‘It is clear that it is going in the wrong direction’ – should the Ladywood regeneration be paused?

A series of blunders has caused tension between the council and residents of the inner city neighbourhood.

Dear Patchers — welcome to your Wednesday briefing.

Today’s story looks at the strained relationship between the City Council and residents of Ladywood. Several miscommunications have occurred since a £2.2 billion regeneration scheme was announced last summer and we’ve got some behind-the-scenes details on the most recent development.

In related news, it’s a sad day for Birmingham. Cuts to many of the city’s vital services, job losses and tax rises have officially been voted through by council members. It’s been called the worst budget in living memory. We’ve also take a look at investment in Coventry, harmful levels of gambling in the West Midlands and the Black Country Canal Festival.

To keep abreast of all the latest news, including how Birmingham got into this financial mess, do consider joining our 480 paid-up members. To read today’s big story in full, you’ll need to be one of them. We don’t charge for all of our stories but to keep the scoops and well-crafted reads coming well into the future, we need to build sustainable local journalism, funded chiefly by readers, not advertisers. You can help us do that by signing up today.

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Brum in Brief

🏛️Council cuts confirmed: Yesterday, in the news that no Brummie wanted, council members met to officially vote through what has been dubbed the “worst budget in living memory”. It includes a 10% council tax rise from April as well as job losses and cuts to adult social care, children’s services, highway maintenance, arts grants, libraries and bin collections. Council leader John Cotton apologised to those affected. “That is unprecedented in scale — and for that, I unreservedly apologise to the people and communities of our city,” the Labour chief said. Read more, here.

🔋Giga investment up for grabs: Coventry City Council is set to discuss a £35m financing plan for the Coventry and Warwick Gigapark investment zone, one of three West Midlands business hotspots announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Autumn budget. Supporters say it would create up to 6,000 highly skilled jobs in the area. More here.

🎰Betting on Brum: Brummies are up to 50% more likely to experience harm from gambling compared to the national average, stats from charity GambleAware reveal. Their analysis found that 38,000 adults in Birmingham are currently experiencing problem gambling, with those from minority communities twice as likely as white British counterparts to do so. Niran Kahlon from West Midlands-based gambling treatment provider Aquarius said: “Gambling can be just as harmful to an individual as other conditions, like anxiety or depression.”

⚓Canal comeback: An amateur canal photographer is leading the revival of a Black Country canal festival. Kev Maslin has been capturing the waterways for four decades and already attracted 60 barges to the Tipton Canal & Community Festival this coming September. It’s the first time the event will be held post-Covid. He told the BBC: “I've got dozens of friends among them and they appreciate what we are trying to do in Tipton, which is to promote canals and narrowboating.” There are circa 100 miles of navigable canals in Birmingham, the Black Country and Staffordshire. Details at a click.

🎶Swinging 60s: Legendary Radio 2 DJ Tony Blackburn is playing a 'sound of the 60s’ set at the Town Hall tomorrow from 7.30pm. There are still a few tickets left.

👩Mother’s Day delight: For those looking to spoil their mum this weekend, the Clayton Hotel in the heart of Birmingham is running a Mother’s Day tea from the 8-10 March. Their smorgasbord of delights includes sandwiches, scones, cakes and a prosecco or cocktail. Much fancier than just a card and supermarket flowers. Make a reservation on their website.

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‘It is clear that it is going in the wrong direction’ — should the Ladywood regeneration be paused?

By Kate Knowles

With Birmingham in the grip of a financial crisis, councillors and commentators have floated plenty of creative ways to save money in recent months. Labour’s £149 million saving budget for 2024-25 has now been voted through, including cuts to libraries, social care, and waste services. At yesterday’s full council meeting to debate the drastic measures, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives proposed their alternatives. 

At the top of the Lib Dem list was the suggestion to delay the £2.2 billion Ladywood Estate Regeneration Scheme until 2026, when the council isn’t distracted by the current crisis. It reflects calls by community action group, Ladywood Unite, to “stop, reset and start again” and re-produce the plans with the input of residents.

Relations between the council and residents have been tense since the scheme was announced last summer, with a series of blunders and miscommunications adding to the fray. Last week the director of the project, David Stevenson of Regener8 Housing Consultancy Ltd, stepped down after four months on the scheme. The Dispatch has seen emails between Stevenson, the City Council, and members of Ladywood Unite that provide a window into the disarray — even lead commissioner Max Caller has had to get involved.