The Dispatch
@birminghamdispatch.bsky.social
Birmingham's new quality newspaper: sending local stories to your inbox. Always looking for new writers & new stories.
Tomorrow, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet will sign off on a budget that balances the books for the first time since the city effectively went bankrupt in 2023.
February 9, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Tomorrow, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet will sign off on a budget that balances the books for the first time since the city effectively went bankrupt in 2023.
🚨Your Monday briefing is here🚨
Here are today's top picks:
🏴Moseley residents removed flags put up by Raise the Colours over the weekend
💰 Birmingham city council’s cabinet meet tomorrow to discuss 2026-2027's proposed budget
Here are today's top picks:
🏴Moseley residents removed flags put up by Raise the Colours over the weekend
💰 Birmingham city council’s cabinet meet tomorrow to discuss 2026-2027's proposed budget
February 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
🚨Your Monday briefing is here🚨
Here are today's top picks:
🏴Moseley residents removed flags put up by Raise the Colours over the weekend
💰 Birmingham city council’s cabinet meet tomorrow to discuss 2026-2027's proposed budget
Here are today's top picks:
🏴Moseley residents removed flags put up by Raise the Colours over the weekend
💰 Birmingham city council’s cabinet meet tomorrow to discuss 2026-2027's proposed budget
🏢Have you read the weekend's piece on Sutton Coldfield yet? If not, click below to check it out:
🔗 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-decline-...
🔗 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-decline-...
The decline of a royal town
Amazon warehouses, managed decline, and flags. What’s happened to Sutton Coldfield?
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 9:39 AM
🏢Have you read the weekend's piece on Sutton Coldfield yet? If not, click below to check it out:
🔗 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-decline-...
🔗 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-decline-...
“It’s a strange feeling, knowing you’ll never afford to live in your hometown.”
An Amazon warehouse taking over the countryside, an abandoned M&S, and a closed library. Sutton Coldfield’s town centre is in visible decline.
An Amazon warehouse taking over the countryside, an abandoned M&S, and a closed library. Sutton Coldfield’s town centre is in visible decline.
February 7, 2026 at 9:09 AM
“It’s a strange feeling, knowing you’ll never afford to live in your hometown.”
An Amazon warehouse taking over the countryside, an abandoned M&S, and a closed library. Sutton Coldfield’s town centre is in visible decline.
An Amazon warehouse taking over the countryside, an abandoned M&S, and a closed library. Sutton Coldfield’s town centre is in visible decline.
As the week draws to a close, take a look back at our Monday Briefing to refresh yourself with Birmingham’s news⬇️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/your-commute...
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/your-commute...
Your commute has been nationalised: the region’s railways are now in public hands
Will it make a difference?
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 5:03 PM
As the week draws to a close, take a look back at our Monday Briefing to refresh yourself with Birmingham’s news⬇️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/your-commute...
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/your-commute...
🚨📚Following on from the comments on last week’s bookshop story, we want to hear from YOU! Who are some Birmingham authors that should be on our radar?🚨📚
Read last week’s piece below, by the way⬇️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
Read last week’s piece below, by the way⬇️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
February 6, 2026 at 12:08 PM
🚨📚Following on from the comments on last week’s bookshop story, we want to hear from YOU! Who are some Birmingham authors that should be on our radar?🚨📚
Read last week’s piece below, by the way⬇️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
Read last week’s piece below, by the way⬇️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
Ahead of the weekend, make sure you check out Sam's indie bookshop read from last Saturday! Link below🔗
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
The stubborn booksellers keeping Brum's indie scene alive
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 10:50 AM
Ahead of the weekend, make sure you check out Sam's indie bookshop read from last Saturday! Link below🔗
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
A jam-packed Brum in Brief, an avian welfare scandal, and a businessman who denies any wrongdoing.
Click below for yesterday’s reads 🦜💰🔗🗞️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-horror-sto...
Click below for yesterday’s reads 🦜💰🔗🗞️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-horror-sto...
‘A horror story’: the pet shop in Aston ruffling feathers
Birds4U sells exotic birds at an inner-city retail park. Customers claim it’s an animal welfare scandal
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM
A jam-packed Brum in Brief, an avian welfare scandal, and a businessman who denies any wrongdoing.
Click below for yesterday’s reads 🦜💰🔗🗞️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-horror-sto...
Click below for yesterday’s reads 🦜💰🔗🗞️
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-horror-sto...
Reposted by The Dispatch
Meet the stubborn booksellers keeping Birmingham's indie scene alive
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
As ever, tremendous work from @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
As ever, tremendous work from @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
The stubborn booksellers keeping Brum's indie scene alive
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Meet the stubborn booksellers keeping Birmingham's indie scene alive
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
As ever, tremendous work from @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
As ever, tremendous work from @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
“We had got to the point where we assumed Bryan had been butchered so badly that she’d never be able to fly.”
When Lee Tuckett* got his son a tame lovebird for his 13th birthday, he had no idea he was purchasing a bird that was terrified of humans, and had in fact likely never been handled.
When Lee Tuckett* got his son a tame lovebird for his 13th birthday, he had no idea he was purchasing a bird that was terrified of humans, and had in fact likely never been handled.
February 5, 2026 at 1:00 PM
“We had got to the point where we assumed Bryan had been butchered so badly that she’d never be able to fly.”
When Lee Tuckett* got his son a tame lovebird for his 13th birthday, he had no idea he was purchasing a bird that was terrified of humans, and had in fact likely never been handled.
When Lee Tuckett* got his son a tame lovebird for his 13th birthday, he had no idea he was purchasing a bird that was terrified of humans, and had in fact likely never been handled.
Read about:
💰The end of bankrupt Birmingham
🚧Kings Heathens fighting for the area’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).
💼 Business leaders in Birmingham agreeing to work together to improve the city centre.
And more in yesterday’s Brum in Brief. Click the link below for more🔗
💰The end of bankrupt Birmingham
🚧Kings Heathens fighting for the area’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).
💼 Business leaders in Birmingham agreeing to work together to improve the city centre.
And more in yesterday’s Brum in Brief. Click the link below for more🔗
February 5, 2026 at 10:05 AM
Read about:
💰The end of bankrupt Birmingham
🚧Kings Heathens fighting for the area’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).
💼 Business leaders in Birmingham agreeing to work together to improve the city centre.
And more in yesterday’s Brum in Brief. Click the link below for more🔗
💰The end of bankrupt Birmingham
🚧Kings Heathens fighting for the area’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).
💼 Business leaders in Birmingham agreeing to work together to improve the city centre.
And more in yesterday’s Brum in Brief. Click the link below for more🔗
Reposted by The Dispatch
Readers World...much missed, aspecially as it was a minute's walk away....thank you @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social for a great write up on independent bookshops...
February 4, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Readers World...much missed, aspecially as it was a minute's walk away....thank you @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social for a great write up on independent bookshops...
🦜As well as our story about alleged wrongdoings at a pet shop in Aston, you can also catch up with today's Brum in Brief by clicking the link below⬇️
February 4, 2026 at 5:10 PM
🦜As well as our story about alleged wrongdoings at a pet shop in Aston, you can also catch up with today's Brum in Brief by clicking the link below⬇️
A couple of corrections to this morning's Brum in Brief about 2 city centre business improvement districts:
➡️Southside District
covers Chinatown, theatres, & the gay quarter (but not Digbeth)
➡️ Their new partnership with Birmingham Colmore
is based on similar in Liverpool (not Manc!)
➡️Southside District
covers Chinatown, theatres, & the gay quarter (but not Digbeth)
➡️ Their new partnership with Birmingham Colmore
is based on similar in Liverpool (not Manc!)
February 4, 2026 at 10:51 AM
A couple of corrections to this morning's Brum in Brief about 2 city centre business improvement districts:
➡️Southside District
covers Chinatown, theatres, & the gay quarter (but not Digbeth)
➡️ Their new partnership with Birmingham Colmore
is based on similar in Liverpool (not Manc!)
➡️Southside District
covers Chinatown, theatres, & the gay quarter (but not Digbeth)
➡️ Their new partnership with Birmingham Colmore
is based on similar in Liverpool (not Manc!)
Online, 400 members of a private Facebook group are claiming that they have been scammed by a small pet shop in Aston.
There are allegations of lying about a bird’s age, accusations of advertising birds that are terrified of humans as hand-reared, and even claims of disease in the shop.
There are allegations of lying about a bird’s age, accusations of advertising birds that are terrified of humans as hand-reared, and even claims of disease in the shop.
February 4, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Online, 400 members of a private Facebook group are claiming that they have been scammed by a small pet shop in Aston.
There are allegations of lying about a bird’s age, accusations of advertising birds that are terrified of humans as hand-reared, and even claims of disease in the shop.
There are allegations of lying about a bird’s age, accusations of advertising birds that are terrified of humans as hand-reared, and even claims of disease in the shop.
Are you caught up, or did you miss our Monday briefing?
Read about the nationalisation of West Midlands Railway, tributes for Waseem Zaffar, and the end of Bethel church by clicking the link below:
Read about the nationalisation of West Midlands Railway, tributes for Waseem Zaffar, and the end of Bethel church by clicking the link below:
February 3, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Are you caught up, or did you miss our Monday briefing?
Read about the nationalisation of West Midlands Railway, tributes for Waseem Zaffar, and the end of Bethel church by clicking the link below:
Read about the nationalisation of West Midlands Railway, tributes for Waseem Zaffar, and the end of Bethel church by clicking the link below:
Have you read Saturday's piece on Brum's indie bookshop scene?
If not, click below and get reading! ⬇️
If not, click below and get reading! ⬇️
February 2, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Have you read Saturday's piece on Brum's indie bookshop scene?
If not, click below and get reading! ⬇️
If not, click below and get reading! ⬇️
Your Monday briefing is here, and here are today's stories:
🚝West Midlands Railway is now under public ownership.
🗳️Tributes have poured in following the death of Lozells councillor Waseem Zaffar.
⛪️The Dispatch said a fond goodbye to Bethel Presbyterian Church following its final service yesterday.
🚝West Midlands Railway is now under public ownership.
🗳️Tributes have poured in following the death of Lozells councillor Waseem Zaffar.
⛪️The Dispatch said a fond goodbye to Bethel Presbyterian Church following its final service yesterday.
February 2, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Your Monday briefing is here, and here are today's stories:
🚝West Midlands Railway is now under public ownership.
🗳️Tributes have poured in following the death of Lozells councillor Waseem Zaffar.
⛪️The Dispatch said a fond goodbye to Bethel Presbyterian Church following its final service yesterday.
🚝West Midlands Railway is now under public ownership.
🗳️Tributes have poured in following the death of Lozells councillor Waseem Zaffar.
⛪️The Dispatch said a fond goodbye to Bethel Presbyterian Church following its final service yesterday.
📚For a few brief decades, Birmingham had a bookshop scene that reflected the city back to itself: diverse, political, practical, trade unionist, academic and scientifically forward looking.
January 31, 2026 at 8:48 AM
📚For a few brief decades, Birmingham had a bookshop scene that reflected the city back to itself: diverse, political, practical, trade unionist, academic and scientifically forward looking.
Reposted by The Dispatch
Great write up for The Heath and Voce - 2 wonderful bookshops revitalising the indie scene in Birmingham. Thanks to @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social for telling the story: www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
Meet the stubborn booksellers keeping Brum's indie scene alive
'I am not interested in running a branch of WH Smith'
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 7:55 AM
Great write up for The Heath and Voce - 2 wonderful bookshops revitalising the indie scene in Birmingham. Thanks to @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social for telling the story: www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/what-happene...
Have you read yesterday's story yet?
Over the past month, residents in Handsworth and the surrounding areas have received knocks on their doors from strangers. The visitors were prospective buyers, who informed the tenants that their homes were going to be auctioned off.
Over the past month, residents in Handsworth and the surrounding areas have received knocks on their doors from strangers. The visitors were prospective buyers, who informed the tenants that their homes were going to be auctioned off.
January 30, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Have you read yesterday's story yet?
Over the past month, residents in Handsworth and the surrounding areas have received knocks on their doors from strangers. The visitors were prospective buyers, who informed the tenants that their homes were going to be auctioned off.
Over the past month, residents in Handsworth and the surrounding areas have received knocks on their doors from strangers. The visitors were prospective buyers, who informed the tenants that their homes were going to be auctioned off.
Reposted by The Dispatch
We're being sued for libel by a London businessman who thinks he can bully us into taking down a @londonermag.bsky.social story about him. He's wrong!
Please read and share.
www.the-londoner.co.uk/the-londoner...
Please read and share.
www.the-londoner.co.uk/the-londoner...
The Londoner is being sued by a holiday let grifter. We’re going to fight him in court
Mysterious emails, incessant demands and a fake lawyer — an editor’s note about a serious threat we’re facing
www.the-londoner.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 1:12 PM
We're being sued for libel by a London businessman who thinks he can bully us into taking down a @londonermag.bsky.social story about him. He's wrong!
Please read and share.
www.the-londoner.co.uk/the-londoner...
Please read and share.
www.the-londoner.co.uk/the-londoner...
40 Birmingham homes are going up for auction today. Why didn’t the tenants know?
January 29, 2026 at 10:07 AM
40 Birmingham homes are going up for auction today. Why didn’t the tenants know?
Did you catch Sam’s writer’s edition last week?
Click below for his musings on Brum as a walkable city and the best of the JQ.
Also, he’s trying to identify two West Midlands police officers photographed below in Bosnia in the 1990s. Could you help?
If so, email [email protected]
Click below for his musings on Brum as a walkable city and the best of the JQ.
Also, he’s trying to identify two West Midlands police officers photographed below in Bosnia in the 1990s. Could you help?
If so, email [email protected]
January 27, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Did you catch Sam’s writer’s edition last week?
Click below for his musings on Brum as a walkable city and the best of the JQ.
Also, he’s trying to identify two West Midlands police officers photographed below in Bosnia in the 1990s. Could you help?
If so, email [email protected]
Click below for his musings on Brum as a walkable city and the best of the JQ.
Also, he’s trying to identify two West Midlands police officers photographed below in Bosnia in the 1990s. Could you help?
If so, email [email protected]