Maybe Birmingham will become capital instead of London eventually. Now they can move any of your families out of Coventry who live in social housing and no doubt we won't have a say in the matter. I thought we are supposed to live in a democracy, shouldn't this have been out to a vote of the people instead of another secret sell off of our city. There's a thought, what will CCFC be called now. I think this is to do with the building of the train and track too, missing out the Midlands yet linking the north. Observer: City's vital £300m revamp hits delays. The city centre south project to redevelop a huge area from the southern precinct towards the station will not now see spades in the ground untill mid 2017 at its earliest.

This Observer story is written by Les Reid, who has a massive grudge against the council after they stopped his friends at SISU from getting hold of the Ricoh. Exactly the same story was in the CT, with the same quotes the same sources - everything. Only that story had nothing about delays. In fact, its hard for it to be delayed when no start date has ever actually been given! As for the Greater Birmingham - absolutely stupid decision and would see us go much further backwards as funding we receive were diverted to that city. We should be looking to create stronger links with the more affluent and well connected Warwickshire area.

The only good thing to ever come out of Birmingham is the A45 back to Coventry. A very sad day if we ever join them.

Philip is exactly right, when we joined the `Common Market` the die was cast. Here is a Google link I found earlier! What price now the green belt along the A45 corridor between the two cities!

It was the private land owners who preserved the Green Belt, but nobody wants them to hand the land down. Oh no, they didn't work for it even though they may have legitimately bought the land. The Gov't (not the parties) taxed the land owners out of existence, made them sell up.

So now land is a free for all because the original estates can't hold on - and you are blaming the EU for this?

Didn't we already try this when we were part of the West Midlands county? That only lasted for 14 years, though we still have West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority.

I was merely trying to say that the EU has long had a plan to carve up the UK into `regions` (see link in my previous mail) and it now suits the government, who want to build zillions of houses.

In 1974 local government reorganisation formed the county of 'West Midlands'. I think this is what Philip was referring to. On 1 April 1974 the police, fire brigade, and ambulance services in Coventry all became part of 'West Midlands' organisations which were dominated by Birmingham influence.