Tag: Kingstanding

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OPINION: A message from Paulette Hamilton, MP for Erdington

Paulette Hamilton MP (centre) with local community group memebers / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

(Ed’s note… this column was written for the January/February Erdington Local newspaper and first published on 20.01.26)

Words by Paulette Hamilton MP

A very happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a restful Christmas and were able to spend quality time with family and loved ones, just as I did at home here in Erdington.

Over recent weeks, I have been meeting with local groups including the Friends of Conker Island, Together in the Community and New Heights to listen directly from residents about their priorities for Kingstanding. These conversations will shape how the £20 million Pride in Place fund is delivered. This investment has the potential to bring real, lasting change, but only if it is driven by local voices, local needs and local ambition.

I have also seen some surprising claims from local Conservatives attempting to take credit for this funding. Let me be clear. After 14 years of Conservative government, Erdington was repeatedly overlooked for investment, including a rejected £10 million Levelling Up bid for Erdington High Street. That is their legacy; this £20 million is ours.

To keep this conversation going, I am hosting a public meeting for Kingstanding residents on Friday 23 January, 11am–1pm, at New Heights, St John’s Centre. I encourage you to come along and have your say.

Community safety remains a top priority. I recently met Sgt Fulford for a local policing update and was encouraged by progress under Operation Skybridge, which has already led to arrests, reduced crime and the disruption of a major cannabis farm.

I look forward to seeing many of you on the 23rd.

For more on Paulette Hamilton MP for Erdington visit www.paulettehamilton.org

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OPINION: John Lambert, Chair of Reform UK Erdington Branch

Chair of Reform UK Erdington Branch John Lambert (far left) with local campaigners at Kingstanding Circle / Photograph supplied by Reform UK Erdington Branch

(Ed’s note… this column was written for the January/February Erdington Local newspaper and first published on 20.01.26)

Words by John Lambert

January in Erdington has a particular honesty. The lights are down and what remains is the everyday. Getting the kids to school, keeping a business open and hoping the street still feels like yours when you get home.

All across Castle Vale, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Kingstanding, Oscott, Perry Common, Pype Hayes and Stockland Green, residents are telling us the same thing. They do not want another set of promises in 2026. They want the basics done properly. Bins collected on time, streets kept clean, potholes repaired before they swallow a wheel and anti-social behaviour dealt with, rather than managed.

They also want fairness. Planning rules should mean something, not least when decent streets are being slowly worn down by fly-tipping, nuisance vehicles and the quiet creep of overcrowded HMOs that change a street’s rhythm overnight. Good landlords should not be undercut by rogue operators who ignore standards because enforcement is rare. Residents should not be left to log the same complaints again and again while nothing moves.

Operation Fearless by West Midlands Police has brought a bracing reminder of what normal should look like. Visible patrols, pace and consequence. But a town should not require a named operation to feel protected. If urgency works when it is organised and resourced, it should work every day of the year.

We are Reform UK’s Erdington Branch.

Like every resident in Erdington, we want competence. We will push for transparent spending, firmer enforcement and a council that treats residents as customers, not an afterthought. You may have already seen us in Erdington’s neighbourhoods, listening, taking notes and asking residents the simplest question of all.

What would you fix first if the people in charge were finally prepared to do the job? Please send your suggestions to [email protected]

For more from Reform UK’s Erdington Branch visit www.reformerdington.co.uk

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OPINION: A message from Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch

(l-r) Alex Richards, Father Christmas, Cllr Clifton Welch at Kingstanding Inn / Photograph supplied by Cllr Welch

(Ed’s note… this column was written for the January/February Erdington Local newspaper and first published on 20.01.26)

Words by Cllr Clifton Welch

Dear residents,

I thought I’d take this opportunity to outline the type of visits my Local Conservative Campaigner Alex Richards I and have been making over the past six weeks.

On 21 November, Alex and I were proud to attend the memorial for the 51 year anniversary of the Birmingham pub bombings, when the IRA murdered 21 innocent people. The memorial was held in the city centre with a church service followed by speeches at the New Street Station Tree Sculpture dedicated to the 21 victims.

On 20 December I met Father Christmas when he visited The Golden Hind pub. The next day Alex and I were lucky enough to have our photo taken with Father Christmas when he attended the Christmas Fun Day at the Kingstanding Inn.

On Christmas Eve, Alex and I attend a carol service at St Lukes Church and stayed for coffee and mince pies. On Boxing Day, Alex and I were invited to the Together in the Community meal dedicated to the homeless and elderly and had a great time enjoying the live music in the evening.

On 12 January, I met the People for People Charity based in College Rd and they outlined their proposals for community engagement through schools, churches, and local outreach.

On 14 January, I hosted the Kingstanding Ward Meeting which covered wide range of issues such as Pride in Place investment, new speed zones around Crossways Lane and Twickenham Road, Burford Road playing fields, and failed bin collections.

Clifton.

To contact Kingstanding Cllr Clifton Welch email [email protected]

For more from Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch and local campaigner Alex Richards visit www.facebook.com/KingstandingConservatives/

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OPINION: A message from Paulette Hamilton, MP for Erdington

Paulette Hamilton MP at coffee morning in Stockland Green / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

Words by Paulette Hamilton MP

As we approach Christmas, I want to wish everyone in Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale, and South Oscott a peaceful festive season and a hopeful New Year. This is a time for community and reflecting on our shared progress.

My coffee morning in Stockland Green confirmed what I hear time and again, that residents are fed up with the out-of-control spread of HMOs. Many spoke about the impact on stability, safety, and the shortage of family homes. That’s why I’ve been campaigning with local voices like Derek Douglas and Shabrana Hussain to stop a proposed 5-bedroom HMO in Stockland Green.

The recent Autumn Budget delivers real change for families. Lifting the two-child benefit cap will be life-changing, helping 6,430 children in Birmingham Erdington alone. This, plus £20 million for Kingstanding, upgrades to Stockland Green Health Centre, and support with energy bills, shows a Labour government investing in our community.

Paulette Hamilton MP presenting winning Christams card to Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP – Speaker of the House of Commons / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

I’m also pleased that Operation Skybridge is now active across Stockland Green and Erdington. This increased police presence, which I’ve long pushed for, is crucial to tackling crime and keeping our streets safe.

These achievements don’t happen by chance – they result from a strong local MP working with a Labour government committed to communities like ours.

Finally, congratulations to Thomas from Abbey Catholic Primary for winning my 2025 Christmas Card Competition. I proudly presented his design to the Speaker of the House. Enjoy the match with your complimentary Aston Villa tickets!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2026.

For more on Paulette Hamilton MP for Erdington visit www.paulettehamilton.org

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OPINION: Jack Brookes, local campaigner for Reform UK in Erdington and Kingstanding

Jack Brookes on campaign trail in Erdington during the 2022 by-election / Photograph supplied by Jack Brookes

Words by Jack Brookes

Merry Christmas everyone and have a Happy New Year!

I understand that times are the toughest they have been for a long time but, now is a time for hope and joy. Ignore the negative noise and celebrate Christmas girls and boys.

Enjoy the winter festivities and the well-deserved rest. Christmas is a time for reflection and to pursue meaning, not the presents. The one gift that is truly valuable to us all: time. So, stay warm and be with those that you love.

To those of you that are able to give, please give. Even it is only a little, a little at the right moment can go a long way.

And to those of you that are in difficult circumstances, it won’t last forever. You are tough and things will get better. Hold on.

Merry Christmas and 2026 is going to be a wonderful year,

Jack Brookes

To follow Jack Brookes on social media visit www.x.com/jack4erdington

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OPINION: A message from Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch

Cllr Clifton Welch at Port Talbot / Photograph supplied by Cllr Welch

Words by Cllr Clifton Welch

This is the time of year when we all tend to look back over the past 12 months as well as thinking ahead to the new year.

Looking back residents have had to suffer an awful 12 months under this Bham Labour Council. The ongoing bin strike is now 12 months old, 12 months of rubbish piling up, Rats the size of cats and zero recycling across Birmingham. It takes a special level of incompetence to have the agency staff Labour brought in to beat a strike actually go on strike themselves.

We have seen Kingstanding Library opening hours reduce, social care centres closed, potholes left unrepaired, pavement slabs in a dangerous state, and buildings being used without planning permission.

But it does not have to be like this. Looking forward to May 26 residents have an opportunity to get rid of this awful Labour Council for good. By voting for my colleague Alex Richards and myself Clifton Welch, Kingstanding will have Councillors so proud of their country and who have fully supported and continue to support the flags flying across Kingstanding.

Since being elected in May 24 I have fought and continue to fight to save Burford Park from being built on, to get planning to enforce regulations in Hawthorn Rd and Warren Rd, got additional concrete bollards in Kings St to enforce road safety and soon will see 20 MPH Zones in Crossway Lane and Twickenham Rd. Local Conservatives make a difference.

Finally, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

To contact Kingstanding Cllr Clifton Welch email [email protected]

For more from Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch and local campaigner Alex Richards visit www.facebook.com/KingstandingConservatives

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OPINION: A message from Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch

(l-r) Alex Richards and Cllr Clifton Welch at Remembrance Sunday service and parade / Photograph supplied by Cllr Welch

Words by Cllr Clifton Welch

Hello, Alex Richards (Conservative Local Campaigner) and I were both so proud to attend the Kingstanding Remembrance Service and Parade on 9 November.

The Scouts, Guides, Cubs and Beavers did Kingstanding proud with their parade and residents turned out in large numbers to support a very important event that is at the very heart of Kingstanding community. I was so honoured to have attended.

Following on from last month’s news that Kingstanding will be getting £20 million pounds of investment over 10 years, I received my first formal briefing on 6 November. It’s very early days but what is now known is the following:

  • The first £2 million becomes available in April 2027
  • In early 2026 a shadow committee will be set up of residents and politicians, which later in 2026 will become the formal organising committee that will oversee the planning and authority to spend the funds.
  • In early January 2026 council officials will walk around the ward with me to get better understanding of the issues facing residents.
  • Project leader will attend my next Kingstanding Ward Meeting on 14 January 2026 to give residents full update.

Obviously, I will keep residents fully updated in future editions of this newspaper and via my leaflets and Facebook page.

At end of October, I was invited to opening of Concord Club new outdoor sports facilities in Aston as a team of Kingstanding school girls were taking part. The excellent facilities mirror exactly the sports facilities we have in Kingstanding at the excellent 601 Club.

Thank you, Clifton.

To contact Kingstanding Cllr Clifton Welch email [email protected]

For more from Kingstanding Councillor Clifton Welch and local campaigner Alex Richards visit www.facebook.com/KingstandingConservatives

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OPINION: A message from Paulette Hamilton, MP for Erdington

Paulette Hamilton MP at Pype Hayes Lighthouse Church Remembrance Sunday service / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

Words by Paulette Hamilton MP

This month, we paused to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It was an honour to join Pype Hayes Lighthouse Church for their Remembrance Sunday service and Abbey Catholic Primary School for Armistice Day. We will remember them.

One of the biggest concerns residents raise with me is the out-of-control spread of HMOs. Unlike the Conservatives, who have allowed this problem to worsen, I have been relentlessly campaigning to stop inappropriate HMO applications.

Recently, in Gravelly Hill, I have been campaigning against a proposal to convert a family home into a 9-bed HMO. This is part of my ongoing mission to oppose such plans, and I am proud that, by working together, we have successfully challenged every single HMO application I have campaigned against so far.

Paulette Hamilton MP at Black Histry Month event / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

It was a pleasure to host our second annual Black History Month event in Erdington. We welcomed a wonderfully diverse audience from across our communities, coming together to celebrate our shared ambition for a more just and equal society.

Many of you have also been in touch, deeply concerned about family and relatives in the Caribbean affected by the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.

As someone with Jamaican roots, I share these concerns and understand the anxiety. In my role, I have been working closely with the Foreign Office and local community members to support British nationals and ensure vital aid reaches the region, and I will continue this work.

I remain committed to fighting for a better Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale, and South Oscott.

For more on Paulette Hamilton MP for Erdington visit www.paulettehamilton.org

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OPINION: Jack Brookes, local campaigner for Reform UK in Erdington and Kingstanding

Jack Brookes on campaign trail in Erdington during the 2022 by-election / Photograph supplied by Jack Brookes

Words by Jack Brookes

Remembrance Day… We must not forget the brave and the honourable. We must put veterans first. We must honour the dead by living each day with meaning and purpose.

Too many veterans feel let down; they have been let down. Their sacrifice was not worth it, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.

I had an ancestor that died a slave in imperial Japanese hands and another ancestor that fought in both world wars and survived. I had another relative serve in the Falklands War, and he died five years ago of pancreatic cancer.

My family has a history of serving this country and it is for this reason alone that I keep fighting in politics. I will put veterans first, in everything that I do.

Taking inspiration from our Armed Forces – especially their fitness standards – I have devised another policy for the area: installation of athletics/running tracks and basketball courts at schools.

In Taiwan there is a running track at 85% of all schools and over 92% have basketball courts; Taiwan has some of the best health outcomes in the world and spend much less on healthcare – this policy can save the NHS. These running tracks are available to the public in the evening and on the weekends.

Things must change. Things must get bettr. We must give ourselves strength and then we can reform the nation.

In Liberty,

JB

To follow Jack Brookes on social media visit www.x.com/jack4erdington

 

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NEWS: Remembrance Sunday events and commemoration services across Erdington

Words by Ed King

On Sunday 9 November, communities across the country will stand together in solidary to honour the men and women from Commonwealth states who lost their lives in the First World War.

Held annually on the closest Sunday to Armistice Day, on 11 November, Remembrance Sunday is “a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life” – as described by the British Legion.

In Erdington Town Centre, a special holy communion remembrance service will be held from 10:30am at St Barnabas Church on Erdington High Street – a two hundred year old place of workshop that also houses many Commonwealth War Graves in its churchyard.

Commonwealth War Grave at St Barnabas Church in Erdington Town Centre / Photograph by Ed King

A spokesperson for St Barnabas Church told: “This Remembrance Sunday, we come together to honour those who gave their lives in service. Please join us as we remember. All are welcome.”

Over in Kingstanding, a commemorative march will begin at 9:45am from No1 Public House on the corner of College Road and Hurstwood Road.

The march will walk under a mile to St Martin’s Church on Witton Lodge Road, for a special commemorative service, before heading back to No1 Public House for Laying of the Wreaths and the Last Post – a buffet and refreshments will also be provided.

Clifton & Alex from No1 Public House explained: “We look forward to seeing many of you there for this solemn occasion as we remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we have today.”

On Castle Vale, a Remembrance Sunday commemorative service will be held at St Cuthbert’s Church on Castle Vale High Street – with local Councillor Ray Goodwin laying a wreath at the armed service personal memorial at 11am.

On Tuesday 11 November at 11am, Cllr Goodwin will also be raising a flag in Centre Park, in between Yatesbury Avenue and Tangmere Drive, marking the official Armistice Day anniversary and further commemorating those who fell in the Great War.

The First World War, also known as the ‘Great War’, began on 28 July 1914 and continued for over four years, finally ending at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.

Cited as one of the deadliest conflicts in human history, the war claimed over 40million military and civilian casualties and radically changed how battles were fought in the field.

Ever since the armistice on 11 November 1918, countries and Commonwealth states across the world have marked the occasion with commemoration services and events, as well as displaying red poppies – symbolising the prominence of the flower which grew out of many of the war’s worst battlegrounds.

Remembrance Day wreaths adorn the National War Memorial steps in London / Photograph from Adobe Stock Images

In Birmingham City Centre, the main Remembrance Sunday service will be held opposite St Paul’s Cathedral on Colmore Row – with a march starting at 10:30am.

A subsequent service will begin at 10:55am – led by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Councillor Zafar Iqbal MBE, and joined alongside the Lord Lieutenant Derrick Anderson CBE, and the Bishop of Birmingham the Rt Reverend Dr Michael Volland.