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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Others the constant finger-pointing at Barton is at worst a case of sour grapes, jealousy of a man who was for a time a very successful businessman Who is right? www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/all-about-th...

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The Dispatch

Birmingham’s new quality newspaper, delivered straight to your email inbox

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

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.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

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...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

The Dispatch

Birmingham’s new quality newspaper, delivered straight to your email inbox

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🗓️ Thursday 22nd October | Doors 6:00pm 📍 The Actress & Bishop (Jewellery Quarter) 🍻 Stay after for drinks & a chin wag with The Dispatch team and fellow readers! 🎟️ Tickets £4 (Members) / £8 (General Admission) Grab your tickets below before they sell out!

buytickets.at

Buy tickets – What’s in the Bag? An evening with Luke Kennard – The Actress and Bishop

What’s in the Bag? An evening with Luke Kennard – The Actress and Bishop, Thu 22 Oct 2026 - Hosted by The Birmingham Dispatch. It’s not every day a local poet and academic lands on the shortlist for t...

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

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.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

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 👇

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The article was divisive - we got a lot of (private) messages agreeing. But lots of people jumped to the defence of the gallery. We want to keep the debate going. Today, Jez Collins makes his case for pink woolly mammoths in museums. www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/p/e8b08890-a...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Cobs shmobs: in defence of Joe Lycett’s BMAG show

Forget the culture wars, our biggest gallery is drastically underfunded

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

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”.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Thanks Chris - we just noticed, how frustrating! Will get this sorted.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Now, we have partnered with Postcode Lottery to fund 150 annual subscriptions to The Dispatch for 16-25 year olds. The idea is to make quality local news available to younger readers in an age of AI slop and disinformation. Head to this link to claim yours before they run out!

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Free Dispatch subscriptions for 16-25 year olds!

We've got a very exciting announcement...

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

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.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Plus: 🎭️ Are the Birmingham arts lack of funding due to racism? 🥈 Burnham refuses to crown the UK's second city www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/avanti-west-...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Avanti West Ghost: Burnham nationalises company with most cancelled trains in Britain

Plus, are the Birmingham arts missing money due to racism?

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

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-...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Avanti West Ghost: Burnham nationalises company with most cancelled trains in Britain

Plus, are the Birmingham arts missing money due to racism?

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

On Thursday, hundreds of cityfolk on their lunch breaks stormed the council building like insurgents. Why? The answer is simple. It’s the most culturally significant day of the year: International Day of Birmingham.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Last year, we wrote about the desi pub and its unstoppable rise. That article included the history, the politics, the culture, and even the role of the desi pub as a place of “multicultural intersection”. We won't be bothering with any of that today.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

We're only 16 members away from our goal of 2,000 by Sunday! Make the most of these offers before time runs out.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Joe Lycett's EVERYTHING MUST GO, on at BMAG until next Feb, is "a palette of bold, lurid colours and jaunty millennial sass" writes @danielcave_

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Reposted by The Dispatch

Lukas Large @lukaslarge.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The Dispatch and it's Mill Media siblings are doing a fantastic job and are well worth supporting

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Reposted by The Dispatch

Daz @dazwright.com · 21/09/2026

If you live in Birmingham you have to subscribe to the Dispatch. It's our last bit of functioning news. You use it or lose it

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

To get the discount - and access to all of our independent journalism - head here before the week ends: www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/lets-hit-200...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Let’s hit 2000 members for our birthday

You have one week…

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The Dispatch is turning 3! To celebrate, we want to get to more then 2,000 paying members by Sunday night.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The offers expire Sunday night so get em while you can.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We are aiming to hit at least 2,000 paying members in time for our birthday next month. The deadline is Sunday. That means, for the rest of this week, you can get a full Dispatch subscription for £4 for the first two months, or, just £60 for a full year. www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/lets-hit-200...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Let’s hit 2000 members for our birthday

You have one week…

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

haha no worries Stuart thanks for reading us

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Jim Hawkins @jimallthetime.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Jordan Patel saw his life’s work go up in flames. Then his real problems started The Art.Quarter founder has been accused of ‘threatening’ and ‘inappropriate’ behaviour (the brilliant @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social is *so good* at this sort of thing) www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/jordan-patel...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Jordan Patel saw his life’s work go up in flames. Then his real problems started

The Art.Quarter founder has been accused of ‘threatening’ and ‘inappropriate’ behaviour

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

“I take the concerns raised about Art.Quarter seriously and believe that anyone making a complaint deserves to have it properly considered,” Patel told The Dispatch. Read the full story on our site:

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

But not everyone is sympathetic. A few weeks before the fire, a letter began to circulate around the creative community. It outlined serious claim by more than 12 staff members ranging from: “threatening, coercive, intimidating and abusive behaviour towards women” to “significant unpaid wages”.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

“I am devastated, not just for me but for all the businesses and people who had found a safe, inclusive space to fulfil their dreams,” Patel told Birmingham Live after the fire, which West Midlands Fire Service has ruled accidental.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

You can read all about it in today's Dispatch:

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Art.Quarter was an exciting creative hub in Digbeth and the UK’s first, fully-halal food hall. Two Thursdays ago, the business went up in flames. Now concerning allegations by former staff members have emerged about Jordan Patel, the 48-year-old entrepreneur who founded the organisaion.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Incase you missed 👀 The 20mph speed limit caused a firestorm in Brum. For some, it's a sensible move. For others it's a disgraceful "war on drivers", that could prove economically devastating. Where do you land? 🚗 www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/not-fast-but...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Not fast but furious: popping the bonnet on the 20mph row

‘It’s f***ing insane’

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Incase you missed 👀 The Tamworth Tap has just won best pub of the year THREE out of the last four years. What makes the pub deserving of such prestige? Is there a case of "favouritism and bias" going on... www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-ale-king...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

The ale king of England

Yards from the castle where Offa once conquered these lands, George Greenaway has made Tamworth great again

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

At first glance, the plans by the Midlands Rail Alliance to improve connections to the East Midlands and ease pressure on New Street seemed golden. But there was one glaring aspect: the demolition of several beloved creative businesses. www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/destroying-t...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

‘Destroying the chicken farm to make an omlette’: Are Birmingham’s rail upgrades going to derail its creatives?

In July, £1.75 billion plans to bolster the city's rail network were launched. But not everyone is smiling

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In July, a tweet sent panic waves through Digbeth. It included the first visualisations of a multi-million pound rail do-up.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

That's the (controversial) question we are pondering in today's Monday Briefing. We can hear the Black Country sharpening its knives already... www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/is-it-time-w...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Is it time we did away with the West Mids?

To be or not to be Greater Birmingham

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

What do you reckon? Is it time we rebranded and made the West Midlands...Greater Birmingham?

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Assuming there’s no conspiracy...The Tap’s success is due to one man: George Greenaway. In 2017, the council let him work in the building that was a failed ‘creative hub’. He started brewing in the window. “It was only meant to be a brewery, but the pub is the monster now.”

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

“It’s deeply political,” says CAMRA member Matthew Curtis. “I think there’s favouritism and bias among the selection committee. I think it’s quite narrow minded that they keep giving it to the same pub”. I’m told separately of another Midlands landlord who threw a “big tantrum”.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

The Tamworth Tap has been voted the best pub in the country three years out of the last four – a record – and is the fave this year, having just been crowned West Mids pub of the year (again). It’s caused a bit of a stir, as you'll read in today's story: www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-ale-king...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

The ale king of England

Yards from the castle where Offa once conquered these lands, George Greenaway has made Tamworth great again

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Why does this pub in Tamworth keep winning pub of the year?

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

But supporters say it's essential to save lives, reduce casualties, and make the city fairer. Get behind the headlines and read the full story: www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/not-fast-but...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

Not fast but furious: popping the bonnet on the 20mph row

‘It’s f***ing insane’

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Commentators hit out at 'the loony left' council. Two petitions have sprung up against the measure: one by the Tories and one by Reform. One Conservative councillor told The Dispatch it was "divisive...a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Portsmouth, Bath, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and London have extensive 20mph networks. Even Cornwall has twice as many 20mph roads as Birmingham. And in Wales, they’re everywhere - although a BBC survey suggests 50% of people object to them. 📸:Sarah Chaundler, City of Cars.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The Telegraph, The Times, the Guardian, ITV and more reported that Birmingham would be the first city in England to have 20mph limits on all non-primary, local roads. Which made it sound like we are tearing ahead of the rest of the country. In fact, we are some way behind.

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Why did plans to lower the speed limit in Birmingham cause a media firestorm?

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The Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

“I prefer watching [Sutton] to top-level,” one such fan, Steve, will later tell me. “You feel part of it. It’s physical, more honest.” www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/from-villa-p...

birminghamdispatch.co.uk

From Villa Park to the Village Green

As the Midlands’ footballing elites compete in Europe and build £3 billion stadiums, we meet the fans keeping it local... hyperlocal

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