Grooming gang inquiry to examine Birmingham

Dear readers — Good morning all. 

It’s been announced that Birmingham will be examined by the national grooming gangs inquiry, launched last April to investigate child sexual exploitation across the country. That’s the focus of today’s briefing — we’ve got the full lowdown below.

But first some quick housekeeping. From today we’re welcoming a fresh set of faces. Thanks to the Postcode Lottery, we’ve got a cohort of 100 or so 16-25s joining our paying members list, which has now sailed well over 2000 in total. We don’t expect we can single-handedly usurp TikTok, but we are hoping this partnership will help to widen the access to local news for young people in and around Birmingham. That can only be a good thing. If you see them passing through the corridors of Dispatch HQ, give a wave. 

And if you are one of the newcomers, why not ping us an email about the kind of thing you think The Dispatch should be writing about — all gossip goes in the Gossip Amnesty Box, which is found here (it’s our email inbox). 

Catch-up: Before we move on with today’s briefing, allow us to briefly cast our gaze back, and indulge in some very quick self-congratulation:

• Jez Collins came out to bat for Joe Lycett’s bright and splashy BMAG show after we published a less-complementary piece a few weeks back. He did so with gusto. You should read it.
• Jon Neale returned to these pages with a fascinating piece about one of Birmingham’s great architectural treasures, courtesy of Mr Pugin (sadly one that we bulldozed)
• And finally, Olivia’s weekend read provided an in-depth and deeply gripping account of the malaise at the heart of Birmingham's Gay Village, and the man who they say started the rot…

SPONSORED

A reunion twenty years in the making

In 2004, Fierce Festival – Birmingham’s leading contemporary performance festival – joined forces with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for Luke Jerram's mind-blowing Sky Orchestra, where members of the CBSO flew low over the city in hot air balloons at dusk, playing music to the audience below.

Now, more than twenty years later, they’re reuniting. This time, SERAFINE1369, Josh Anio Grigg, Dickie Beau, and Helen Noir are joining for a series of experimental pieces. The hotly anticipated reunion is happening on 17 October. Head down to see something we’ll still be talking about in twenty years and book your tickets below.

Grab your tickets

Image:  Camilla Greenwell.

Photo of the week

A. John Poole was a working-class sculptor born in Handsworth in 1926 who was the first person to win the Otto Beit Award twice. He designed and made the decorated column in the Rotunda, pictured here alongside a photograph of the mould being prepared. A retrospective exhibition of his works will go on display at Worcester's The Hive to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday.

Brum in Brief

🧑‍⚖️ Last week it was announced that the national grooming gangs inquiry will be expanded to investigate the sexual exploitation of children in Birmingham, said to have occurred here over decades. The city has been added to the scope of the independent probe, established earlier this year to examine how institutions failed to protect children who were victims. According to the inquiry, Birmingham has been chosen because the information available, including victim testimonies, suggests an opportunity to examine “how organisations identify, share information about and respond to child sexual exploitation across a large metropolitan area”. In 2010, the Birmingham Mail published confidential police documents detailing that offenders were targeting schools and children’s homes and identified 75 key suspects — most of them men of Pakistani origin. Four years later, Birmingham city council also secured an injunction against 10 men to stop them from approaching underage girls. The probe, which began in April, could also involve looking into offenses in areas in the wider West Midlands, such as Telford. (Independent inquiry website, Guardian).

➡️ In response, Birmingham city council’s Liberal Democrat leader, Roger Harmer, issued a statement promising to to take independent steps such as launching a public awareness campaign to highlight the warning signs of child sexual abuse. “Every perpetrator, regardless of who they are or where they come from, must face justice,” he said. Local Green Party deputy leader, Kamel Hawwash, promised “to leave no stone unturned”. (Birmingham city council, Birmingham Live). 

➡️ Meanwhile, a recent report shows 98 investigations into child sexual exploitation are currently open in the city, including six involving groups. The same report also identified that 143 children are known to Birmingham Children’s Trust as either experiencing or at risk of abuse. Birmingham Reform is calling for the nationalities and ethnicities of offenders to be known, while Yardley’s Labour MP and former safeguarding minister, Jess Philips, has questioned whether 98 is an “underestimate”. (BBC).

🖼️ The shadow cabinet awoke this morning to scrambled eggs and bacon at the Snow Hill Holiday Inn Express as their big annual conference got fully underway. The festivities kicked off with drinks and a special exhibition at BMAG yesterday: an 88 foot spoof of the 11th Century Bayeux Tapestry. In the Birmingham Tapestry, Kemi Badenoch’s enemies are ridiculed with Medieval aplomb while she is depicted as heroically serving the public and driving a tank, with a gun aimed at a frazzled Burnham’s bottom (clad in tiny and frayed yellow running shorts, naturally). While the Labour Party bears most of the brunt here, the city itself doesn’t escape entirely with just enough room for mention of our apparent rat problem. (The Times).

📻 The deputy leader of the Green Party has apologised for not knowing anything about the Birmingham bin strike when asked about it on local BBC radio. Last week, presenter Ed James asked Rachel Millward for an update on the dispute but was shocked to hear she didn’t have a clue, having not been briefed on the issue. Millward posted on X that the slot was one of 12 consecutive press interviews she had that day, adding: “There was nothing I could do but be honest. I am so sorry to the people of Birmingham!” (BBC.)

A few ways to spend your time this week

🎭 It’s October which means Black History Month is upon us and there is a calendar of events to get stuck into. This week, from Tuesday to Saturday, enjoy Syliva: the oft-neglected story of women’s rights crusader Sylvia Pankhurst on stage at the Birmingham Hippodrome. On Saturday, it’s Benjamin Zephaniah Day, a festival of poetry and workshops at the MAC celebrating the late Handsworth hero.

📖 Also this week: it’s the launch of 2026’s Birmingham Literature Festival. While there is a lot to choose from, allow us the indulgence of plugging Saturday night’s event: a scintillating sit-down with sex historian Dr Kate Lister. Our Kate will be interviewing her all about her new book Flick, which is about how women enjoyed sex through the ages. 

📖 Other highlights this week include John Grindrod talking about his latest book on the suburban lives of queer people and legendary publisher Margaret Busby discussing her new collection of essays and criticism. 

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