Birmingham Dispatch

🚨 Birmingham’s at a turning point - come be in the room. On 27 April, we’re hosting our first ever Dispatch hustings, bringing together councillors from across the political spectrum for a candid, in-depth conversation about the city’s future. If you’ve been following the chaos, the questions, and the big decisions facing Birmingham - this is your chance to hear it all debated live, and to ask your own questions.

Illustration: Jake Greenhalgh. Plus, Valentine's Day blind date, anyone? Dear readers — welcome to another week and, with news that Birmingham is bankrupt no more, hopefully a bright one. We at The Dispatch are channelling that ‘no-longer-broke’ energy: this weekend, Samuel finally got hot water at his new flat. As an extra treat, today we are sending him to cover Reform’s surprise rally at the NEC.

Dear readers — good morning! We hope you’re staying warm and enjoying the ramping up of festive frolics as Christmas fast approaches. Over the weekend, a reluctantSamuel did some frolicking of his own. He headed to Birmingham’s Frankfurt Market to see if it could convert him from his Christmas market scepticism.