Cllr Akhlaq Ahmed wants to stamp out HMOs in his ward. What about the one his wife owns?
The house in Hall Green North is a supported exempt accommodation
Kate Knowles
Kate is the founding editor of The Dispatch. She was highly commended at the British Journalism Awards in 2024 for her work investigating the city’s exempt housing sector.
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Birmingham
Featured Stories
Au Pairs agreed to split everything equally. Now their frontwoman wants it all
Birmingham's post-punk auteurs were the poster band for equality, but 42-years later they're embroiled in a bitter row
Red flags: The non-existent company behind Brum's Union Jacks
'It's 100% legitimate'
Latest Stories
Backlash at BCU: the divisive reign of David Mba
The vice chancellor says he's bringing much needed change - and anyone who disagrees can get out of his way
Alum Rock’s Kasim Ali on his new novel, Trojan Horse and writing men
'I spent my childhood watching young men want money but being terrified'
The battle for The Close
A cluster of historic buildings in Selly Oak are at the centre of a row between the University of Birmingham and local residents — and no one is backing down
Old square, new tricks
This city centre spot has had many lives — what should its next one look like?
Last minute dinner parties, Bearwood & Bollywood
An editor's edition from Kate
The future of Birmingham’s symphony orchestra is uncertain. Can grime help?
'Oh my God, it's actually happening. We're doing this'
Is this millionaire councillor lying about his address?
Wolverhampton's Milkinderpal Jaspal claims he lives in an Air BnB above a garage
The council says striking bin workers are violent. The union says that's rubbish.
It's week three of an all out bins strike and rumours are flying. Who do we trust?
Ancestral land owners, gangster pop stars and everything in between
An editor’s edition from Kate
50 years after they formed in Handsworth, reggae legends Steel Pulse are coming home
Lead singer David Hinds on the music of 'the masses' and the lesson he learnt from Bob Marley
Leaked recordings and scheming councillors: did Labour councillors engage in a ‘campaign of abuse’?
Shabina Bano claims she was the victim of bullying, harassment and misogyny by her former Birmingham Labour colleagues
An Irish hospitality tycoon promised to transform one of Birmingham’s most important buildings — three years later, and it’s falling apart
The clock is ticking on the Methodist Central Hall
A shock letter & a silent councillor: what really happened at Baby Aid Birmingham
And what it says about our city leaders
Want to get your child into a King Edward grammar school? The fight is fierce
'All they were interested in was their child passing the test, they didn’t care how it was done, they just wanted to pay for it'