A 'cynical and divisive power grab'
A sit in at New Street Station and Andy Street makes his move to take control of the police
Good morning readers — welcome to our third edition of The Dispatch.
On top of our morning Brum in Brief — which leads on a pro-Palestine sit-in at New Street, which we witnessed yesterday — we also have a short story about a potential major extension of powers for West Midlands mayor Andy Street (and a furious response from the region’s police and crime commissioner).
Incredibly, there are now 1,604 of you on the list, up from 1,373 yesterday morning. That’s 231 new Dispatchers in one day! I’m astonished and immensely grateful for all of your help getting the word out. Please use the button below to share us down your group chats and via social media, or just forward this email to friends (they can join our mailing list by clicking here).
Our weekend read is nearly ready too — it’s a brilliant piece about a beloved Wolverhampton institution, written by a very talented local writer (not me). I’ll drop a few more hints tomorrow…
Andy Street triggers police takeover
West Midlands mayor Andy Street has officially moved to take control of the police. Not, to be clear, in the sense of launching some sort of terrifying extra-judicial coup, but simply by taking on powers that are already enjoyed by similar city region mayors like Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester.
At a press conference yesterday, we watched Street announce plans for the police and crime commissioner role to be brought under the mayoral remit following the elections next May. Until now, West Midlands residents have chosen their preferred commissioner, currently Labour’s Simon Foster, in a separate election alongside the mayoral race. Street, as you probably know, is a Conservative.
Metro mayors have previously needed to get the support of council leaders within their combined authorities if they want to run the police. The Levelling Up bill passed last week has changed all that. Now mayors can write to the home secretary to request the powers. Street published his letter to Suella Braverman online, writing: “Crime in this region has more than doubled in the last eight years, and I simply cannot allow it to go on any longer.”
Foster published a statement in response, accusing Street of wanting to “put one of his friends in the role” and described it as a “cynical and divisive power grab” and a “hostile takeover”. He added that Street has made this decision because his party has lost all previous police and crime commissioner elections. “That is because his party is not trusted by the people of the West Midlands, to prevent, tackle and reduce crime,” he added.
At a press conference in the drizzle outside Sutton Coldfield Police Station, which has been condemned to closure by Foster, we asked Street if the rise in crime was linked to the rise in deprivation over the past decade, during which Conservative governments have been in charge. Street responded that crime in the West Midlands was “worse than elsewhere” and for violent crime “we're in the worst few areas of the country”. He added that bringing the police under the mayor’s powers would provide a more “unified” response.
We also asked if this approach was antithetical to the spirit of cross-party cooperation he champions. “It's a fair question because I have tried very hard in my six and a half years as mayor to make sure decisions are taken cross party,” he told The Dispatch. But he said occasionally decisions cannot be achieved this way and “given the severity of the crime issues” he wanted to let the home secretary decide.
Brum in Brief
⛅ The morning will be sunny and dry, giving some respite from yesterday’s rain. The afternoon will be cloudy, with potential showers.
🚉 A sit-in to call for a ceasefire in Gaza was staged yesterday evening at New Street Station. Demonstrators adorned in Palestinian flags and holding placards and homemade signs sat in the middle of the concourse from 4pm. They chanted “ceasefire now” and “free Palestine” while dozens of police and station security guards watched from the sidelines and balconies. Speeches were given over a megaphone. One speaker gave a message to the people of Palestine: “The people of Birmingham stand with you,” he said. “We will never stop until there is a free Palestine.”
🩺 A Redditch nurse who faked a pregnancy during lockdown has been given a suspended sentence. 25-year-old Alexandra Gregory sent her ex-partner Daniel Smith fake pregnancy scans and photos of a baby in intensive care. Judge Kevin Lloyd Wright said her actions were "planned, sustained and relentless”.
🎧 Lenny Henry has sung the Midlands’ praises in an interview with the BBC. The Dudley-born comic also described what he likes to do when he visits Birmingham and the Black Country including visits to Nostalgia and Comics, The Diskery, and gigs at The Lamp Tavern in Dudley. Give it a listen here.
🚨 Two men have been arrested after separate firearms incidents. In Birmingham, a 41-year-old was charged with having an offensive weapon and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. In Wolverhampton, a 26-year-old was arrested after gun and ammunition were recovered in the search of a house.
🎤 A new programme of live events at the Symphony Hall has been announced for its winter season. The shows will run well into the new year and feature dance, music, and comedy. The action kicks off this Saturday with Wolves’ own Beverley Knight.
🧇 A brunch for single muslims aged 35+ is happening on Sunday at Wafflings dessert parlour in Moseley. The event listing says it’s for those “who are bored of apps, speed dating and networking, looking to meet others for marriage!” It costs between £22.38 and £25.
I've always been of the opinion that the Police & Crime Commissioner role shouldn't be a political one. I get tired of the 'blame game' where one party blames the other one for the country's woes, when the reality is that both Labour and Conservatives are both as bad as each other.