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Storm Aftermath and a City in Demand
As Birmingham recovers from Storm Goretti, which painted the city's skies a remarkable bubblegum pink, new data reveals a significant trend. Birmingham was the most popular place to move to in the UK during 2025, with 3.04% of all national house moves ending in the city.
NHS International Training Scheme Scrapped
A major multi-million pound NHS programme to train overseas doctors at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) has been terminated following a damning independent review. The £40.5 million scheme, which primarily recruited from Pakistan, was shut down after auditors from KPMG uncovered evidence of unfair pay, undeclared hospitality linked to recruitment, and a failure of participants to return to their home countries as intended.
The review was prompted by a 2023 investigation by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), which raised concerns that doctors were being used as "cheap labour". Consultant endocrinologist Partha Kar warned that the Birmingham case is likely "the tip of the iceberg", suggesting NHS trusts have been so desperate to fill staffing gaps that governance has suffered. She has called for all similar schemes to be paused to prevent further exploitation.
Council IT System Faces Further Delay
In other local news, the troubled reimplementation of Birmingham City Council's finance and IT system, Oracle (now rebranded Brindley), has been delayed again. The system, which has cost £170 million against an initial budget of £19 million, was due to relaunch in April. Council officers are continuing testing, with the new date pushed to later in 2026. The Birmingham Conservatives have labelled the latest delay "unthinkable".
Reader Engagement and This Week's Highlights
The Dispatch is inviting readers to share their thoughts via a short survey to help shape its future. The newsletter also continues its series on Birmingham and British fascism, with a recent piece on post-war neo-Nazi Colin Jordan prompting readers to share personal memories.
Looking ahead, the city's cultural calendar remains busy. Key events include the reopening of the Barber Institute, the Flatpack Film Festival in May, and the European Athletics Championships at the Alexander Stadium in August. Popular YouTube food channel Only Scrans also kicked off 2026 with a visit, praising venues like Tokyo Izakaya, Soho Tavern, and Khan's Fish Bar for their curry and chips.
