Who cares about Selly Oak?

Dear readers — every summer, Selly Oak is plagued with rubbish as vast numbers of students move into and out of the area. Locals are understandably frustrated, but its just one issue that’s driving a wedge between the different residents that make up this small neighbourhood.

Before that, your Brum in Brief.

Brum in Brief

💼 Ladywood MP and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is now widely expected to be made the new chancellor on Monday when Andy Burnham becomes prime minister, despite never having held an economic brief in government before. Burnham’s allies have reportedly been rowing over who to appoint to the role with some considering soft-left energy secretary Ed Miliband too much of a risk to the markets. Burnham’s office has refused to comment on “speculation” and says cabinet positions won’t be confirmed until Monday. However, one person briefed on the plans told the FT: “Shabana is nailed down as chancellor. That’s definitely happening.” (Financial Times, £).

🍺 Stonegate, the UKs biggest bar chain that is based in Solihull — but domiciled in the Cayman Islands —, is under investigation over suspected mistreatment of tenants. The company, which has more than 4,500 sites around the UK including your local Slug and Lettuce, could face fines of up to £16m if found to have broken industry rules. Allegations include: unrealistic rents and poor conduct by business development managers. (The Times, £)

⚽ The mood at Dispatch HQ is somewhat flat today following England's devastating loss to Argentina last night. But let's not wallow too deep in despair: we did score one goal and it was Morgan Rogers from Halesowen who provided the superb assist for Anthony Gordon's opener. Rogers is one to watch: Arsenal has its sights set on the 23-year-old player who is reportedly valued at a British record of £130m by Aston Villa. Kerching.

It was around 10:30pm on a clear summer evening when 57 year-old Elsa Ralph came upon a sight so disturbing that she would later have to insist it was God’s honest truth. 

Ralph and her son had just stepped outside their front door, when they heard a ruffling in the bins outside their neighbour’s home. Then the unfathomable. Not one, not two, but nine rats jumped out of a bin bag, some flying under a car, others shooting down an alleyway. 

If this sounds too gross to be true, Ralph points to a third witness; a young man walking down the road who bellowed to her: “Did you see that!?” His eyes had not failed him. 

What was meant to be a quick trip to Tesco has now left Ralph with a rodent shaped scar in her amygdala, the place in the brain where terrible memories get buried forever. 

It was shocking, but at the same time, not surprising. Because Ralph lives in Bournbrook, where foul rubbish and rodents have sadly become an all-to-familiar sight in the summer months. That’s when one crop of students moves out, and another moves into the neighbourhood, leaving swathes of debris in their wake. Ralph and some other locals are at the end of their tether; they say the problem is having a detrimental impact on the area’s community spirit. 

But Selly Oak and the surrounding areas are struggling with several issues that appear to be eroding cohesion — and they aren’t all the fault of its student population. 

One hell of a catch-22

Ralph has lived on the same road in Bournbrook for 30 years. When she first moved there, she says, about 30 of the 48 houses in the street were made up of permanent residents. Over the years, the make-up of her street has undergone a drastic change. Most of the neighbouring properties are houses of multiple occupancy, widely known as HMOs. 

“You’re turning a three-bed family house into an eight-house living situation,” says one resident, who grew up in Selly Oak and returned to the area during lockdown.