Tag: Birmingham

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NEWS: Birmingham City Council announce cuts to Youth Service with job losses and youth centres up for sale

Words by Erdington Local Editorial Team

Birmingham City Council House, Victoria Square / Adobe Stock Images

Birmingham City Council (BCC) have told devastated youth workers they are axing all part time staff and potentially putting all youth centres up for sale, in a ploy to save over £100m by 2026.

Following a meeting on 26 September, BCC Youth Service staff were left dumbfounded after Director of Children’s Services, Dr Sue Harrison, outlined the plans in a presentation to city workers which would see 44 jobs lost – including 37 youth support workers.

Youth Service staff have been waiting since April for the results of a review of the three services which deal with young people across Birmingham: careers, 14-19, and the youth service.

At the meeting last week, it was announced all three services will be merged into one service and the remaining staff were told they would not be working out of geographic centres which many fear could break the link between youngsters and their youth workers.

Staff were further told every youth centre in the city would be subject to “expression of interest” meaning third parties who want to buy them will be notified.

Junior football team / Adobe Stock Images

The recent Youth Service cuts come days after the new Labour government promised to invest in youth work, as the city remains in the grip of a teenage knife crime crisis.

But Birmingham’s Youth Service has long suffered cuts, with centres across the city shut down or stripped back. Erdington saw the cherished Malcom Locker Youth Centre close in 2014 after a previous round of council cuts and despite a locally led campaign to save it, with the neighbouring Clifton Road Youth Centre near Sutton Park only open three evenings a week.

Most recently, Foundations 4 the Future CIC – which engages young people through sport and “bespoke” programmes – was forced to give up it’s youth centre at Central Square after owners of the site decided to demolish the building following two failed bids by Birmingham City Council for regeneration funding.

Following the meeting on 26 September, and the news of job losses and asset sales, a Save Birmingham Youth Service (SBYS) spokesman told: “It has been announced that new proposals for the Youth Service will see the loss of 44 jobs. 37 of these will be youth support workers that are vital in running youth clubs and activities across our city.

“The loss of these roles will have an unprecedented effect on the services that Birmingham Youth Service can offer the young people of our amazing city. Further roles will be lost in essential admin and business roles within the new proposals.”

(SBYS have an online petition to stop the proposed cuts to Birmingham Youth Service, to learn more about their campaign and sign up click here.)

Youth workers flag up children in danger of sexual exploitation, county lines criminality, and many other types of abuse. With a record number of children in the city not attending school their role has become even more important.

Birmingham has long celebrated itself as being the youngest city in Europe, with a reported 40% of its population under 25.

Council Leader Cllr John Cotton recently recognised Birmingham “a young and dynamic city” when attending the development launch of a new Enterprise Hub in Erdington, whilst further paying tribute to the “tremendous assets that we have out in our community”.

In a statement for the press given on Friday 27 September, Dr Sue Harrison said: “Consultation has commenced on a redesign of the council’s Youth Service aimed at creating a service model that is sustainable and provides a consistent approach to youth services across the city that is more aligned with other services working with young people.

“We appreciate that any meeting where staff reductions are proposed can be difficult for staff and we have signposted support from managers as well as the council’s Employee Assistance Programme, for those who wish to take it up.”

She added “Every member of staff will be invited to a one-to-one discussion as part of the consultation process.”

Birmingham City Council is cutting services due to its ongoing financial crisis, after equal pay liabilities and a defunct IT system cost the city hundreds of millions.

After borrowing £1.25bn from central government following to balance its books the council needs to save over £300m over the next two financial years by cutting services, selling off assets, and hiking up the price of Council Tax.

The Children and Families Directorate has been given a savings target of £52.2m for 2024/25 and £63.2m for 2025/26 financial year.

For more on the Save Birmingham Youth Service campaign visit www.facebook.com/savebhamyouthservice

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FEATURE: “Libraries are so much more than just books,” Erdington rallies to support libraries across the constituency

Words by Ed King / Pics provided by Cllr Welch and Erdington Walking Group – with extra taken from archives

On 27 September, the final consultation period for the future of Birmingham libraries will come to an end – before Birmingham City Council finalise their plans for the future of the city’s Library Service.

Across the Erdington constituency there are four libraries, providing valuable resources for local residents and school children in and around Castle Vale, Kingstanding, Perry Common, and Erdington Town Centre.

But after the end of September the fate of these centres for learning and community will be in the hands of the Council financiers – as city officers look to save £2,300,000 from the library budget.

Erdington Local talked to those who have been championing the need to support our libraries and takes a look at what the future could hold after the Council’s consultation campaign draws to a close.

“Libraries are so much more than just books,” declares Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch. “They are at the centre of any local community. We must do everything possible to keep Kingstanding Library open.”

It’s a familiar battle cry, as local campaigners and politicians alike have been championing the need for libraries in their communities across the city – following the announcement by Birmingham City Council (BCC) that a citywide public consultation would be held to “help shape the future of the library service for Birmingham.”

“Help shape” might sound cordial, but the reality is the Council need to save £2,300,300 from the city’s library budget – which currently supports 35 community libraries, a mobile library, a home library service, and the Library of Birmingham. And when the biggest spend is on community library staff, amounting to £4,100,000 – nearly double the Council’s savings target – people’s work lives are literally on the line.

Local Authorities across the UK are bound by law “to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons” under their governorship, as per the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

But Birmingham City Council is broke, after haemorrhaging undisclosed millions on a defunct IT system (the official count is at £139m but many sources feel it could be considerably higher) and being found legally liable for more hundreds of millions in Equal Pay Liabilities across its significant workforce.

And whilst books don’t cost megabucks, people who work for you do – and the buildings you keep both of them in could be worth a few bob if they happened to become apartments.

So, in April 2024, a financially bludgeoned Birmingham City Council launched a public consultation and explored ways to cut costs to the library service of nearly two and half million. Proposals included permanently closing libraries, partnering with local stakeholders to run them, and turning them into Library Community Hubs providing other community services.

There is also the option to relocate the existing library and end up with an empty building or two, which is never a bad thing when you’re trying to sell off assets and realise Council equity. But as with the 21% rise in Council Tax, many felt the people who live in the city were once again set to suffer whilst they cleaned up the mess of the people who run the city. And sufficed to say, it made them angry.

“One of my campaign promises was to take the fight to save Kingstanding Library to the very heart of the Council chamber,” continues Cllr Clifton Welch. “In my maiden speech I was proud to formally second a Conservative motion to save libraries across Birmingham.”

He continues: “Since being elected, it has come as a shock every month to see Labour councillors in the chamber bring forward petitions from their residents campaigning to keep open their local libraries, and yet every single Labour councillor has voted to support the closure of libraries across Birmingham at every opportunity they have been given in the Council chamber.”

Erdington Local has not been able to verify these claims, but the rush by councillors across the city to be seen on social media championing their local libraries did become somewhat comical. All of a sudden, as the clarion call reached fever pitch, councillor’s social media threads were full of selfies with a pensioner or a school child holding a book. And if you didn’t have a library in your own political ward, then borrow one from a colleague.

However, there are those with more longstanding political skin in the library game. Oscott’s Cllr Barbara Dring (Labour), who has been the ward’s elected official since 2004, has been vocal about importance of Kingstanding Library for many years.

During the last Birmingham City Council consultation on its Library Service, which finished in January 2017, Cllr Dring helped generate funds and secure its future through a partnership with Witton Lodge Community Association (WLCA) – who were looking to deliver services from both Perry Common and Kingstanding Libraries.

Speaking at the Kingstanding Library relaunch event in 2017, Cllr Dring tells: “I’m absolutely delighted to have led on this project for Kingstanding Library, the money put into it has regenerated this library and also Perry Common Library.”

She adds: “The library is at the heart of the community and by doing what we’re doing we have put other services into the library which has enabled us to keep this library alive.”

As part of BCC’s current consultation, “opportunities to work with partners” are being explored as part of Library Services’ ongoing delivery strategy. There are also proposals for 10 Community Library Hubs – one in each constituency – which will provide a range of services from money advice and food pantries, to digital inclusion support and computer access.

Plus, the involvement of external organisations could alleviate the staff costs currently incurred by BCC. This may mean redundancies or loss of working hours for those currently on the Council’s payroll, but BCC promise the Community Library Hubs “could be open on a full-time basis (35 hours per week)”.

WLCA have come to the Council’s bricks and mortar rescue on a few occasions, from their renovation of the crumbling Gatekeeper’s Cottage at Witton Lakes into a well-used Eco Hub, to the recent project to turn the old swimming baths on Erdington High Street into an Enterprise Hub.

And their involvement in Kingstanding Library and Perry Common Library, alongside that of Spitfire Services with Castle Vale Library, have arguably saved three out of four of the constituency’s libraries.

As WLCA Chief Officer, Afzal Hussain, tells Erdington Local: “Our local libraries are an essential part of the social fabric of our community, offering a lifeline for people to connect, learn and access vital support services.”

He adds: “WLCA is committed to maintaining our collaboration with local libraries to secure their long-term viability for future generations.”

But the beating heart of community often comes from the people marching the ground. And, in Erdington at least, none are more committed to both than Erdington Walking Group (EWG) founder Selina Gooden, who recently organised a round trip walk from Erdington Library to Perry Common Library to encourage people to take part in the Council consultation and to champion the importance of libraries to the community.

The walk was also to celebrate 90 years since the opening of Perry Common Library and organised for the day of the anniversary.

Alongside her passion for health and social inclusion, Selina is also a songwriter and poet, which (mirroring the sentiments of Jack Reacher novelist Lee Childs) came from her salad days devouring poetry.

“Where did I go to find such poetry books…?” tells Selina. “The library. As a child I had no idea what would become of my love for poetry, how it would help me create so many songs and poems – all thanks to the library.”

She adds: “Libraries are incredibly important, because not only do they provide resources and services for literacy and education, but they also help us to expand our network – which goes a long way where connectedness is concerned.”

The EWG walk between the two libraries gained a lot of local attention and support, with Selina recounting “a real sense of unity and pride” between those involved – even picking up some library staff members along the way, who joined the EWG in solidarity.

But the opportunity to “help shape” the future of Birmingham’s Library Services is still on the table, through the face to face consultation sessions or the Council’s own online questionnaire.

“All our libraries are faced with a challenging financial situation and are now required to make considerable budget savings… which will affect all who live, work and/or study in Birmingham.

“Now you have the chance to shape a better Library Service that will benefit you and people across our city for years to come,” adds Selina.

“The consultation outcomes will help inform decisions taken by the Council after it has ended. Please don’t let this opportunity pass you by, have your say before it’s too late.”

The last face to face library consultation in Erdington will be at Perry Common Library on 23 September. Birmingham City Council’s questionnaire will be online until 27 September at: www.birminghambeheard.org.uk

(Ed’s note – this feature was first published in the Erdington Local printed edition dated September/October ’24.

The original feature references Witton Lodge Community Association/WLCA as being involved in the “the running of Kingstanding Library” – whereas WLCA were in fact delivering services from the library, after a partnership with Birmingham City Council Libraries Team in 2017.

Erdington Local issues a full apology for any misrepresentation in the original feature. For further information and to see the source material used, please click here. )

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NEWS: Erdington MP goes against party line with ‘no vote recorded’ on motion to block cuts to winter fuel allowance

Words by Ed King

According to official Westminster sources, Erdington MP Paulette Hamilton has ‘no vote recorded’ over the plans to block contentious cuts to the winter fuel allowance – which would affect approximately 10 million pensioners across the UK.

After a motion to annul the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 was brought to the House by the Conservative Party, all Labour MPs were expected to follow the party line and support the proposed cuts – with a vote against the motion to be held on Tuesday 10 September.

But with ‘no vote recorded’ against Ms Hamilton after a heated debate and subsequent ballot in the House of Commons earlier today, this makes the Erdington MP one of 53 Labour MPs across the country who did not succumb to the party whip.

Following the Chancellor’s announcement in July that a £22bn “black hole” in public finances would see the winter fuel allowance become means tested, the proposed cuts received significant backslash – with many arguing it would put the burden of the country’s finances on the most vulnerable, instead of addressing tax reforms to recoup the deficit.

Looking to push through the changes without a vote in the House, Prime Minister and Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer had previously suspended seven ‘rebel’ MPs who initially stood against the Government on the two-child benefit cap – showing a hard line approach to any internal party opposition.

However, following a challenge from the Conservatives to scrap the proposed cuts a vote was scheduled for Tuesday 10 September – with 348 MPs voting against the motion to annul the changes, and 228 backing it.

72 MPs were identified as having ‘no vote recorded’, effectively abstaining from the vote, 52 of which were Labour Members of Parliament – going directly against the Government’s calls for party unity on the issue.

Labour MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, Jon Trickett, voted in favour of the motion to annul the Government’s proposals to the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment.

Other Midlands MPs with ‘no vote recorded’ in the Commons today are Tahir Ali (Hall Green and Moseley, Labour), Cat Eccles (Stourbridge, Labour), and Sarah Edwards (Tamworth, Labour).

In statement to Erdington Local, Ms Hamilton MP told: “I recognise concerns about the recent changes the Chancellor has made to the Winter Fuel Payments Scheme and that’s why I met with Age UK in July to hear about these directly.

“The new Government is having to make really tough decisions, after our economy was wrecked by the last Government, who left a £22bn black hole in the public finances.”

She added: “I know that people in Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale and South Oscott will be feeling worried about this decision, especially in the run up to winter and I want to assure them that I will continue to put pressure on people in my party to protect the most vulnerable in society and explore alternative means through which to reduce the deficit.”

Birmingham Conservatives Leader and Erdington Ward Councillor Robert Alden told: “This decision by the Labour Government will be devastating for thousands of pensioners across Erdington Constituency.

“It is estimated that over 11,000 pensioners in Erdington Constituency and over 117,000 across the City of Birmingham, will have their winter fuel allowance removed just as the cold weather approaches.

“Labour has, for years, said these payments were vital for saving lives, yet within weeks of being elected they are slashing these very payments.”

Cllr Alden added: “The reality is this cut to the Winter Fuel Allowance is a direct attack on low income pensioners across Erdington and Birmingham. Labour is forcing them to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table – which Labour’s own research has said will potentially kill 4000 people.

“This isn’t fiscal responsibility—it’s cruel and unnecessary and Labour MPs should have backed the Conservative oppositions motion to stop these cuts.”

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NEWS: Castle Vale Councillor to hold ‘Crime and Community Safety Summit’ at Greenwood Academy on 18 May

Words & pics by Ed King / Profile pic supplied by Cllr Ray Goodwin

Castle Vale Councillor Ray Goodwin (Labour) is to hold a special ‘Crime and Community Safety Summit’ to address concerns of crime and policing on the estate.

Scheduled for Saturday 18 May, the event will be held in Greenwood Academy’s main school hall from 1:30pm – open to all and free to attend.

Local residents and community groups will be invited, as will the local police force, representatives from the estate’s main housing provider The Pioneer Group, and the Erdington constituency MP Paulette Hamilton.

Cllr Goodwin has informed Erdington Local he will further be inviting the sitting West Midlands Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, who will both begin their new terms in office from 2 May.

Cllr Goodwin has organised the public meeting after being “fed up” with the “hands off approach” to policing on Castle Vale, and the dangers a lack of visible police presence can allow.

Having held a previous public meeting about safety on the estate in 2023, Cllr Goodwin has pushed forward this year’s ‘crime summit’ after police seemingly ignored local witness reports of gun shots following a “violent disorder” on the High Street on Thursday 5 April.

According to the police’s initial statement issued on Friday 6 April, the attack, which took place in broad daylight in and around the Nisa convenience store, was isolated to “four masked men – understood to be carrying machetes”.

However, multiple Castle Vale locals reported hearing what they believed to be gun shots and took to social media to warn others about the incident.

Cllr Goodwin repeatedly petitioned police to escalate their investigation and take seriously the potential involvement of firearms, even taking them to where spent shotgun cartridges had been found near the scene of the crime.

Days later and after heavy rainfall, police returned to continue with forensic investigations, stating they had received “a report of a firearm being discharged” and were “keeping an open mind” about the nature of the assault.

Cllr Goodwin told Erdington Local: “Like many residents, I am fed up with what feels like a hands off approach from the police when it comes to crime on Castle Vale. I understand budgets have been cut, but the lack of police presence on the estate is a serious concern.

“Plus, the seeming unwillingness to listen to local residents is totally unacceptable – we should be working together to keep Castle Vale safe; residents should not have to push the police into action over reports of serious crime.”

Crime on Castle Vale is often a cause for concern amongst the local residents, businesses, and civic stakeholders who live and work on the estate. In a recent Ward meeting, one of the action plan points was how to make Castle Vale ‘bold and safe’ – with a formal request to see the estate’s CCTV upgraded featured on the meeting minutes.

The absence of a local police station in Castle Vale has also often been criticised, following its closure after West Midlands Police announced an initial 28 community stations were getting axed in 2015. The building, situated at the end of Castle Vale High Street, has now been converted into apartments.

But whilst the impact of crime and the loss of community policing is felt across the city, there are a mix of opinions about how these issues directly affect life on the north Birmingham estate.

One Castle Vale resident told Erdington Local: “I don’t think the policing on Castle Vale is any worse than other areas of Birmingham. The recent incident (on 5 April) highlighted the fact that the police need to listen to the residents more and take on board what they say. 

“If it hadn’t been for Cllr Ray Goodwin and Erdington Local, they would not have investigated the firearms involvement. A bigger police presence would be appreciated at night when the street cruising and racing around the estate is rife.”

However, another Castle Vale local and young mother added: “I can’t let my children play out on the estate due to the amount of violent crime which goes unchecked. If there was a more visible police presence there wouldn’t be as many teenagers out to cause trouble. 

“Youngsters on motorbikes race round the estate and, even if reported, the police don’t come to investigate or find them. We also need the CCTV system to be fully functioning and monitored 24 hours a day.”

Organised by Cllr Ray Goodwin, the ‘Crime and Community Safety Summit’ will be held at Greenwood Academy from 1:30pm on Saturday 18 May – free to attend and open to all.

Updates will be posted online at www.facebook.com/thisiscastlevale and on Erdington Local

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NEWS: Free photo walks around Rookery Park and Erdington High Street – ahead of Green Spaces exhibition at Ikon Gallery

Words & pics by Ed King

Across March, a series of free to access photo walks and workshops will be held in Erdington – with Birmingham born photographer Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora inviting local residents to explore how green spaces and urban settings can impact their mental health.

Starting on Monday 4 March, the first photo walk will take place between 10:30am and 12noon – with subsequent workshops held at the same time on Monday 11 March and Monday 24 March.

The events will run for about 45mins each, with regular stops, and no previous experience of photography required to take part. Organisers have asked those attending to ‘wear suitable warm clothing and footwear for urban walking.’

Locations outlined for the photo walks include Rookery Park and Erdington High Street.

As well as the photography workshops, participants will have the option to display their work at Ikon Gallery in June as part of a special exhibition called Green Spaces – alongside portraits of those who attended the events in green spaces that are important to them, taken by Dhaliwal-Boora.

Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora is an award winning Birmingham photographer and multi disciplinarian artist, who uses her work to ‘empower and give voice’ to marginalised communities and explore how to visually capture and represent ethnicity, gender, and place.

Awarded the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Britain prize for three years running, from 2022-24, her previous work has been exhibited at the UN Headquarters in New York, Wembley Stadium, The People’s History Museum in Manchester, and at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

To see previous portraits taken by Dhaliwal-Boora, click here to visit her online portfolio or on the link below.

A collaboration between Ikon Gallery and Living Well Consortium – a group of 30 charities, volunteer groups, and not-for-profit mental health organisations – the Green Spaces project and exhibition are intended to ‘raise awareness of, and engagement with, topics centred on mental health and wellbeing’, according to organisers.

According to UK based mental health charity Mind, a quarter of the British population will experience mental health problems – with the Office of National Statistics finding the one in six people across the UK will experience depression at any one time.

Men’s suicide rates, often linked to mental health concerns or depression, are three time higher than women’s in the UK – as found in a report published by The Samaritans.

Green Spaces is scheduled to be on display at Ikon Gallery from 12–23 June, later this year.

For more information and to book a place on the Erdington photo walks, please email Green Spaces producer Amelia Hawk at [email protected]

To find out more about the Green Spaces photo walks and workshops in Erdington visit: www.ikon-gallery.org/news/view/photo-walks-and-workshops

For more on the Green Spaces exhibition at Ikon Gallery visit www.ikon-gallery.org/exhibition/green-spaces

For more on Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora visit www.jaskirtdhaliwalboora.com

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FEATURE: Eco Together in Erdington, inspiring environmental action across the city at Witton Lakes Eco Hub

Words Ed King / Pics by Ewan Williamson

On 27 January 2024, the Bath born and Birmingham adopted Eco Together project celebrated a year of inspiring independent environmental action in and around Erdington – including a specially designed ten week course at the Eco Hub with Witton Lodge Community Association.

Erdington Local went to watch Eco Together cut the cake at the Witton Lakes ecological and community hub – and to hear how the Erdington held course has started a ripple effect of change across the city.

“…people have the power to create the change. It’s just the law of numbers; there’s way more of us.”

The room is full – of both people and passion. But also hope and ambition. Eco Together has been running courses across Birmingham for a year, brought to the second city by Stephanie Boyle – a retired clinical psychologist who found Eco Together whilst researching climate change online.

Starting in Bath, Eco Together works on a micro effecting macro approach, encouraging ‘small groups of friends, neighbours or colleagues’ to come together and realise the ‘powers’ they have in tackling climate change and environmental issues. And at this special anniversary celebration the energy in the room is palpable.

The Eco Hub, located at Witton Lakes, a converted century old gatekeeper’s cottage with ecological issues literally at its foundations, hosted the longest running Birmingham based Eco Together course – evolving the standard five week open platform programme into a special ten week series of workshops and group discussions.

Developed by Stephanie Boyle from the open source material offered by Eco Together, the extended course was commissioned at the request of Witton Lodge Community Association, who also built the Eco Hub. A group of about nine local residents met up every week to discuss environmental issues and to look beyond the bigger picture and ask what they, as individuals, could do to make change.

“It made me feel confident that I could do something,” explains Pauline Brown, who attended the Eco Together course earlier in the year. “As an individual you care about the climate and pollution, and you try and do your best, but you feel like you’re just a little isolated person trying.”

Campaigners worldwide, especially when dealing with worldwide problems, often cite those first few steps as the most daunting.

“But when it came to the (Eco Together) course I was with others who were interested,” adds Pauline, “and those ‘powers’, that’s what really got me – how you can communicate, your advocacy, and talk about it (environmental issues) to other people fires you up with ideas… you bounce of each other.”

“It was useful as a way of discussing what options are available to you as an individual,” adds Nettes Derbyshire – who attended a five week programme run with Shakti Women in Birmingham City Centre.

“I mean, there are things that I knew. But it really challenges you to say ‘well what are you going to do about that?’ and look at what little difference you can make – and to actually go away with something each week and say ‘I’m going to try and do that’.

“(The course) really opened my eyes to my own advocacy, and how you really can shout at the people to do things and really encourage the Local Authority, or whomever it is, and just keep on picking at it until they get it… and hope that they do.”

The ‘powers’ are the main tenet of Eco Together, and like every good collection of cornerstones there are four of them: lifestyle, communication, community, and advocacy.

Started by Sarah Grimes – who graduated with Distinction from Oxford University after reading Environmental Policy and who has worked in, around, and against local government for over 25 years – Eco Together uses these ‘powers’ to galvanise the strength of the individual and to show the simple steps one person can take to chip away at worldwide wall of ignorance and inertia.

Cleaning behind your fridge, for example, saves significant home energy use. It’s hard to think of anything more immediate and simple, but also exponential. Eco Together came from the Transition Bath project that saw around 500 households ‘cut an average of £570 from their annual bills and 1.3 tonnes from their carbon footprint,’ – and that figure of 500 households started with one.

Not bad for a community led charity, and one that proved so effective it started to grab the attention of Councils and Local Authorities across the county.

“It’s amazing, absolutely amazing,” tells Sarah Grimes – after thanking the Birmingham crowd for their involvement over the past twelve months and their ambitions for the next. “And what it shows to me is that the format can adapt to lots of different circumstance and lots of different ways of working.”

Sarah continues: “Initially it was thought of being just a neighbourhood group, but here (Birmingham – Eco Hub) it’s been run as a course, it’s been run by community groups, by organisations, with staff.

“And that shows that the main tenant of Eco Together is the ‘powers’. So, this is a slightly different framing to how we’re used to thinking about environmental issues, and thinking my powers go beyond the ability to choose one product over another product – they actually go into what do I do with the communities I’m in. What do I do, as a citizen, to represent to politicians and businesses. And whether or not I talk about climate change.

 “All of those things are things you can do to make an impact, and that principle can really be used with any issue and with any group of people. And that’s what happening here, which is so exciting.”

It’s a simple premise, but it works. In Birmingham, for example, Eco Together is now being looked at to help support the city’s Net Zero agenda and cut its emissions down to ‘zero or as close as possible to prevent further temperature increases’ – beating the Government benchmark by two decades.

In less than twelve months a handful of people, attending free to access workshops in and around Erdington, have shown the city how it can be done. And the city took note.

“We were invited to a specific session about community action, I think it was about week five,” tells Stockland Green Councillor Jane Jones (Labour), who attended one of the workshops where the power of ‘advocacy’ was on the table – alongside her Perry Common counterpart, Councillor Jilly Bermingham.

“But we were really impressed,” Cllr Jones continues. “We saw the training manual and it was really thorough. I learnt loads just reading one part of it. It was excellent, and the turnout… there were so many people there as well, and they were really interested in the environment.

“It didn’t matter where you were on the scale of knowledge, it really opened people’s eyes. Some people knew absolutely nothing (about environmental issues) and started from scratch, then there were people with more experience and still got something out if it. I certainly did.”

Bringing truth to power can be notoriously tricky, especially when the problem at hand is such a worldwide issue and local government is, well, local. But can the approach from groups like Eco Together actually have an impact, can an individual’s advocacy on an issue tun the relevant responsible authority heads?

“We encourage (local advocacy) that’s why we have open advice bureau,” tells Cllr Bermingham, “because we’re encouraging people to come and talk to us and tell us their issues. I’ve had people come and talk to me about community garden and women’s groups… everything. And they’re the advocates coming to me and pushing their groups, and that’s important.

“It’s all the things joining up. None of us can do it on our own.”

Cllr Jones, never one to duck a tough question, adds: “Whatever the policies the Council have, we’re not always very good at following them through. So, we need keeping on our toes.”

Eco Together in Erdington, anniversary celebration at Witton Lakes Eco Hub / Ewan Williamson

For more on Eco Together visit www.ecotogether.info

For more on the Eco Hub and other projects delivered by Witton Lodge Community Association visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

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FEATURE: Erdington renters facing millions in extra energy costs as the government scraps efficiency plans

Words by Ed King and Josh Neicho

People renting private accommodation in Erdington could have paid out over £1.1million in extra energy costs this winter, after the Government scrapped plans to force landlords to up their energy efficiency standards – according to research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

The legislative U-turn was announced in a press release issued by Downing Street before Christmas, outlining several points where the Prime Minister has “revised plans” previously set for the UK to challenge climate change and to reach net zero by 2050.

According to the United Nations, whose member states made collective promises on environmental issues in the 2015 Paris Agreement, net zero means “cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible” – and to a level where any remaining emissions can be naturally “re-absorbed from the atmosphere”.

Amongst these commitments, the UK pledged to introduce new legislation that would force all privately rented tenancies to carry an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above by 2028 – bringing their properties in line with the most energy efficient systems and reducing bills for renters.

However, under new plans announced by the Prime Minister in late 2023, the Government has now stated it will: “Scrap policies to force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties” but would “instead continue to encourage households to do so where they can.”

In new analysis, published by the ECIU, it was found that 73% of private rented homes in Erdington currently carry an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or lower – meaning the new laws would have forced an upgrade in thousands of homes across the constituency and made their energy consumption cost less.

With improved energy systems, and based on figures from energy ombudsman Ofgem and net zero consultants Cornwall Insight, the ECIU estimate Erdington renters could save up to £26million in energy costs by 2050 if all homes carried an EPC rating between A-C.

The ECIU further calculated private renters across the constituency missed out on £1.1million in potential savings over the 2023/24 winter months alone.

Other policy shifts made in the Government’s statement include pulling back on their proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, and extending the deadline for homeowners to install more energy efficient boilers.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls the new plans a “fairer” approach to the UK’s commitment to becoming net zero by 2050, insisting the UK will still meet its targets for 2030 and 2035 and the revised agenda is “a pragmatic, proportionate and realistic path”.

Organisations representing private landlords have also welcomed the changes, with Ben Thompson, Deputy CEO at Mortgage Advice Bureau, highlighting the “pressing timelines” many were under to retrofit new energy systems. 

Environmental and social activists, however, have challenged the Government’s revised plans – arguing they renege on the UK’s previous promises to effectively challenge climate change, and leave individual households paying hundreds more in their annual energy bills.

Paul Barnes, regional organiser for community union ACORN West Midlands, believes private households will bear the brunt of the Government’s shift in policy.

He said: “Tenants in the UK are facing an impossible challenge of rising costs and stagnant wages. The government’s decision to row back on its commitments for landlords to increase the energy efficiency of homes will push renters and our members further into poverty.

“With growing issues of rent increase linked with increasing energy costs, many of our members are already having to make impossible choices. We demand that the UK Government brings back its commitments to increased energy efficiency.”

Jess Ralston, Energy Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, added: “Private renters include some of the most vulnerable people in society, such as those with a long-term illness or disability and low-income families. There’s no two ways about it, they will be made colder and poorer by scrapping these standards.

“The Prime Minister has essentially picked the landlord over the renter with his U-turn, in a move that makes no sense to fuel poverty charities or to energy companies alike.”

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, or want more information about your rights and responsibilities over domestic energy use, contact Ofgem via www.ofgem.gov.uk

for more from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit visit www.eciu.net

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LOCAL Q&A: Andy Harper – author of Knitted Swimming Trunks

Words by Ed King / Pics supplied by Andy Harper and Brewin Books

Just before Christmas, local author Andy Harper released his tell all autobiography – Knitted Swimming Trunks, published by Brewin Books. Click here for our first news story about the book and its author.

A searingly honest portrayal of school life in the 50s and 60s, told through the eyes of a self-confessed “massive target for bullies”, the 252 page paperback begins as the Erdington based author is born.

Knitted Swimming Trunks then takes the reader through his childhood growing up in the back to backs in Birmingham and continues across his troubled school years, until the day he received his City and Guild certificate after leaving education.

An intrinsically Brummie journey of hope and humility, hear more about Knitted Swimming Trunks as Erdington Local caught up with Andy Harper just before his debut book hit the shelves.

______

Congratulations on you first book, what compelled you to write about your life?

“Lockdown came along and I was bored to tears. I help out with a charity called Dogs for Good (based in Banbury), socialising assistance dogs, and that gave me an excuse to go out. But everywhere was closed down and it was weird, it was a bit like a horror film. And there’s only so many repeats of Bargain Hunt you can stay indoors and watch.

“So, I started to write things down about those very early years as a legacy for my children and grandchildren – and then it seemed to grow and grow, and my wife said you’ve got a book here.”

 

The narrative focuses on your difficult school years, but what made them so challenging for you?

“It wasn’t until the back to backs were being knocked down, and we ended up moving to Rubery, that I was enrolled for any length of time into a school. And when I started at Colmers Farm I was very weak, very frail – emotionally and educationally I was well, well down. I was a massive target for bullies. And I was put on the ‘thick table’ which didn’t help.

“Then I went into senior school, and I remember sitting in reception and the headmaster coming onto the stage and telling us: ‘there are two types of people in this world, there are the chefs and they’ve passed the Eleven Plus and gone onto Grammer School. You lot are destined to stir the pot.’

“Now if you say that to a frail young lad who is very emotionally damaged because of the bullying and everything, what’s going to happen…? I went into a little bubble, sat at the back of the classroom, and just looked out of the window. And I did that for the majority of my school years.”

 

That must have been difficult as a younger child.

“I did feel let down by my schooling. But it isn’t a ‘woe is me’ book because it wasn’t just happening to me, it was happening the thousands of other children at that time. And all the teachers seemed to be interested in were the bright ones at front who keep putting their hands up and answering questions.

“But really they should be concentrating on those ones at the back who just sit there – those are the ones who need the teacher’s attention. But it wasn’t given, that’s just the way education was back in the 50’s.”

 

And where did the title, Knitted Swimming Trunks, come from?

“Back in the 50’s mothers used to kit you everything: hats, gloves, jumpers, everything. Because it was cheaper. My mother, bless her, decided to knit me swimming trunks… it didn’t work out. I didn’t notice the flaw in the design until I got into the sea at Westen Super Mare; I got a very strange feeling in the material around the groin, then they just billowed out and became very saggy.

“And it was a hell of a long walk back to where my mum and dad were, at the far end of Weston beach, holding on for dear life to these soggy knitted swimming trunks.”

 

That sounds embarrassing…

“All through the book it’s the rather embarrassing, rather bizarre things that happened to me. And that just typified what might have started out as a wonderful idea but ended up in complete disaster. So, the ridicule of that walk back sums up a lot of what was happening to me in those years.

“But It’s not just about knitted swimming trunks, it’s about my personal story of growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, seeing how the world and Birmingham was changing through my eyes. It’s very nostalgic.

“There are lots of tears in the book but also lots of laugh out loud moments; I experienced the whole lot across those twenty odd years.”

 

And for someone learning about your life today, through this book, what would you want them to take away from reading Knitted Swimming Trunks?

“This book is about making sure you’re not defined by the bullies and doing the best you can. It’s about making the most of yourself and not allowing it to be a bad experience. It’ll make you cry on one page, then loud out loud on the next.

“Hopefully some teachers will read it and think, let’s see what’s happening at the back of the class…”

Knitted Swimming Trunks by Andy Harper is out now, available through Brewin Books. For more information and links to online sales visit: www.brewinbooks.com/knitted_swimming_trunks

To contact Andy Harper directly please email: [email protected]

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NEWS: Knitted Swimming Trunks – “It’ll make you cry on one page, then laugh out loud on the next”, local author releases tell all autobiography of 50s and 60s school life

Words by Ed King / Pic supplied by Andy and Bridget Harper

Local author Andy Harper has released his tell all autobiography of 50s and 60s school life in Birmingham – Knitted Swimming Trunks is out from 17 November, published by Brewin Books.

A searingly honest portrayal of life in and around the classrooms of the 50s and 60s, told through the eyes of a self-confessed “massive target for bullies”, the 252 page paperback begins as the Erdington based author is born and takes the reader up to the day he received his City and Guild certificate after leaving secondary school.

Having lived across the city – from early beginnings in Weoley Castle, to the ‘adventure playground’ of the back to in Birmingham City Centre, to starting his married life in Erdington – Andy Harper is a brummie born and raised.

However, his entry into the world was not an easy one. Delivered at home with nuchal cord asphyxiation, where the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck preventing air supply to the new lungs, Andy suffered with “every illness going” when he was a young child – keeping him out of education until attending Colmers Farm School in Rubery several years later in life.

“It wasn’t until the back to backs were being knocked down, and we ended up moving to Rubery, that I was enrolled for any length of time into a school,” explains Andy, “and when I started at Colmers Farm I was very weak, very frail – emotionally and educationally I was well, well down.”

He continues: “I was put on the ‘thick table’, which didn’t help. But I met some wonderful characters, and a lot of the book is about a very dysfunctional bunch of friends at school – getting into all sorts of scrapes.”

Pulling no punches, the title of the book describes a life changing humiliation at Weston Super Mare, when the titular knitted swimming trunks – made from love because “back in the 50’s mothers used to knit you everything” – prompted a long walk of shame back from the sea to his parents on the beach. 

The book goes on to challenge the cruelty of school life, from both teachers and fellow students, and stand as a stark warning not to disregard the quieter children as “those are the ones who need the teacher’s attention.”

But as the author himself describes, Knitted Swimming Trunks “is not a woe is me book”, but more a clarion call for young people struggling to navigate the challenges of youth.

“I really hope that when people read the book they can reflect on that (the difficulties some children face at school) because it may be happening to them now. And this is what I say – put your hand up, do something, tell someone about the bullying, tell someone what’s going on.”

He continues: “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done or what people say you are, you’ve every right to become the person you want to be. You don’t need to be an academic, you just need passion and desire.

“This book is about making sure you’re not defined by these people and doing the best you can. It’s about making the most of yourself and not allowing it to be a bad experience. It’ll make you cry on one page, then laugh out loud on the next.”

Knitted Swimming Trunks by Andy Harper is available through Brewin Books – out from 17 November. For more information and links to online sales visit: www.brewinbooks.com/knitted_swimming_trunks

To contact Andy Harper directly please email: [email protected]

 

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NEWS: Erdington Rotary Club open Peace Garden at Spring Lane Playing Fields – Thursday 21 September

Words by Ed King / Pics supplied by Erdington Rotary Club

On Thursday 21 September, Erdington residents and people from across the district are invited to the opening of a new Peace Garden at Spring Lane Playing Fields – organised by Erdington Rotary Club (ERC).

Anyone interested in attending has been asked to arrive at around 1pm, ready for the ceremony to begin in full at 1:30pm. The event is free and all ages are welcome, with light refreshments served by the ERC.

Unveiled in line with World Peace Day, the ‘place of peace and reflection’ will be housed in the playing fields’ ‘tiny forest and ecological area’ and is the first stage of an ongoing commitment which will ‘develop over the coming years.’

Dignitaries honouring the event will include Erdington Ward Councillor and Leader of Birmingham Conservatives Robert Alden, alongside the Rotary Club’s Immediate Past District Governor (IPDG) John Parkinson and Past District Governor (PDG) Margaret Morley.

Participants will be invited to plant a Peace Rose to commemorate the occasion, with dignitaries present further invited to address the crowds. Once open to the public, ERC are also keen to bring young people into the Peace Garden’s development, hoping ‘community participation’ will further underpin the project.

Peace Gardens are described by Collins English Dictionary as ‘a public park that is dedicated to peace’,  and have an international legacy of representing nations and states situated together in a natural setting.

Whilst reports of the first ‘Peace Garden’ vary, many have been proposed and bult in the shadow of major conflicts, disputes, or disasters.

One of the most prominent Peace Gardens in England is located in front of Sheffield’s Town Hall, first built in 1938 and now containing several memorials for citizens of Sheffield who were killed in conflicts including in the Spanish Civil War and the Korean War – alongside both World Wars.

Sheffield’s Peace Gardens also contains a memorial to those killed at Hiroshima, after an internationally sanctioned atomic bomb was dropped on the city by North American forces in 1945 – reportedly killing up to 150,000 people.

Sponsored by the supermarket chain Tesco, who have an Express outlet at Six Ways near Erdington High Street, the Peace Garden at Spring Lane Playing Fields is part of the local Rotarian’s ‘Create Hope in the World’ agenda which sees the Club support many local charities and projects.

The project was further supported by £250 that ERC were awarded for environmental work with The Queen’s Green Canopy Project.

The idea for a Peace Garden came after ERC were awarded a peace pole for the work they do supporting Erdington Cricket Club and encouraging young people to play sport.

A spokesperson for Erdington Rotary Club told Erdington Local: “Club members decided to build the garden because we were awarded a peace pole by our District Leadership Team, this was in response to our very successful cricket project at Spring Lane.

“We all felt that it would be lovely for the community to have a place to meet within the local green space.

“We will be installing a bench so that people will have somewhere to sit for a while and in due course we will be planting a rose garden there as well, these will be Peace Roses and Rotary Roses.

“The garden will also be used as an educational opportunity to introduce young people to the concept of positive peace. We feel that such a facility is much needed in the modern world.

“This is a Rotary/United Nations project and has no religious or political affiliations, we hope that everyone will use it and that it will become a genuine community asset.”

Click here for more on Erdington Rotary Club – or visit their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087397171800

For more on Spring Lane Playing Fields visit www.sports-facilities.co.uk/sites/view/6007466