Poll palaver
Plus: A new vintage charity shop for the city centre
Dear Patchers — Welcome to your Tuesday briefing.
In today’s briefing, we bring you notes on the latest West Midlands mayoral election poll, plus the building (and building society) movers and shakers of the West Midlands. There’s an update on what comes next for the old Sainsbury’s site in Selly Oak, takeover hopes for Coventry Building Society and how a Grade II listed building could be about to change hands. Elsewhere we have heart-warming news from Walsall, a new pop-up with a purpose in Great Western Arcade and a link to help you discover more about whisky.
And with 619 of us now paying members, we’re helping to fund a model of journalism that can look into the stories that truly matter to our region. If you haven’t yet considered becoming a paid member, please do consider doing so: it’s about the same price as a couple of take out cappuccinos a month.
Take care. Dan.
Brum in Brief
🗳️Poll palaver: Data experts Savanta UK have corrected the results of their West Midlands mayoral election voting intention poll from last week. Having incorrectly applied weighting from 2019, their previous prediction had the Conservatives at a two point lead on Labour. The corrected results remain very close, but with Labour ahead by three points. This is one of two West Midlands polls so far, the first of which by Redfield and Wilton had Parker at a 14% lead. The Dispatch understands a YouGov poll is also underway — more on that when we get the results.
🏗️From Sainsbury’s to students: The former Selly Oak Sainsbury’s site is set to get the green light to be turned into homes for 836 students. The land was acquired by Galliard Homes and Apsley Capital last year and the plans have the OK, pending an agreement that the developers will oversee parking management in the area once the building is completed. Retail space, a medical centre and a student gym and cinema are expected.
🏦Coventry banking takeover: Coventry Building Society (CBS) has offered to buy the Co-op Bank in a £780m deal. If the deal is completed, CBS would become a bank with 5 million customers and an £89bn balance sheet, building on its status as the second biggest building society in the country. “We believe this could be the basis of a very successful future,” said Steve Hughes, CEO at CBS. Formed in 1884, CBS is still headquartered in Coventry and employs over 2000 people. Full story.
🏛️Grade II expansion: Grade II listed Baskerville House in Centenary Square could soon form part of an expanding University College Birmingham (UCB) campus. The tertiary education institution, which gained university status in 2012, is considering plans to rent space at the site for student and employability services, learning spaces and other professional services functions. The proposed move would follow the circa £200m of investment the university has made in the city centre over the last decade. More here.
🗨️Win for Walsall accent: An Aldridge student with cerebral palsy has found a new voice after his communication device was upgraded to having a Walsall accent. Dan Challis, aged 20, was fed up of the robotic sound of the speaking equipment he has used since aged nine. He put out a call for help which New York-based dramatist Eli Lane answered, recording 3,500 words for Dan to speak with. "I've never met Dan, but I was saying these things that would mean so much to him, in what would become his voice, it was quite emotional actually," Lane said. All the details here.
👖Bargain St. Basils: Fans of bargain clothing, vintage fits and sports memorabilia can get down to Great Western Arcade where youth homeless charity St. Basils has opened a pop-up shop. The space has been donated by Ashtrom Properties with initial opening hours being 11am-5pm on weekdays. There are also plans for events and weekend openings. Barrie Hodge, head of fundraising and communications for St Basils said its hopes the space acts as a place to speak to more people about the work it does. “As a charity we don’t have any charity shops, which is a bit unusual, so this is a new experience for us all,” he said.
🥃World of Whisky: For fans of whisky, Grain & Glass in the Jewellery Quarter is putting on Saturday learning sessions, taking attendees through a line up of whiskies from around the world. For £30 you’ll sample a range of different labels and learn more about their provenance. All the booking information here.
Why did Richard Parker’s election leaflet land on my doormat with a Labour flier extolling the achievements (!) of the party in Birmingham. You would think he would have the sense to distance himself from the Labour leadership disaster in our city? Take a leaf out of Andy Street’s playbook!
Did Sainsbury’s ever pay their Section 106 Agreement money that was supposed to pay for the road between the roundabout and the hospital in the end? That payment, plus the creation of a little marina to start the restoration and reconnection of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal with the Dudley Number 2 Canal just where the Bristol Road crosses the canal, were supposed to be part of the planning permission conditions for the not-so-new-anymore development site. I remember when the time came for them to pay their s106 money they simply said no because they didn’t have any, and then of course when they came to build the shop, far from re-cutting a section of canal at the junction and putting in the marina, they built the shop right over where the canal was to effectively close the restoration off forever.