Dear readers — gird your loins, for we’re about to enter what meteorologists are calling a ‘mini-heatwave’. Temperatures of 25C are predicted for Birmingham this week, usually a cause for celebration. But we’ve got all that rubbish still piled up… Gas masks on, folks! Before we're all taken out by a cloud of mephitic vapours, here's your briefing.
Catch up and coming up:
- Speaking of, we’ve got a bin update below. But have you read Samuel’s recent piece on the topic in Canada’s largest paper, The Globe and Mail?
- Continuing our new gig as Bin Correspondents, Kate was interviewed by Novara Media’s Polly Smythe about the backdrop to the rubbish crisis: Birmingham’s (now questionable) bankruptcy declaration.
- Richard Franks went back to the 1960s to tread in Black Sabbath’s footsteps this weekend — and his rich reporting got a big thumbs up from prominent lawyer, David Allen Green, who’s from Selly Oak. “Wonderful, informative article on the relationship of Black Sabbath with Birmingham/Aston,” Green wrote on Blusesky.
- Samuel’s barnstorming breakdown of the trouble at Westside BID — told via a fallout between two giant characters, Mike Olley and Gerald Manton, got a deservedly great reception. “Fascinating piece,” said @jordanbhx on X, noting that other Brum BIDs have been “incredibly successful”.
- Jon Neale, who wrote our brilliant recent deep dive into the interwar Birmingham Writers’ Group, dug out a great 1983 David Lodge documentary on the subject.
- As ever, tips and stories you think need a bit of attention to editor@birminghamdispatch.co.uk.
Photo of the week
Collaborating on Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham, Reenactment Rik journeyed to Birmingham’s Victoria Square to promote Aston Hall to American tourists from the various American Birminghams featured in the documentary.
Brum in brief:
🏚️ A former student accommodation block in Perry Barr has become a focal point for the Birmingham's homelessness and housing crisis. In 2022, the Birmingham Mail reported on the conversion of Oscott Gardens into temporary housing for 400 people. Back then, local residents weren't in favour of plans, with one quoted as saying: “Over 300 families in a hostel using shared facilities is going to be a problem [...] Fights and anti-social behaviour will increase in the area.” Concern was also expressed that the buildings had not been properly converted from shared student accommodation, to house vulnerable families.
Fast-forward to the present and volunteers working at Oscott Gardens tell The Guardian the block resembles “a prison,” adding that “the only thing is they don’t have a tag on their ankle, that’s probably the difference.” Residents are not allowed guests, have a 10pm curfew and several families are often forced to share one kitchen. It's estimated that somewhere between 500 to 600 children live within the confines of Oscott Gardens, with no outside play areas. In addition, those assigned to live there are often "dumped" from cities like London, by local authorities taking advantage of Birmingham's cheaper rent. But prices are rising; last year Birmingham City Council reported spending £2.2m a month on emergency accommodation, the second highest rate in the country.
⛪ Two Catholic priests who happened to be on holiday in Rome at the time of Pope Francis’s death last week have represented the West Midlands “in spirit” at his funeral. Father Ryan Service from Sutton Coldfield and Father John Waters from Staffordshire joined the likes of Donald Trump, Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the papal funeral — albeit, we assume, with slightly less prime seats. “A lot of people are on holiday here and then they get caught up in this world global event, you're going about having nice Italian meals and then suddenly you're at the centre of this drama,” Father Service told the BBC. Meanwhile, in the Vatican itself, the former Archbishop of Birmingham has a slightly more central role: helping to select the next 'papa'.
🏟️ Aston Villa has announced plans to build a massive expansion to their stadium, upping capacity to 50,000 people. The club is planning to totally refurnish its North Stand, increasing seats from 5000 to 12,000. The redevelopment is aiming for completion by 2027, just in time for Villa’s role as a host institution for the Euro 2028 tournament. This redevelopment is part of a larger Aston Villa and Villa Park plan outlined around 2023. So far, the plans have generated less controversy than Manchester’s United stadium redesign published this March.
💰 Simon Foster, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands area, is advocating for driving fines to stay within the areas they are collected. Over the last four months, speeding drivers in Birmingham and the West Midlands generated over £250,000 of fines; in the last year, the West Midlands collected £2m from speed limit bandits. However, this money goes directly to the Treasury in Westminster. Foster is calling for this revenue to be kept in local areas and reinvested in policing and other safer driving measures. Birmingham is one of the most dangerous places to drive in the UK, with some of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the country, and a widespread culture of ignoring traffic laws. The Dispatch has previously reported on Birmingham’s ‘car culture’ and the road safety crisis.
🗑️ Bins update: We’re now in the eighth week of the bin strike in Birmingham. Last week, media outlets reported that residents have been resorting to burning recycling in their homes. Unsurprisingly, the the West Midlands Fire Service is urging people not to incinerate rubbish in their houses, as it poses a significant fire and health risk. After the fire service was called out to one particularly bad bin fire, which required oxygen treatment for one resident, Emily Fernandez, head of prevention at West Midlands Fire Service, said: "Burning household recycling like cardboard, paper or plastics can be very dangerous, especially indoors. If your recycling hasn't been collected, we urge you to store it safely.” In response to the escalating crisis, Faizan Global Relief Foundation, a charity which normally responds to natural disasters in places like Syria and Pakistan, has been drafted in to help with the refuse in the city. This comes after military planners, called in from the British Army, concluded their operations last week.
Quick Hits:
⛪ Catholics across the West Midlands have paid their respects to Pope Francis
⚽ Dudley Council are discussing the crisis at Stourbridge F.C’s crumbling home ground
🛣️ Cost of the A457 Dudley Road project increases by £7m than original budget
🚗 Solihull man buys his own stolen car
Media picks
📺 Joe Lycett puts Birmingham — all the Birminghams — back on the map in his hilarious crusade to unite the world’s Birminghams under a covenant of friendship.
✍️ Balsall Heath native, Ibraheem Mockbel, is in The Guardian, exploring the impact of youth club cuts in Birmingham. “Cutting youth clubs didn’t save money – it cost more,” Mockbel writes. “For every £1 saved, nearly £3 is lost in increased crime and reduced educational outcomes”.
📚 Taylor Burns goes long on Birmingham’s resurgent literary scene in Concrete Magazine. (We’ve also written about this topic, here).
Our to do list
🎶 Singer of ‘All Outta Love’, Anastacia, graces Symphony Hall on Monday.
🎸 Swedish punk band, Viagra Boys, make the O2 Academy stand up on Tuesday.
🎨 Spend your Wednesday painting Birmingham’s skyline at the Box Brindleyplace.
💪 It’s International Workers’ Day on Thursday; celebrate by walking out of your job or — alternatively — heading to Gill's Bar & Banqueting in Wolverhampton.
🎵 Pakistani flute king Ustad Hanif Khan is in Sparkbrook on Friday, playing to Soul City Arts punters.
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