Dear readers — how are we all doing today? No, the bin strike still isn’t over, and a resolution isn’t immediately forthcoming. Striking workers seem to be suffering just as much as the city; at the weekend, long-time refuse collector Dave Callaghan told the BBC he’d lost thousands from the industrial action and seen his mental health impacted. "This is the hardest strike I've ever done, being out for so long in one go," he said.
As for the rest of the city, get your Brum in Brief below.
Catch up and coming up:
- This weekend, Samuel was in Bewdley, investigating a bitter battle that erupted between a reclusive multi-millionaire and the residents of historic cabins that he’s trying to persuade to leave. The full story involves cut off water, a dead horse and a legal battle that no one can really talk about. “I wasn’t aware of this community before,” wrote Jane, in the comments for the piece. “But you’ve really brought them and their fight for justice to light.” Read it here.
- As the council launches a consultation to potentially ban busking and street preaching on New Street, Dan Cave headed down to Birmingham’s noisiest thoroughfare to put stories to the voices that populate the street.
Brum in brief
⛓️ A controversy has erupted around a Muslim cleric, with questions raised about why he was booked to appear at Birmingham Central Mosque. A video of California-based Uthman Ibn Farooq surfaced on the same day he was giving a talk at the mosque. The video appears to show Ibn Farooq apparently deeming sexual slavery “halal.” The preacher — who brands himself as a reformed ‘gang cartel member’ — has also previously made public comments appearing to mock gay men. He is due to speak at The New Bingley Hall, Hockley, on 30 May for his ‘Returning from Darkness’ tour. Birmingham Central Mosque and New Bingley Hall have both been approached for comment.
🚄 Two HS2 suppliers are reportedly being investigated after allegations were made of fraud and bribery. In an anonymous letter seen by The Construction Index, claims of misconduct are levelled against two separate subcontractors. A senior works manager is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for handing out extra work, while another company is alleged to have been supplying self-employed workers and using fraudulent offshore payroll companies to process inflated PAYE payments. The companies named deny all accusations of wrongdoing while a HS2 spokesperson said: “HS2 Ltd treats all whistleblower allegations seriously. We are aware of the claims that have been made, and an investigation is currently under way.” The claims surfaced after the news broke that HS2 could be delayed until 2039 and cost more than £100bn, despite the cancellation of the Birmingham to Manchester leg.
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🏚️ The Dispatch was one of the first media outlets to report on the identity of the owner of the Bradford Street, former George J. Mason and then S&K, warehouse that set on fire last month. The owner? One, Sam Ginda. Ginda’s company Future High Street Living (Digbeth) Ltd went into administration a few weeks before the fire started on Bradford Street. Now, the warehouse is back on the market in an attempt to raise funds to pay off creditors. The huge red brick structure, which is highly visible, has been left to rot for 15 years as various plans have fallen through. Last month the structure was threatened after 50 tonnes of rubbish were set on fire, with flames spreading to the building. For now, the fire’s cause is “undetermined” according to the West Midlands Fire Service. Concerns over the slow progress of the Ginda-led project forced creditors to intervene, pushing the company into administration. The original plans for the warehouse would have provided 479 new apartments. We’re investigating the collapse of Future High Street Living: got any tips? Contact Samuel at sam@birminghamdispatch.co.uk
➡️ Far-right political party Britain First staged a rally in central Birmingham on Saturday. Members gathered near New Street station, where they were supposed to host an event named “March for Remigration.” However, the march managed to break into Victoria Square where a stage and video screen had been set up, despite a formal ban from Birmingham City Council and the maintenance of roadblocks. “We’re investigating how Britain First accessed Victoria Square today as this is a serious breach of security,” said city council leader, Cllr John Cotton. “This is not what Birmingham and its citizens stand for.”
💰 Ben Francis, the 32-year-old founder of sportswear brand Gymshark has been named the wealthiest young person in the Midlands in this year’s Times Rich List. While Gymshark has recently faced a slight downturn in profits putting 300 jobs at risk and prompting the businessman to blame “intense macroeconomic volatility,” Francis’ wealth has gone up by £1m since last year, to £726m. On the 40 richest people under 40 list, Francis is joined by fellow Solihull-based lingerie tycoons Daniel and Melanie Marsden who own Lounge Underwear with £253m. If you’re reading this, Ben, why not sign up to The Dispatch for just £1 a week with our summer offer?
💰 Tahir Ali, Birmingham Labour MP for Hall Green and Moseley, is now facing an expenses probe after claiming £59,000 in expenses during the financial year 2023-2024. The probe is looking into whether Ali broke Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) rules regarding expenses. Ipsa, which is conducting the investigation, has told the press that: "No further information will be published until the investigation has concluded." Ali’s expenses last year break down as £12,651.77 on accommodation, £9,850.54 on travel, £685.20 on dependant’s travel, £35,691.63 on office costs and £326.33 on staff travel. Ali also incurred additional staffing costs. The MP for Hall Green and Moseley has previously faced criticism for his role in political activism around the building of an airport in Mirpur, Pakistan during the bin strikes in his constituency.
🗳️ A Sandwell councillor previously convicted of assault was made the mayor of Sandwell Council on Tuesday in an official ceremony. Labour councillor Steve Melia, who represents the Great Barr and Yew Tree ward was convicted of assault after he knocked a phone out of the hands of blogger Julian Saunders in 2021. Melia was ordered by the magistrates court to pay £200 compensation for the offence and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months. Some of Melia’s constituents seem rather unhappy with the promotion.
🗑️ Bins update: We are now in the eleventh week of bin strikes. Bin strike policing has been cut on picket lines for undisclosed reasons. Council leaders have said that they were informed of the decision hours before numbers were reduced. Police numbers have helped agency workers drive trucks out of Birmingham depots over the last couple of weeks — their reduction has led to an increase in rubbish as a consequence. Additionally, the council has reported that striking union members have resumed blocking depots and slowing the movement of lorries leaving the sites. Unite members have insisted they only stop trucks leaving when they have safety concerns about the trucks.
Quick Hits:
🚊 The Digbeth tram extension is a go
🍔 Research finds West Midlands towns in top 12 UK spots with highest levels of obesity
🚨 Whistleblower named in the ‘alleged’ suicide note of fire chief Wayne Brown is being given police protection at his inquest (we’ve previously covered the case of Wayne Brown here)
🌳 Three Solihull Conservative councillors resign, citing ‘conscience’
🚗 Jaguar Land Rover is ending its own-brand China production and says it has ‘no plans’ to build cars in the US
🏗️ A 29-storey canalside skyscraper proposed by the development company of a former former Westside BID chair has been described as ‘vandalism’ by a waterway protection group (we reported on Gerald Manton’s Westside BID departure last month)
🎉 A Brum street carnival in Harborne has been called off after safety concerns, this is the second major event to be called off in Birmingham in 2025 after the St Patrick’s Day parade was cancelled
✊ First ever Gurkha mayor appointed in Nuneaton and Bedworth
⛲No date for when Centenary Square’s fountains will be turned back on
Media picks
📰 Andy Street, the former West Midlands mayor and “effulgent yet spiky figure” (as termed by journalist Harry Clarke-Ezzidio) popped up in the pages of the New Statesman on Friday, flying the flag for liberal Conservatism. Despite (narrowly) losing his title a year ago, Street was adamant that his two terms proved “the lesson from the West Midlands is that moderate conservatism is a much more effective electoral strategy” than a lurch to the right, a la Reform.
📖 A new novel inspired by author Kasim Ali’s upbringing in Alum Rock will be published in July. Who Will Remain explores the pressures on young men in contemporary society. It follows Amir, whose close relationship with his brother and cousin is severed when the former is killed in a gang fight, drawing Amir down a dangerous path. “I’m always struck by the lack of fiction about Birmingham, and the lack of fiction around British South Asians,” said Ali when asked why he chose to set the book in Alum Rock. He added “there are things that my community doesn’t want to talk about,” that he wanted to include, including the “violence of men and those that get in their way.”
📰 Birmingham’s Joe Holyoak is in Building Design exploring Birmingham photographer Mahtab Hussain’s collection of 160 mosques in the city. The photo collection is currently showing at the Ikon Gallery. Holyoak draws a parallel between contemporary Islamic revival architecture in the city and the presence of 20th century neo-Gothic and Arts and Crafts structures: “interestingly, there is a remarkable correspondence in many cases between an Islamic architectural language and an early 20th-century Birmingham vernacular – lancet windows, round-arched windows, ceramic tiles, terracotta mouldings and string courses.”
Photo of the week
Back in 1958, the University of Birmingham commissioned sculptors and stone masons to carve a set of heraldic shields for the university library. They feature the university coat of arms which were designed 125 years ago. The arms honour Sir Josiah Mason, the founder of the university’s predecessor institution Mason’s Science College. The crests can now be found in the university’s Green Heart.
Our to do list
🖼️ Artist Marcia Michael uses the family album — photos, but sculpture and archive images too — to explore Black British history in her solo exhibition at the Mac from now until 1 June.
🎸 The Pixies land on the O2 Academy on Tuesday with country-fied punk from their latest album, The Night the Zombies Came.
🩰 Love dance and theatre? Get both-in-one with Bibi Rukiya’s Reckless Daughter at the Hippodrome on Thursday, a narrative performance based loosely on Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba.
🌈 The Venga bus is coming: Birmingham Pride is back and a ream of 90s and 00s legends will be jetting in to perform on Saturday and Sunday.
🌿 Plant-based people head to Winterbourne House and Garden on Sunday for their vegan market, featuring street food, artisan bakers and ethical eats galore.
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