As the final week of January arrives, The Birmingham Dispatch team celebrated their first post-Christmas pay day with a traditional Friday gathering at 1000 Trades, enjoying chips and pints before heading off for weekend activities. Samuel attended a reboot of Mulholland Drive, while Kate visited Digbeth's Eastside Projects art gallery to preview two new exhibitions, details of which can be found in our things to do section.
Introducing Our New Reporter
In exciting news for our publication, we are delighted to welcome Madeleine Rousell as our brand new reporter. A West Midlands native, Madeleine joins us fresh from completing her masters in journalism in Sheffield, bringing valuable experience from writing for publications such as the Sheffield Star and the Independent. We have already immersed her in local reporting, sending her out doorknocking for a story set to be published this Thursday. Please extend a warm welcome to Madeleine in the comments and send any interesting tips to madeleine@birminghamdispatch.co.uk.
Annual Survey Closing Soon
This is your final opportunity to share your thoughts on The Dispatch, as our annual survey closes tomorrow. We value your feedback to help us plan for an even better year in 2026. Tell us what you like and what you don't to shape our future coverage.
Recent and Upcoming Features
On Saturday, we published the final essay in our series on Birmingham and British fascism, tracing the rise and fall of Simon Darby and the BNP in the West Midlands during the noughties. Reader Matthew Danks, a former young reporter in Dudley, commented on Darby's influence. Additionally, Samuel's writer's edition last Wednesday explored West Midlands Police officers who served in Bosnia in the 1990s. If you have any information on this topic, please contact Samuel at sam@birmingamdispatch.co.uk.
Photo of the Week
This week's photo features Druids Heath's Kingswood House, one of 14 blocks built in the 1960s as part of a slum clearance programme by City Architect Alan Maudsley and development company Bryant. The towers are currently slated for demolition and replacement with a controversial redevelopment, but the council recently made a surprise move to request a court order to overturn its own planning permission decision.
Brum in Brief: Economic and Social Updates
Independent think tank Centre for Cities has released its annual outlook report, revealing concerning news for the West Midlands. Living standards, defined as disposable income, grew at only half the national average between 2013 and 2026, with a mere 1.2% increase compared to 2.4% nationally. Had the region matched top-performing cities like Warrington and Bristol, residents would have an extra £3,500 on average. This highlights ongoing economic challenges, with the average Brummie having little more disposable income than in 2013, despite recent inflation spikes.
In other news, French authorities have banned the South Birmingham-originating "far-right" group Raise the Colours from activism in Northern France for four days. Ten unnamed activists are barred from travelling to spots in Calais where they have filmed migrants and NGO workers since November, claiming to be journalists. The group had planned "Operation Overlord" to disrupt channel crossings and film events for social media, strongly disputing the ban in email newsletters.
Heritage Building Concerns
Central Methodist Hall is reportedly falling apart, according to Birmingham heritage preservation campaigners. Abandoned in 2017, the Edwardian landmark was once promised transformation into a grand hotel by an Irish tycoon who later went bust. Now back on the market, the building continues to deteriorate, with recent photos showing rapid disintegration of the roof tiles, as documented by Twitter account TTFN.
Political Movements
Former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson are launching a new movement aimed at attracting millions of "politically homeless" voters back to the Conservative Party. Street unveiled the plan today, targeting seven million Brits who identify as centrist or centre-right, emphasizing a strong centre-right belief in Britain.
Quick Hits and Media Picks
In brief updates, a third of private wealth loss drug patients in the West Midlands are in debt due to injections, Coventry MP Zarah Sultana has backed a local restaurant in the Kebab Awards, arguments about HS2 have reignited over a £100 million "bat shed," and Walsall has been named the most deprived place in the UK according to the Demos-PwC Good Growth for Cities Index 2025.
Media picks include The New Statesman's review of The Anchor in Digbeth, praising its Sistine Chapel-inspired ceiling and proper cobs, and a Times obituary for Diana Munday, a founding member of the Birmingham Pregnancy Advisory Service and key architect of the 1967 Abortion Act, who faced death threats but remained undeterred in her activism.
Our To-Do List: Local Events
At Eastside Projects, two new exhibitions launched over the weekend. In Compensare: For the Swallows We Weigh, local artist and social worker Marley Starskey-Butler explores family support landscapes through videos and an electronic score inspired by adoption legislation. Sarah Al-Sarraj's Nar Marratu depicts an imagined future where wetland communities unite due to global warming, offering a radical vision of new communication forms. Both exhibitions run until 4 April.
On Friday, head to Waterstones for a fantasy author panel and book signing with Petra Lord, Antonia Hodgson, and Alwyn Hamilton, featuring a Q&A and meet-and-greet. Tickets are £6 general admission or £5 for loyalty customers.
On Saturday, visit MAC for a final chance to hear Birmingham artist Hardeep Pandhal discuss his exhibition Saag and Fish Fingers before it closes on Sunday, with tickets from £2. Alternatively, Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre is previewing its Literature Festival with a 15-person Poetry Slam, tickets starting at £12 for concessions or £15 for adults.
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