Paulette Hamilton MP visiting Digby Manor Care Home / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP
Words by Paulette Hamilton MP
Protecting our high streets and keeping our neighbourhoods safe are among my top priorities.
Residents have told me that Erdington High Street, Slade Road and Hawthorn Road deserve thriving local businesses that serve our community, not a concentration of betting shops, vape shops or rogue operators.
That is why I welcome the Government’s plans to give councils and local people a stronger say over what opens on our high streets, alongside tougher action against criminal businesses.
Locally, I met Sergeant Millard to discuss the action needed on Erdington High Street. The recent closure of a shisha shop found to be selling illegal vapes shows what can be achieved when police, Trading Standards and the community work together.
But one closure is not the finish line. I will continue pushing for more visible policing and sustained action to make our streets safer.
I also want to hear from you about off-road bikes and quad bikes. Too many residents are affected by dangerous and antisocial riding. Please tell me where it is happening and what further action you want to see by completing my survey at www.paulettehamilton.org.
Paulette Hamilton MP at her constituency office in Erdington Town Centre / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP
Throughout the summer, I have been out across our constituency, hosting a Kingstanding coffee morning, visiting Digby Manor Care Home’s Summer Fayre, and holding street surgeries in Stockland Green and Erdington.
Now as children return to school, I’m pleased the government is supporting families with cheaper uniforms, more free breakfast clubs and expanded free school meals. Eligible families could save up to £1,200 a year.
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 18 September.
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Reform candidates on campaign trail in Kingstanding, ahead of May ’26 Local Elections / Photograph supplied by Reform UK Erdington Branch
Words by Councillor Jex Parkin and Councillor John Lambert
We’ve been digging into the condition of Kingstanding’s roads after regularly hearing from residents about potholes and poor road surfaces.
Our Freedom of Information request has revealed which Kingstanding roads generated the greatest number of highways enquiries between 2023 and 2026. These include reports and repair jobs relating to issues such as potholes, damaged carriageways and footways.
Hawthorn Road recorded 291 enquiries, followed by Warren Farm Road with 277, Kings Road with 146, Hurlingham Road with 124 and Finchley Road with 114.
Residents regularly tell us about potholes and poor road surfaces, so we wanted to establish exactly where the problems are being reported most often. These figures give us a much clearer picture.
We will now be taking the worst-affected roads back to the Council, asking what action is planned and pressing for proper repairs where problems are recurring.
We have also continued to challenge Birmingham City Council over its approach to national flags. Threats, intimidation and criminal behaviour should always be dealt with, but we do not believe the Union Flag or St George’s Cross should themselves be treated as the problem.
Finally, a useful date for the diary. After your Reform councillors pushed for a Mobile Household Recycling Centre visit to Kingstanding last month, residents told us how useful they found the service.
We are therefore pleased to see further visits scheduled for Kingstanding Wellbeing Centre, Dulwich Road, on 23 September from 7:30am–12:30pm, and again on 17 October from 8am–midday.
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 18 September.
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Cllr Ray Goodwin outside Spitfire House on Castle Vale High Street / Photograph supplied by Birmingham Labour
Words by Councillor Ray Goodwin
As the television show goes, Last of the Summer Wine has finally come to an end — and as we move into autumn, our thoughts are turning towards the winter ahead.
For many residents, winter can be difficult. Rising household costs, the pressures of keeping homes warm and the challenges faced by those already struggling mean our focus now has to be on making sure people know where they can turn for help and support.
That work will involve not only our fantastic partner organisations, including Spitfire Services, Upcycle Birmingham and Pioneer Housing, but also the community itself. Castle Vale has always been strongest when residents are placed at the heart of what we do. That will be particularly important over the coming months.
Our recent community festival was a fantastic example of that spirit. It was an amazing day that showcased the very best of Castle Vale — our people, organisations and the incredible community pride that exists here.
But we shouldn’t kid ourselves. We still have some stubborn issues to tackle.
The rollout of the waste pilot is becoming increasingly frustrating. At times, it feels like we are playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Just when one problem appears to have been dealt with, another seems to pop up.
We need to keep pushing for solutions, listening to residents and holding those responsible to account.
Castle Vale is an amazing community. This autumn and winter, we need to make sure we continue putting that community at the centre of everything we do.
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 18 September.
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Erdington Ward Councillor Robert Alden on Erdington High Street with police / Photograph supplied by Cllr Alden
Words byCouncillor Robert Alden
Over the summer Cllr Gareth Moore and I have continued our work for more police and investment into Erdington High Street.
We have written to senior police officials and held meetings with the local police team and the Council about the need for both more officers on the beat locally on our streets in Erdington, and for the City Council to carry out more enforcement of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on Erdington High Street.
It is positive that in the last few weeks our excellent local Police team has been given additional officers, allowing greater patrols locally, and the Council has agreed additional patrols to enforce the High Street PSPO.
But we will not be settling for just this and will continue to push for Erdington to have the level of policing we need.
We will be continuing this campaigning in the coming weeks and months. Residents can help support this work by ensuring they report any crime or ASB locally to the police and ensure they receive a crime number.
This is because officers are allocated based on the amount of cases reported across the region.
In terms of Erdington High Street, this month we have met with officers from the Council to discuss possible funding sources for investment both short term to help lift our town centre, and also longer term to help produce the plans needed for securing larger scale long term regeneration.
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 18 September.
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Paulette Hamilton MP at constituency office in Erdington / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP’s constituency team
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 14 August. Be the first to get your local news delivered through your door, support independent community journalism, and email us at: subscribe@erdingtonlocal.com
Words by Paulette Hamilton MP (Birmingham Erdington, Labour)
Protecting our communities remains one of my top priorities, and this summer I’m stepping up my campaign to stop more family homes being lost to poorly managed HMOs and fight for stronger safeguards against exempt accommodation.
Here’s an update on the work I’m doing on your behalf.
I’ve recently been made aware of a planning application for a new 7-bedroom HMO on Tyburn Road. Our area already has far too many poorly managed HMOs, and I don’t believe we need another. That’s why I’ve launched a campaign opposing this application.
I’m also continuing my fight to close the loophole that allows some failed HMO applications to become exempt accommodation.
If you’d like to support these campaigns, please sign my Tyburn Road HMO and exempt accommodation petitions at www.paulettehamilton.org
It was wonderful to welcome so many residents to my recent community coffee morning at Maryvale Community Centre in Oscott. These coffee mornings are a great opportunity to hear your concerns, answer your questions and discuss the issues that matter most.
Paulette Hamilton MP at Maryvale Communty Projectr / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP’s constituency team
I look forward to my next coffee morning on 14 August in Kingstanding as I continue meeting as many of the 122,000 people I represent as possible.
Finally, I hope you’re enjoying the summer holidays and spending quality time with family and friends.
With the Government’s August free bus travel scheme for children aged 5 to 15, I hope many families have been able to make the most of the opportunity to explore and enjoy everything our region has to offer.
(l-r) Cllr Moore and Cllr Alden on Erdington High Street / Photograph from Erdington Local archives
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 14 August. Be the first to get your local news delivered through your door, support independent community journalism, and email us at: subscribe@erdingtonlocal.com
Words byCouncillor Robert Alden and Councillor Gareth Moore (Erdington Ward, Local Conservatives)
Cllr Gareth Moore and I have been clear that we believe weekly bin collections should remain – at the elections Local Conservatives pledged to save them if we took control of the Council.
Sadly, we did not and the new Green/Lib Dem/Independent administration has gone ahead with trialling scrapping weekly bin collections in North Birmingham, and later the rest of the city.
Over the last few months’ Local Conservatives have been leading the push for weekly bin collections to be reinstated including challenging the Leader and Cabinet Members at the City Council.
In addition, we have been working with residents to raise issues that have existed in the rollout of the service across our local area as well.
Gareth and I have been reporting missed collections, bins that have not been delivered and taking senior officers on site visits locally to show the Council issues on roads which are simply not suitable for the new scheme.
Such examples include flats on Avalon Close, Hepburn Edge and Somerton Drive, amongst other roads, where residents are not allowed or don’t have the space to store the increased number of bins.
We are updating residents on our Facebook page – www.faceboo.com/ErdingtonNews – with all the latest on the changes to the bins and our campaign to reinstate weekly bin collections.
If you are experiencing issues in Erdington please contact Gareth (gareth.moore@birmingham.gov.uk) or myself (Robert.alden@birmingham.gov.uk) and we will try to help.
The Council can also be contacted on EngageWithWaste@birmingham.gov.uk with issues relating to the bin rollout.
Cllr Ray Goodwin on Castle Vale High Street / Photograph supplied by Birmingham Labour
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 14 August. Be the first to get your local news delivered through your door, support independent community journalism, and email us at: subscribe@erdingtonlocal.com
Words by Councillor Ray Goodwin (Castle Vale Ward, Labour)
We are now four weeks into Birmingham’s new household waste collection pilot, and while there are some positive changes, there are still significant issues that need to be addressed.
I have been speaking to residents across Castle Vale who genuinely want this pilot to work. They welcome the return of recycling collections, weekly food waste collections and additional street cleansing.
But many are frustrated that they are still waiting for bins to be delivered, while others have told me that their bins have not been emptied as expected.
Four weeks in, these problems should be being resolved. Residents should not be left wondering when their bins will arrive or whether their waste will be collected.
I will continue speaking to residents and raising these issues with the Council. I want this pilot to succeed, but that means listening to residents and putting things right when they go wrong.
There is also some positive news. I’m pleased that the Mobile Tip Truck is returning to Castle Vale on Monday 24 August at Castle Pool car park.
This is another useful service that helps residents dispose of unwanted items responsibly and keeps waste off our streets.
Cleaner streets are something we all want. Residents are doing their bit — now the Council needs to make sure the service delivers for them.
I’ll keep listening, keep raising the issues and keep pushing for Castle Vale.
Reform candidates on campaign trail in Kingstanding, ahead of May ’26 Local Elections / Photograph supplied by Reform UK Erdington Branch
This article was first published in the Erdington Local monthly newspaper on 14 August. Be the first to get your local news delivered through your door, support independent community journalism, and email us at: subscribe@erdingtonlocal.com
Words by Councillor Jex Parkin and Councillor John Lambert (Kingstanding Ward, Reform UK)
There is something deeply insulting about suggesting thousands of people across Erdington voted the way they did because they suddenly became racist.
They didn’t.
They voted because they are fed up.
Fed up with immigration they believe is out of control. Fed up with pressure on housing and public services. Fed up with Birmingham’s finances. Fed up with broken promises, rising costs and neighbourhoods that too often feel neglected.
And fed up with politicians who only seem to discover these concerns after an election defeat.
Nobody should defend racism. If someone genuinely abuses another person because of their race, that is disgraceful.
But there is a world of difference between racism and asking legitimate questions about immigration, borders, housing, public services and the pressures placed on local communities.
That distinction matters.
Because if every uncomfortable question about immigration is dismissed as racism, politicians never have to answer it.
If every criticism of Labour is dismissed as hatred, politicians never have to accept responsibility.
And if every Reform vote is explained away as bigotry, perhaps nobody in Labour has to confront the uncomfortable truth.
People voted Reform because they wanted change.
Oscott, Kingstanding, Perry Common, Pype Hayes and Stockland Green did not collectively lose their minds.
They exercised their democratic judgement.
The answer isn’t to insult them, patronise them or lecture them.
It is to listen.
Because when politicians start blaming the voters rather than asking why they lost them, they haven’t learned the lesson.
Following the significant investment secured from central government earlier this year for Stockland Green Health Centre, it was a pleasure to mark the start of the new 32-bed purpose-built facility at the Highcroft site.
This long-awaited investment is a major step forward, and I’m proud we’re now seeing real progress.
Our faith and community groups play a vital role in bringing people together. That’s why it was a pleasure to join Pastor Aaron and the congregation at Charlton Road Church as they celebrated their 90th anniversary in Kingstanding.
It was a wonderful reminder of the dedication of volunteers, faith leaders and local organisations that make our area special. With Kingstanding benefitting from £20 million through the Government’s Pride in Place programme, I’m determined to ensure local people are at the heart of shaping that investment for years to come.
(l-r) Church Elder David Read, Paulette Hamilton MP, Pastor Aaron Reyes / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP
Alongside securing investment, I’m continuing to campaign on the issues that matter most.
I recently challenged the Prime Minister in Parliament over the loophole allowing some landlords, whose HMO applications have been refused, to convert properties into exempt accommodation with far less scrutiny.
Our communities deserve a proper say, and I’ll keep pressing the Government for stronger protections. You can support my campaign by signing my petition at www.paulettehamilton.org
Finally, as schools break up for the summer, I hope you and your family enjoy some well-earned time together.
Whether you’re staying local or heading away, I wish everyone across Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale and South Oscott a safe, happy and relaxing summer.
(l-r) Paulette Hamilton and Keir Starmer at Tia’s Hair Salon on York Rd, Erdington – on the campaign trail for the 2022 Parliamentary by-election / Erdington Local archives
The recent Local Elections in May saw Labour lose six local councillors across the Erdington constituency and get propelled out of power across the wider city – with many blaming a toxic national brand and blind hate for anyone wearing a red rosette.
The once safe labour seat was now, on a local level, overwhelmingly represented by Reform UK. And on the doorsteps, it seems the public ire was aimed at one politician – Sir Keir Starmer.
Erdington Local sat down with Paulette Hamilton MP to ask just how bad it has become for Labour and why she was so publicly vocal about the need for change at the top.
Paulette Hamilton MP looks tired, sounds tired, and is hastily eating lunch on the go as we sit down to discuss the thrashing the Labour candidates in her constituency took at the recent Local Election – which saw several longstanding Labour seats go over to the new kids on the block.
An hour behind schedule, she’s been at “big roundtable in [Birmingham] City Centre looking at supported exempt accommodation” – an issue that often dominates both public and political discourse in the city – and is “not in Parliament today because I am, as I’ve always said, I’m more interested in the local things.”
Breakdown of Birmingham City Council seats won in May ’26 Local Election
And it would be pertinent to be present in Erdington right now, for a Labour MP. In May, mirroring results from across the country, Reform UK smashed down Erdington’s red wall to take all the ward seats in Oscott, Kingstanding, Pype Hayes, and Perry Common, and one in Stockland Green. A tough night for Erdington Constituency Labour Party (CLP), no doubt.
And in her own patch, this Labour MP now has only two of her own party as elected officials: Cllr Ray Goodwin on Castle Vale and Cllr Mick Brown in Gravelly Hill. Both whom carried themselves through with fiercely fought for local support, winning despite of their national party.
“I’m a bit of a hands-on MP,” begins Paulette Hamilton, explaining her own experiences on the campaign trail, in both the recent Local Elections and the last General Election. “I don’t just send people out to do things I won’t do myself. And I’ll start by prefacing everything I’m going to say. I really like Sir Keir Starmer.”
You can sense what’s coming. But the rumbling beneath the surface back in 2024 seems to have erupted into something much more unpleasant in 2026.
Local election count at Utilita Arena / Photograph by Ed King
“We noticed it during the General Election” continues Hamilton. “People were saying, yes, they would give us a chance, but they don’t like our leader. And what we were finding [during the campaign for the Local Elections] was in areas like Castle Vale, Kingstanding, in Erdington, and other places, people started talking about national issues at the door.
“So at the door, we were getting national issues, not local ones. And it all ended with – we don’t like your leader. Some people were literally slamming the door in my face.
“In Oscott [the Labour candidates] had a really difficult time. It was all about immigration. They don’t want the boat people, the black people. I had people at doors. saying to me, are you black? Where are you from?”
Image from Adobe Stock Images
Paulette Hamilton became Birmingham’s first ever Black MP, coming comfortably first across the finish line in the 2022 by-election, triggered by the untimely death of Jack Dromey MP.
“Where is your mum from? Where is your grandmother from?” continues Hamilton, describing the racism she experienced ahead of the May elections. “And when I said the Caribbean [they said] well, you’re not British then.
“You’re not white. You’re not white. You’re not… your family history doesn’t come from England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales. And this is what your party is about.”
Abhorrent, no question. But how different was this to campaigning for the Parliamentary seat in 2022 or 2024, when it was about national issues?
“Much more hostile, but it was definitely on national issues. Don’t get me wrong, [people] talked about the bin strike, which was relatable. They talked about Birmingham being bankrupt. But you’d have expected to hear far more of that, considering it was [a Local Election].
“And everything was being blamed on Labour, even though Labour had only been in power for 18 months. And it was all our fault.”
(l-r) Keir Starmer and Paulette Hamilton at press conference in Erdington during 2022 by-election / Erdington Local Archives
There is little doubt that the political landscape has changed, with more popularist parties – both left and right leaning – gaining momentum and seats in the House. And with such vitriol for the leader of your party, as Hamilton admits “we were going to lose” at the next General Election.
“If I hadn’t experienced it, I wouldn’t have believed it could have happened,” adds Hamilton, “but I knew the Labour Party was headed in the wrong direction.
“We’d got the policies, we’ve got the people, but unfortunately the public have stopped… had stopped listening to us and we needed a reset.”
And that reset came, eventually, after an increasing number of Labour stalwarts began to come out and call for Keir Starmer to lay out a timeline for his resignation – the message, received sometimes so aggressively on the doorstep, was clear. A change was needed at the top.
(l-r) Keir Starmer and Paulette Hamilton meet CLP members on Erdington High Street during 2022 by-election campaign / Erdington Local archives
Paulette Hamlton took several interviews on high profile national news outlets, being very clear that Sir Keir needed to go. As risky move for a backbencher, but “I just knew that I had got nothing to lose at that point” she explains.
“I was always going out and I was always spouting the party lines,” continues Hamilton. “But it came to a point where I had to look at my constituency… I had got an Asian part of my constituency that had disengaged. They’d just disengaged with Keir Starmer, the Labour Party, the whole lot.
“Black community stayed at home, disengaged, because Derek (Douglas, who lost the race for the Stockland Green Ward by one vote to Reform’s Manni Butt) would have won that seat if the Black community had engaged enough, right?
Cllr Manni Butt at Utilita Arena after winning Stockland Green Ward by one vote / Photograph by Ed king
“White communities split to hell between reform, Labour, Greens, left, right. And then we’d got a leader that was just carrying on and not listening to what was going on out in the country. And I just felt I’m of an age where I can either carry on hoping for some big Cabinet position that was never going to come, or I can be true to what residents are saying to me.”
Backs against the wall, perhaps. And whilst the very public move, and being one of the first to make it, may have garnered Paulette Hamilton “a lot of hugs” from some in Westminster, she hasn’t got “Andy’s (Burnam) number in my phone book or been promised some position”.
“[People in Erdington] need to feel that the voices they are hearing, they can trust,” adds Hamiton. “They need to feel better that they are… They’re getting the change that they were promised. They’re getting the finances in their pocket. They feel better when they wake up compared to when they went to bed. They have seen improvements in the area where they live.”
And now that the King is dead, and the national Labour Party is on the cusp of crowning another, does our battle weary Erdington MP believe the gamble paid off?
“I actually do. And I have… you’ll be the first to know, but I have nominated [Andy Burnham. This man has done 20 odd years in Parliament. He went to Greater Manchester and learned those skills that sometimes parliamentarians haven’t got. And that is local community and what local communities need.
“And when you combine all those skills and plus his personality… He doesn’t forget a name. You know, he really is a people’s person. And I think it shines.”
