Birmingham City Council’s Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together for 2035 vision offers a roadmap for a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable Birmingham. Witton Lodge Community Association (WLCA) is pleased to be part of this journey, championing community-led change.

At the launch event, our very own community champion, Linda Hines, MBE, shared her thoughts on the new vision, emphasising the the critical role of collaboration. “Words and plans hold significance, but actions carry greater weight. The challenge and opportunity lie in the Council – and all of us – thinking and acting in new ways.”

Introducing B:CAN

Afzal Hussain, WLCA’s Chief Officer, took to the stage to introduce the Birmingham Community Action Network (B:CAN). B:CAN is a collaborative network of 21 trusted community anchor organisations across Birmingham, working to shift the inequality and deprivation dial.

Afzal explained, “Community is in the DNA of the organisations that make up B:CAN. With common values and a successful track record, B:CAN members are platforming local voices and celebrating the richness of our communities. We’re using our collective strength to transform neighbourhoods and lives across Birmingham.”

The Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together vision recognises Birmingham’s strengths: its youthful diversity, strong educational institutions, and thriving culture. It also addresses critical challenges like inequality and child poverty, the housing crisis, and health disparities.

Partnership Working at it’s Best!

Leader of Birmingham City Council Councillor John Cotton said: “We are proud to have worked with so many fantastic partners to develop the Birmingham City Vision. This has been partnership working at it’s very best and now the same principles of respectful collaboration must apply to delivery.

“The Birmingham we all want to see – a city that tackles inequality, has a thriving economy, where all communities can enjoy greater opportunities and the wellbeing that brings – cannot be delivered by any one organisation alone, it needs to be delivered through a range of partnership structures and a new understanding of true partnership working.”

Building a more inclusive future for Birmingham

B:CAN members embody the collaborative spirit needed to achieve the vision’s five strategic missions. As a recognised leader in community-led action, Witton Lodge Community Association is proud to convene and drive this effort forward, leveraging our decades-long reputation for transforming lives and neighbourhoods. Together with B:CAN partners, we are committed to using our collective strength to tackle inequality, elevate communities, and build a brighter, more inclusive future for Birmingham – one where every resident has the opportunity to thrive.