Big news: Birmingham's not broke anymore

Dear readers — welcome to another week and, with news that Birmingham is bankrupt no more, hopefully a bright one. We at The Dispatch are channelling that ‘no-longer-broke’ energy: this weekend, Samuel finally got hot water at his new flat. As an extra treat, today we are sending him to cover Reform’s surprise rally at the NEC. Last time he attended one of those, he was greeted by a spread of hummus, feta, and cocktail sausages with a side of immersive theatre. Expect a dispatch from him on Wednesday. For now, on with your Monday Briefing.

Catch up and coming up:

• At the weekend, Shaun Patrick Hand's brilliant story looked at the relative decline of Sutton Coldfield, a once affluent, and Tory-leaning annex of Birmingham. “It was always a nice destination for us to head to as children. That has pretty much been lost, it is tired and shabby; places change and as a resident for a number of years I feel Sutton has already had its nadir and is on the way back up,” wrote one commenter. 
• On Thursday, our sister paper, The Manchester Mill published an article exploring how Birmingham and Manchester’s economies work. The story found that Manchester tends towards “complexity”, with smaller professional service orientated companies. Birmingham, on the other hand, is still dominated by a few, big manufacturing players like Jaguar Land Rover. 
• On Wednesday, we published the first story by our new staffer, Madeleine, on the controversial reputation of a bird shop in Aston. “Very good article hun,” one pleased reader responded. 

Photo of the week

A stained glass window at the back of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, near the new Staffordshire Hoard exhibit. Can you tell us about this window’s history? Who made it? And why? 

Brum in Brief

Budget for Birmingham

Tomorrow, Birmingham city council’s cabinet will discuss its proposed budget for 2026-27. Leaders are expected to approve the spending plan which, in a significant turn of events, will be the first time the books have been balanced since the city went effectively bankrupt in 2023. That's in no small part thanks to the government's decision to take into account how deprived an area is when deciding how much cash to hand out, leading to an increase in the budget after years of cuts. Birmingham, which has the dubious honour of being in the top five most deprived places in the country, has therefore received the highest possible increase in spending of 24% per head. Leaders are also happy now they're getting a “multi-year settlement”, meaning that we know how much money is coming in for the next three years, rather than just one. As one Labour councillor told The Dispatch, “if it wasn’t for the settlement we would probably still be struggling”.

Raise the Colours hits Moseley

On Sunday, Moseley residents turned out to remove flags that appeared in the neighbourhood for the first time last week. The activist group of self-described "patriots" Raise the Colours had visited the neighbourhood on Thursday to plaster union and England flags on lampposts, managing a couple of confrontations while they were at it. One video shared on their Instagram account shows a row between the group’s leader Ryan Bridge and Independent Candidate’s Alliance co-founder, Shakeel Afsar. They also ran into Lib Dem councillor Izzy Knowles, who asked them to stop but to no avail. Last month, Knowles handed in a petition, alongside Labour and Green councillors, urging the council to stand up to flagging activists but were told the authority is already doing what it can within the law. Meanwhile, locals in Stirchley — a hotspot for the activity — say they are organising en-masse to prevent disturbances in their community. One told The Dispatch more than 200 people are part of a network that are resisting Raise the Colours’ antics, including members in Bridge’s own neighbourhood of Bromsgrove.

Quick Hits

❤️ Sick of ‘the apps’ but haven’t given up hope of finding love by Valentine’s Day? Local culture mag Concrete is looking for people to set-up on a blind date involving a trip to a charity shop with a £3 budget. Click the link on their insta bio, fill in the matchmaking form and they’ll do the rest. (Concrete Instagram).

🗳️ Former terrorist and independent candidate for Sparkhill, Shahid Butt, has said he understands “people’s speculation and concern” about his bomb plotting past. In 1999, Butt was found guilty of planning to blow up three buildings in Yemen: the British embassy, an Anglican Church, and a Swiss-owned hotel. Butt claims the charges were fabricated and he was tortured into signing a confession. (BBC). 

🎥 For your chance to appear in Birmingham’s hottest export, look no further than this casting call for Peaky Blinders. With a new film out this year and two new series planned, plenty of extras are required. But be sure to read the small print: only those donning 1950s garb and hairstyles will be considered. (Halesowen News).

🚨 A man has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at a recent Star Wars-themed burlesque show at The Old Rep Theatre. The alleged incident took place last month at a performance of The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody. A 54-year-old man had to be escorted out of the venue and has been released on bail while police continue their enquiries. (Birmingham Live).

➡️ Yet another Reform rally is being held in Birmingham, this time at the NEC, as Farage poaches Tory MPs and gears up for the local elections due to be held on 7 May. (Reform).

Media picks

🎞️ Birmingham is all about buses, but have you ever wondered what life would be like with a ‘metro’ railway system like the London Overground? Gareth Dennis, writer and rail engineer, and the face behind the YouTube channel Railnatter has produced a video on how HS2 could make this possible. He argues that once HS2 is completed, capacity will be freed up on suburban train lines that connect the West Midlands — setting the ground for rail-driven local public transport.

📰 The Guardian’s chief restaurant critic, Grace Dent, has popped up to Birmingham to try the elevated Greek food at Newhall Street newcomer Cylla. While she finds the chain-heavy city centre less than impressive, Cylla gets a rave review. Dent writes that she has “already recommended it three times, which is the restaurant critic’s equivalent of saying I’d sell this Ford Mondeo to my nan.” 

Our to do list

🎤 One for the diary: the lovely people over at Supersonic Festival have released details of a one-off event over two days in April. On the 25 and 26 of that month, catch acts including the worldwide premier of Microplastics, a new live band featuring 96 back, aya and Jennifer Walton. Get tickets here. 

🌙 From Thursday to Sunday, St Paul’s square will play host to the Netherlands design studio Toer’s Firefly light installation. Head over there from 5pm to see a mesmerising swarm of glowing lights. No tickets needed. 

📚 On Thursday, local author Jess Shannon will discuss her debut novel Cleaner at The Heath Bookshop. Its protagonist was described by the Times Literary Supplement as “Gen Z’s Lady Macbeth.” Tickets are £4.50.

🛍️ On Sunday, Herbert’s Yard hosts their monthly artisan market, Yard Sale. Expect food, drinks, handmade trinkets, and more. Free entry.

If someone forwarded you this newsletter, click here to sign up to get quality local journalism in your inbox.