'A huge difference to thousands'
'A huge difference to thousands'
Mayor asks Angela Rayner to 'unlock' funds for housing
Dear Patchers — welcome to your Wednesday briefing.
Today’s briefing leads on Mayor Richard Parker’s ambition to increase social housing in the region. Over £100m of funds currently for the West Midlands could go back to government if she doesn’t act — more on that below.
We also have details on the University of Wolverhampton’s work with brain injury patients, a renovation for Birmingham’s oldest public swimming baths and a protest from taxi drivers in the Black Country.
Take care, Dan.
Brum in Brief
🏠Mayor’s hopes for social housing boost: Richard Parker has written to deputy PM Angela Rayner to ask her to ‘unlock’ £146m of funding to be spent on social homes in the region. The money was ringfenced for developments on brownfield sites (areas that have existing infrastructure on them like old factories) but has remained unspent. The cash could end up being returned to the government but Parker is insisting it stays in the West Midlands to provide over 2,000 social homes within months. Parker said the money “will make a huge difference to thousands of families giving them somewhere safe, secure and warm to live”. Rayner told last year’s Labour conference that the party would work with local leaders to use funds for social housing more effectively. Read our article on Parker’s first few months in office here.
💵Creative funding upswing: The University of Wolverhampton has secured £30k in funding for a pioneering programme, ‘Write in the Head’, that will see stroke and brain trauma survivors engage in a creative writing course to aid recovery. The Arts Council funding will see Wolverhampton Uni help 5,000 patients a year giving them functional skills and access to creative outlets which are touted to help with the psychological turmoil that comes after these types of injury. Sebastian Groes, Professor of English Literature in the School of Humanities at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “Write in the Head’ will ultimately contribute to their overall wellbeing whilst boosting their language and communication skills.”
🏊Moseley Baths regeneration: The first stage of a £33m renovation of Birmingham’s oldest public swimming baths is underway, with the roof and façade the first parts of the building to undergo works. A café will also be added and visitor spaces will be given a spruce up. Funding for the work comes from the National Lottery, Levelling Up funding and Birmingham City Council. More here.
🚖Wolverhampton taxi protest: Following on from multiple taxi driver protests in Birmingham, Wolverhampton Private Hire drivers will protest outside Wolves Council offices later today, from 1pm. Members of the Private Hire Drivers Alliance (PHDA) are taking to St Peter’s Square to demand higher minimum pay levels and protection from unfair termination among other reforms.
🎻More free CBSO: With a whole week of free CBSO around the wider West Midlands, we have found a couple of performances that look especially well designed. For those with special educational needs, Wednesbury Art Gallery is hosting a couple of performances of Alice in Wonderland on Thursday while recognisable classics will be played at New Street on Friday evening.
📽️Black Film Festival: For fans of film, leading Black British Film festival S.O.U.L. Fest is bringing its prestigious short film selection to the MAC. For £9.25 you can see all nine shorts. More here.
So Birmingham City Council have just flogged a load of properties in Perry Barr for £150m and now £150m for such properties is going back to central government as unused.