The Dispatch

Should the West Midlands be independent? The Independent Mercia organisation certainly seem to think so, and their arguments are more relevant than the Anglo-Saxon name suggests. Read about their perspective in today's story 🔗 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/forget-great...

Could Birmingham be at risk of losing one of our cultural institutions? The Archers has been recorded here for the better part of a century, but the powers that be over at the Beeb are planning to make some "tough cuts". Read all about it at the link 🔗 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/dont-let-us-...

So long, Storm Boelo. 🛬 Storm Boelo has taken more victims than just recycling bins this weekend, with a passenger plane seen veering off the runway and into the grass verge at Birmingham Airport (no one was harmed, thankfully).

At Dispatch HQ, we're feeling pretty pleased with ourselves following the success of Thursday's event with Booker-nominated writer Luke Kennard, and the addition of our newest writer to the team.

A live belly-shaving, orange mohawks, and a father throwing down his own son. The Dispatch went ringside to investigate Birmingham's varied independent wrestling scene - and its surprisingly wholesome core values. Click the link for the full article🤼 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-lycra-cl...

“Vulnerable people used as cash cows” 🏘️ A BBC Panorama documentary is the latest expose of exploitative practises in the supported exempt accommodation sector. Today’s Monday Briefing discusses the Birmingham providers at the heart of the BBC investigation, airing tonight.

www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/here-comes-a...

On Monday night a group attacked a property in Chelmsley Wood. The same thing happened on Tuesday night. And again on Wednesday night. The local masked vigilantes say it wasn't them.

The Dispatch has seen a letter, sent by two councillors to council leader Roger Harmer, accusing officers of failing to take basic measures to block the exploitative housing providers blighting the city. In response, Harmer has described their claims as “outrageous”.

Ever wondered what happened to Jimmy Spices? Well Jess Berry, our newest staff writer, certainly did. For today's article, she braved the weird, nostalgic world of Jimmy's to test the grub and see how the place is holding up (Yep - it's still going!) www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-many-liv...

'In no city do I feel British decline more sharply than here.' We're used to statements like this about Birmingham. But are they fair? In today's Monday Briefing, we digest the latest in a long line of articles about Brum's so-called deficiencies. 🕵️‍♀️ www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-return-o...

A few Monday’s back, Kate put a controversial call out asking: would the region be better off if it was called Greater Birmingham?

“If you’re trying to get large scale investment into the West Midlands, the only name that anybody knows is Birmingham. To confuse them with the West Midlands Combined Authority — no one cares. No one’s heard of it. No one knows where it is. It’s not a thing.”

A few Monday’s back, Kate put a controversial call out asking: would the region be better off if it was called Greater Birmingham?

“I certainly don’t think the WMCA should be re-named Greater Birmingham,” Dudley’s Conservative leader Patrick Harley says. “Whoever thinks this is right needs to have a lie down in a dark room.”

A few Monday’s back, Kate put a controversial call out asking: would the region be better off if it was called Greater Birmingham?

Last week it was announced that the national grooming gangs inquiry will be expanded to investigate the sexual exploitation of children in Birmingham, which is said to have occurred here over decades. All this and more in this week's Brum in Brief www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/grooming-gan...

Pride director Lawrence Barton has been blamed by many for the Birmingham’s Gay Quarter's dramatic decline. Is it fair? 🪩 That's this weekends read: www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/all-about-th...

Criticisms of his approach paint him as a vain man whose fundamental interest was his business success rather than the health of the local gay scene.

It’s not every day a novel about an out-of-work actor sitting zipped inside a giant black bag during uni lectures makes the Booker Prize shortlist... 🎒 But Luke Kennard’s Black Bag did just that! And we’re throwing an event to celebrate 👇

Join founding editor Kate Knowles as she sits down with @lukekennard.bsky.social to unpack the madness, heart, and romance behind one of 2026's most talked-about books.

Last week, we published a critical article about Joe Lycett’s BMAG exhibition EVERYTHING MUST GO. The writer argued that BMAG is neglecting its more “serious” artworks in favour of work that might have been a “series of Instagram posts”.

Huge news. We’re always banging on about how important it is that local journalism is paid for, but we know younger people often struggle to afford a news subscription.

Just over 30% of Avanti West Coast trains arrived on time this summer. Will nationalisation deliver"a railway that actually works"? That's the top story in today's Brum in Brief 🚆 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/avanti-west-...