Is West Mids police boss guilty of a 'failure of leadership'?
Plus: 21 new penguins arrive in Dudley
Dear readers — welcome to Wednesday’s edition of The Dispatch.
First off, thanks for the several warm messages I received following my recent bout of tooth-achery. I am feeling much better than I was and I’m glad to be back on track with our regular schedule of Dispatches. After today’s Brum in Brief I’ve included a little breakdown of what’s happening with the West Midlands Police fallout which featured in yesterday’s issue.
Before that, thanks to Brummie photographer and music teacher Alan Harniess who shared some of his pieces from a collection called Our Family with The Dispatch. Harniess has exhibited in galleries around Birmingham and his photos are currently on display in Colchester. He told me he takes inspiration from his walks around the city and documents mixed-race friendships and relationships as an antidote to so much negative coverage about race. Here are a few:
And another thanks, this time to Andrew who gave us a shout-out on Twitter/X after Martin Lewis called out a rather irresponsible headline on Birmingham Live (the story has since been taken down).
Brum in Brief
👩🏫 Deteriorating mental health, unmet special educational needs, and a lack of funding are the reasons given by experts for a record level of suspensions in Birmingham schools in autumn last year. Birmingham World reports: “Department for Education figures show there were 4,995 suspensions of students at Birmingham schools during the 2022-23 autumn term – up from 4,655 across the same period the year before.”
🚆 The Financial Times has reported that Rishi Sunak’s Network North plan to improve connections in the Midlands and the north of the country is uncertain. Sources say the plans have not been fully costed and lack business cases and delivery timeframes. Sir John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, a government advisory board, said Network North was an instance of the UK “acting in haste with a clear risk of repenting at leisure”.
☢️ Birmingham Conservatives have called out Labour’s “toxic culture” as they prepare to debate the issue at the next full council meeting on Tuesday 5 December. Councillor Meirion Jenkins said: “Labour has no regard for transparency, always trying to keep difficult or embarrassing information away from the public — the same public, we should remember, that pay their wages.”
🐧 Dudley Zoo has 21 new penguins after a tragic outbreak of malaria killed 90% of its colony. The new members have come from South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria and are a mix of ages and sexes.
🍽️ A tour of restaurants in and around Colmore Row has been prepared for January but you can book tickets now. “Experience good food, thoughtful pairings, and the local culinary scene at its best,” say organisers at the Colmore Business District.
📖 Simple Minds bassist Derek Forbes will discuss his new autobiography at Waterstones Birmingham tonight from 6.30pm. The listing states: “This is a story of the early days of Simple Minds, where a band of working-class lads from 1970’s Glasgow took on the world.” Tickets are between £4 and £26.
Is West Mids police boss guilty of a 'failure of leadership'?
I thought it was worth taking a closer look at yesterday’s story about West Midlands Police (WMP). You’ll remember that Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster published a letter he had written to the government’s policing watchdog. He said it had acted outside of the law. Here is a quick breakdown of recent events:
On Friday, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMIC) put WMP under greater scrutiny — a stage known as Engage. WMP needs to produce an improvement plan and will have regular meetings with the inspectorate. HMIC says WMP is not:
carrying out effective investigations;
managing meetings between statutory and voluntary agencies effectively enough to keep vulnerable people safe;
or effectively managing the risk posed by registered sex offenders or online child abuse offenders.
The issue became something of a political football. Home Secretary James Cleverly blamed Foster’s “failure of leadership”. On the BBC’s Sunday show Politics Midlands, Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, James Brereton said that Foster “needs to get his act together”. On the same programme, Labour MP for Yardley Jess Phillips pointed out that Staffordshire Police — which covers Stoke — is also in special measures and its commissioner, Ben Adams, is a Conservative.
Foster has now made public his correspondence with HMIC’s Wendy Williams which criticises the decision-making process. He claims that it is HMIC’s official procedure to allow forces to “make representations” before moving into Engage. He said:
“HMIC and its Inspector have failed to act in accordance with the law, have acted in a manner that constitutes maladministration and that undermines trust and confidence in HMIC.”
Looking ahead: How does this row play into mayor Andy Street’s bid to take over as the region’s PCC? Get in touch if you know more about what’s going on behind the scenes…
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