Dear readers — welcome to your briefing. Regular readers will recall Madeleine’s ill-fated attempt to fly to Dublin a few weekends ago, scuppered by a faulty plane and a very long wait on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport. Well, we are pleased to say that on Saturday just gone she bravely fought her way through crowds of holiday makers once again and stepped aboard for a second shot at a holiday in the emerald isle. Readers, she succeeded, and after a craic-filled weekend in Ireland’s capital has made it home in time for The Dispatch’s sold out hustings event tonight.
Those of you who will be joining us later, we look forward to meeting you and for those who missed out, do keep an eye out for upcoming events because they are being planned as we speak. On that note, if you have any suggestions for themes or particular speakers you’d like to hear from, drop us a note in the comments section. We read them all.
On with today’s edition. AWOL purveyor of barbequed meats, Andy Stubbs of Low n Slow, has been hauled over the Reddit coals due to delays in his plans for a Birmingham restaurant — one that crowdfunders put up £53k for. We’ve spoken to the man himself who recently announced a residency at a food hall in Hereford, much to the chagrin of his second city donors. That’s at the top of your Brum in Brief. Also today, could Birmingham get a tube? The local Conservatives have pledged to consider it but critics have been quick to comment, with one putting it simply: “this policy is silly.” Elsewhere, a man has been jailed for secretly recording people on the toilet, and Jude Bellingham has bought into a local cricketing franchise.
Catch up and coming up:
- On Saturday, Kate spoke to the young Conservatives hoping to turn Birmingham blue with a mix of casual-smart dressing, ironic humour, and pro-growth policies.
Kate Knowles
- Last Wednesday, two tribes went to war over the newly reopened Camp Hill line. Andy Street and Richard Parker have both taken responsibility for the project — but who is really to thank? “Ah, the baton relay that is transport! Everyone involved should get a piece of the ribbon,” wrote Martin Price, diplomatically.
- Last Tuesday, Ethan Perry spent a day inside Birmingham’s backlogged courts where there are currently a whopping 2,500 open cases. Adrian Goldberg commented: “important journalism — good work.”
Photo of the week
A snap from Birmingham and Sandwell’s Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan parade yesterday. Photo: @shuranjeetsingh/ Instagram
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Brum in Brief
🔥 Low n very, very slow: Andy Stubbs of the popular street food business Low n Slow has garnered quite a bit of hostility due to a crowdfund campaign gone awry. In 2018, the chef set up a Kickstarter to raise money to turn his BBQ stall — a Digbeth Dining Club regular — into a bricks and mortar restaurant, raising £53,577 from enthusiastic pledgers. In return, he offered a range of perks from a signed photo of a “taco expert” for £10, to tacos for life for £5,000. “I need my own restaurant,” wrote the passionate griller. “A restaurant the city will be proud of”. But when several years passed by and no such premises appeared, people started to ask questions, taking to regular Reddit threads to vent their unfiltered frustrations. “Blokes a fraud,” claimed one poster; “not a fraudster, just a common variety loser,” countered another. So what actually happened?
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