Trusts and Charities Committee - 20/04/2026 - Monday 20 April 2026, 11:00am - Birmingham City Council Webcasting Trusts and Charities Committee - 20/04/2026 - Monday 20 April 2026, 11:00am - Birmingham City Council Webcasting

The final Trusts and Charities committee meeting before the election is now live:
birmingham.public-i.tv/core/portal/...

Today is Record Store Day, celebrating the 300+ independent record shops all across the UK and Ireland. Great to see Polar Bear on York Road in Kings Heath absolutely packed with customers and special vinyl releases to mark the occasion.

3. Electrification of the Bus Fleet.
4. Acceleration of Planned Metro Works.

The four requests were:
1. Regional Electrification of the Rail Network, with a focus on the Snow Hill and Moor Street Lines.
2. Delivery of the 2022 West Midlands Rail Investment Strategy, Including the Bordesley Chords, New Stations, and the Reopening of the Sutton Park Line.

As part of the cross-party Clean Air Inquiry I chaired, we wrote to Government with four requests to transform public transport in Birmingham.
Great to receive a supportive reply from @liliangreenwood.bsky.social, Minister for Local Transport, this week outlining how we can work together on this.

Register to vote Register to vote to take part in elections in the UK. Includes how to get on the electoral register and how to update your address on the register.

Don't forget! The deadline for registering to vote in this year's local elections is less than a week away - on the 20th April.
You normally only need to register once or register again if you’ve changed your name, address or nationality.
It usually takes about 5 minutes.
www.gov.uk/register-to-...

Excellent progress - really appreciate the work Cllr David Barker has been doing on this. Clean air is vital for the health of Birmingham’s children and the wider community. Encouraging to see a positive response from Government and looking forward to what comes next.
@mumsforlungs.bsky.social

I did post an update about that in the past week. It's all still possible but will be after my term ends now.

As part of the Clean Air Inquiry I chaired, we co-signed a letter to Government to request that we strengthen national clean air targets. I am pleased to have received a positive response from @emmahardymp.bsky.social. I look forward to seeing how we can continue to improve Birmingham's air quality.

Birmingham Museum awarded £183,000 to reopen gallery spaces

Great news! museumsandheritage.com/advisor/post...

This month’s councillor advice centre has been cancelled. However, if you need help, advice, support, or want to talk about an issue, you can still contact me and the team on the emails below:

David.Barker@birmingham.gov.uk &
Labour.Secretariat@birmingham.gov.uk

I have a small update on the Mosley and Kings Heath LTN. Today Scrutiny voted to send the latest decision back to Cabinet to reconsider on the grounds that we need to follow the correct process. I will update you as soon as I can when we have details of what Cabinet proposes to do next.

The LTN Call-in meeting is now live:

birmingham.public-i.tv/core/portal/...

The full list of candidates standing for election in each ward should be published tomorrow. I've recorded a little message to let you know what my plans are and why, but, most importantly, to thank you for the past four years.
www.facebook.com/reel/1239587...

The Camp Hill Line is open! And it's been great to see so many people posting photos all day (especially those early enough to get the free merch). With both Pineapple Road and Kings Heath stations in my ward, I know how important this day is for residents, and I'm so glad we can finally use it.

West Midlands rollout of 2,000 new e-bikes and e-scooters begins Across Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull, the new Lime bikes and scooters are now in use.

This month Lime are introducing 2,000 more e-bikes and e-scooters across Birmingham - including in Kings Heath.
This new deal takes over from Beryl and is set to save £1.4m each year from the Transport for West Midlands' budget.
Read more here:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

sentence below spelling SLOOF LIRPA (April Fools backwards).
Politics is tough business and we are in incredibly divisive and polarised times, with very tense elections coming in May. So we need lightheartedness and laughter more than ever.
Thank you to everyone who took this fool in good fun.

🤡 April Fools!
I hope you all enjoyed this little joke. There were a few clues (aside from how ridiculous it was)... Congratulations if you spotted: the moustache on my photo, the Council 'Forward' logo reversed, "lol" in the phone number, BKH changed to BKR, and the first letter of every...

Lots of residents have asked me to stand. I have had to weigh up all my options carefully. Right now, this feels like the best way forward, but... Please know I didn't come to this decision lightly. And, finally, thank you to everyone for your support.

Special announcement! Lots of people have asked what my plans are this election. Over the past months I have given it a lot of thought. Over the past weeks I have worked on the statement below. Follow for updates.

Last week I spent the morning taking part in the Great British Spring Clean - litter picking with Birmingham City Council staff and members of the Brandwood and Bournville police teams along Vicarage Road.
Huge thanks to all the volunteers!
You can learn more here: www.keepbritaintidy.org

This month, I made my last City Council speech before the May elections. I spoke personally about my family and my city, regeneration and opportunity, and the Lord Mayor's inspiring work with SEN schools. If this is the last time I ever speak in Council, I'm glad it was on a positive note.

Corporate & Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee - 27/03/2026 - Friday 27 March 2026, 10:30am - Birmingham City Council Webcasting Corporate & Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee - 27/03/2026 - Friday 27 March 2026, 10:30am - Birmingham City Council Webcasting

Final Corporate and Finance of the year! Skip to 2:14 to see the tributes to Sir Albert - including a little bit of prop comedy from me.

birmingham.public-i.tv/core/portal/...

At this month's City Council meeting I handed in survey results from over 100 residents who want to see bike hangars implemented so we have cycle storage solutions that are safe and secure, making it easier to travel without a car.

Thank you to everyone who supported my road safety survey on Colmore Road. We have collected a lot of evidence and shown the community's strength of feeling that the school street is not working without enforcement. I will report back when I receive a response from the Council.

At this month's City Council meeting, I raised the issues of transphobia and transitioning. I asked the Leader and Cabinet to meet with the trans community and to write to the government requesting support and funding to establish a gender clinic in Birmingham to serve the West Midlands. 🏳️‍⚧️

Call for transgender clinic in Birmingham to improve access to help A city councillor has called for more to be done to support city's trans communities.

🏳️‍⚧️ Transphobia is rising and transitioning is getting harder. I'm pleased to see the Birmingham Mail has written up my question to Cabinet, asking for support for the trans community in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

❤️‍🔥 It's a beautiful day in Kings Heath - with a market on at All Saints Square and The Heath Bookshop proudly displaying its award!
You can keep up to date with loads of events all over the high street by going to @enjoykingsheath.bsky.social's website here: www.enjoykingsheath.com/whats-on/cal...

I'm disappointed by how often I see people ignoring the signs banning pavement parking on Vicarage Road. I have requested more enforcement here, but the Council needs more reports before targeting a location.
If you see illegal parking, you can report it here:
www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20109/p...

Keep us safe! The Zebra Zone call to action. YouTube video by Brandwood Buzz

@ourscenecic.bsky.social has shared this video for the Zebra Zone road safety project around Allens Croft Primary School and Allens Croft Nursery School - check it out!
www.youtube.com/shorts/DXi8F...