The Dispatch

The fall of Craig Guildford: How botched intelligence brought down a chief constable The police leader has retired following Maccabi fan ban 'blunders'

Guildford's tenure as the top police officer in the West Midlands seemed to be going well - serious crime rates have fallen in recent years.

Then came the football matched and the botched AI 'intelligence' that blew it all up.

www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-fall-of-...

20 October, West Midlands Police HQ. About 60 Jewish residents are in a meeting room. Chief constable Craig Guildford is visible on video link. The atmosphere is frosty.

Today, we take you inside the fall of the most senior officer in the West Midlands.

My hunt for the Brummie officers of post-war Bosnia — and other observations A writer’s edition from Samuel

Read today's writer's edition from Samuel.

www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/my-hunt-for-...

I walk past a man, sitting in a car, practicising his saxophone skills, under a railway bridge, deftly plucking out the melody from Moses Boyd’s ‘Rye Lane Shuffle’.

In Moseley, a multi-million pound London property firm is making life hell The property management company Freshwater is nearly tripling fees for Wakefield Court residents. Many can’t afford it.

Read more about the how Birmingham leaseholders are trying to escape their freeholder in today's edition of The Birmingham Dispatch @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social 👇

www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-multi-mill...

Freshwater is part of Daejan Holdings, which in turn is owned by Benzion Freshwater, the 64th richest man in the UK, according to the Sunday Times.

The company got its start taking part in Indonesian colonialism in the 1930s. Now it owns multi-million pound properties all across the UK.

The conflict between leaseholders and Freshwater reached a breaking point in 2025, when the freeholder demanded a 272.7% increase in fees.

Now, residents are banding together to manage Wakefield Court themselves.

“[I want to] out these bullyboys," says Katherine, a leaseholder at the property.

“I only use one room in the apartment since the boiler went,” Craig tells me.

For the last couple of years, residents at Wakefield Court in Birmingham have been fighting their landlord, the multi-million-pound London property empire, Freshwater, for basic maintenance.

Thank you for reading!

That's not all. The Ahmed's HMO is run by Dawson Housing - a company set up by the former CEO of one of the most controversial providers in the city, Reliance.

Cllr Akhlaq Ahmed wants to stamp out HMOs in his ward. What about the one his wife owns? The house in Hall Green North is a supported exempt accommodation

Here is the story:
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/cllr-akhlaq-...

HMOs are a controversial, big business in Birmingham and many councillors claim to be cracking down on them. Hall Green North's Cllr Akhlaq Ahmed is one of them.

But we found out his wife owns one. It's in his ward, and they lived until about a year ago.

The Birmingham neo-Nazi who became ‘World Führer’ Our second essay on British facism looks at Colin Jordan and the post-war period

He was an unapologetic antisemite and racist, who aimed to realise Hitler’s vision of a white supremacist, pan-European utopia. But how did Birmingham shape such a man?
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-birmingh...

Jordan was the man responsible for the revival of neo-Nazism in Britain after World War Two.

Colin Jordan was a post-war fascist from Smethwick, who was obsessed with mysticism and bizarre rituals.

When he married Françoise Dior - the fashion designer's niece - the couple cut their ring fingers letting the blood mingle as it dripped onto a copy of Mein Kampf.

A parents’ revolt and new head at the Selly Oak primary in £400k of debt Four months after our ‘explosive’ investigation into Raddlebarn Primary’s finances, unanswered questions abound

Now, 100 parents have signed a letter of no-confidence in the headteacher of Raddlebarn primary school — Angela Lowry.

"I think our experience with the school had been pretty traumatic,” one parent governor tells us.

Read more on the update below 👇

www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/a-parents-re...

Last year, we revealed something big. A Selly Oak primary school had suddenly developed a £400,000 deficit and no one knew why. When school governors whistle-blew about dodgy expense procedures they were accused of bullying.

West Midlands Police grapple with £41m financial black hole Plus, Maneki Ramen gets the Jay Rayner treatment

Reading today's briefing below 👇

www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/west-midland...

Your Monday Briefing is out now, ft:
👮£41 million police budget 'blackhole'
🎆 Fake firework displays
🎤 Things to do: incl: sufi singing, @ikongallery.bsky.social and Birmingham Rep.
+more

The bizarre ode to brutalist Birmingham that killed Cliff Richard’s film career The Peter Pan of Pop’s final big-screen role is a prize piece of Brummie pop culture. Just maybe not in the way he intended…

After their excellent piece on Penda's Fen a few weeks ago, @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social turns its attention to the Midlands' other great slice of celluloid history. Time for another showing, @talkingpicturestv.bsky.social?

Dos cervezas por favor! Birmingham should be like Barcelona, says lead commissioner Plus: want to buy a cat on Vinted?

Read it here:
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/dos-cervezas...

Your Monday Briefing is out now, ft:
🌞Birmingham🤝Barcelona: why we should mimic the Spanish second city, according to lead commissioner
🐈‍⬛The cat saved in time for Christmas
🚮 Bin strikes won't hurt investment, claims mayor
📽️Things to do
📸Photo of the week
+ more

The secret lives of Birmingham’s Santas Three Father Christmases spill the beans on their biggest gig of the year

He's one of three Brummie santas who have opened up to The Dispatch about playing the big man each year.

Diva Father Christmases, demanding kids, tearful moms...this story has it all:
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-secret-l...

West End actor Andy premiered his take on Santa in the Noughties, at a Birmingham leisure complex famous for its stabbings.

20 years later and he's still donning the red suit, having witnessed tears, tantrums and even the odd Christmas miracle!

Also in today's issue: does hard-to-reach Hall Green North councillor Akhlaq Ahmed live in Birmingham? Our investigations suggest he might not, despite the fact he has been selected by Labour to stand again in next year's local elections.

The McDonalds ramp that was an architectural jewel This beloved city centre spot was once home to the grand Exchange building

Find out in today's story:
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-mcdonald...

The McDonalds ramp is an unexpectedly iconic spot in the city centre, beloved by frazzled shoppers, teenagers and bemused passers-by.

But what do we know about its grand history as the Exchange building?

The councillor who can’t make up his mind Sandwell’s Sukhbir Singh Gill has gone from Labour to Reform to independent in under 24 hours

Read it here:
www.birminghamdispatch.co.uk/the-councill...

Your Monday Briefing is out NOW:
🤔Why has Sandwell cllr Sukhbir Singh Gill changed parties TWICE in quick succession?
🚨The bogus accountant jailed for visa scam
👮Craig Guildford hauled back to parliament on Maccabi fan ban row
📸Photo of the week
📰Our media picks
+more.