Ringway reimagined

Plus: Dudley Conservative candidate under fire for 'unacceptable letter'

Dear Patchers — Welcome to your Tuesday briefing. 

Over the last few months, the Ringway Centre has captured national and celebrity attention. With its demolition recently confirmed by the city’s planning committee — you can read more about that in our long read here — this hasn’t deterred a legal challenge. And now the most talented architectural students are getting in on the act: imagining alternative uses for the building, including as community spaces and exercise hubs.

Elsewhere we look at a controversial letter sent by the Tory candidate for Dudley, the economic impact of Birmingham University, the new deputy mayor and which Brummies made the King’s Honours lists.

Take care, Dan. 

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Brum in Brief

❌‘Completely unacceptable’ letter: Marco Longhi, the Conservative candidate for Dudley who was elected MP in 2019, has come under fire for sending out campaign letters to his constituents of British Pakistani/Kashmiri heritage with his Labour opponent’s name highlighted and underlined. In the letter, shared on X by British Future think tank director Sunder Katwala, Longhi pledges to “raise my voice for Kashmir in Parliament” citing plans by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further scale back the rights of Kashmiris. He asks voters who will better speak for the region, him or Labour’s Sonia Kumar, with the latter’s name in bold and underscored.

Also posting on X, former Labour MP for Dudley North and crossbench peer Ian Austin said the letter is “completely unacceptable” and called Longhi’s politics “nasty and divisive”. Longhi has since doubled down, telling outlet Guido Fawkes: “My constituents are concerned about issues in Kashmir. Do they trust me, who has campaigned on it, or someone they don’t know, who is Sonia Kumar?”

💲Brum Uni billions: New workings from London Economics estimate that the University of Birmingham generates an estimated £4.4bn for the West Midlands and UK economies. The South Birmingham education institution also supports circa 20,000 jobs and has a bigger economic impact than the famed car manufacturing industry (which boosts the region by £3.56bn). Professor Adam Tickell, vice-chancellor at the University of Birmingham, said: “Through education and skills, research and development, and our work with students, staff, local communities and partners, we make a positive and lasting impact on individuals and society.” Full details.

👩🏿‍💼New deputy mayor: The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has appointed a new deputy mayor, Councillor Sharon Thompson. Thompson, who was elected to Birmingham City Council in 2014, previously chaired the WMCA’s homelessness taskforce. She will work with new mayor Richard Parker and act as an ambassador for the region. More information.

🏢Another way Ringway: Architecture students have come up with different ways the Ringway centre could be repurposed, as an arts or cultural hub. With the James Robert-designed brutalist building set to be knocked down (with a legal challenge to this launched) students from Birmingham School of Architecture and Design have been looking at different ways to rework the building, with gardens, food courts and playgrounds included. Check out their ideas here. 

A 20th-century postcard of Smallbrook Queensway. Photo by: Ned Trifle.

👑Nick Owen and other Brummies make Kings Honours: Headteachers, homelessness workers, football coaches and campaigners are just some of the local heroes who have made it to the Kings Birthday Honours lists. Elsewhere, Nick Own, the well-liked BBC Midlands Today presenter, got an MBE for his services to charity and broadcasting. He called the accolade a “real wow moment”. See Nick talk about it here and the full list here.

🎭Roald Dahl at the theatre: When I was a youngster I did a fair bit of Am Dram, and trod the boards at Wolverhampton’s Newhampton Arts Centre, which is just fab. It’s a great community utility and is now putting on a version of beloved Dahl classic Matilda, focussing on the origins of the Trunchbull character. Definitely will be worth a watch, with tickets very cheap. More here.

🕺Weekend party: For any semi-retired ravers who still like to party but might not be able to sustain a 6am finish, the community-focussed Old Print Works is putting on a party that starts in the afternoon and finishes at 11pm on Saturday. In bed with a cuppa before midnight. Bliss. House and techno are whats on offer and the most expensive ticket is just £9. All the information.