🏛️ The Public, West Bromwich: The “White Elephant” That Somehow Managed to Be Packed

🏛️ The Public, West Bromwich

The “White Elephant” That Somehow Managed to Be Packed

Ah yes.

The Public, West Bromwich.

That legendary civic disaster.

That infamous waste of money.

That building “nobody ever used”.

Except… they did.

In rather large numbers.

Repeatedly.

Right up until it was shut.

But let’s not let facts spoil a good myth.

🐘 The Great White Elephant Fairy Tale

If you’ve lived in Sandwell long enough, you’ll have heard it:

> “The Public was a white elephant. Nobody went. It failed.”

This statement is usually delivered confidently, with no evidence, and often by people who hadn’t been inside since the ribbon-cutting — if at all.

It’s one of those magical phrases that absolves everyone of responsibility while sounding terribly grown-up.

The problem is… it’s nonsense.

📊 Annoying Facts (Feel Free to Skip)

By the time politicians decided The Public had to go:

Around 451,000 people visited it in a single year

Over a million people used it across its lifetime

Visitor numbers were going up, not down

Galleries were programmed

Events calendars were full

Offices were occupied

The café was busy

People were actually… enjoying it

In other words, it was doing exactly what it was built to do — which, in Sandwell, is often a dangerous position to be in.

🎭 “Nobody Used It” (Apart From Everyone)

Let’s pause on this idea that nobody used it.

Apparently:

10,000 people a week don’t count

Tens of thousands at exhibitions don’t count

Families, students, shoppers, artists, and town-centre users don’t count

But one bloke down the pub saying “I never went” does.

Fascinating methodology.

🛍️ Shock Horror: It Worked With New Square

Another popular line:

> “It didn’t fit with the town centre.”

Which is odd, because once New Square opened, footfall at The Public jumped.

Turns out:

Shoppers like culture

Culture likes shoppers

People quite enjoy wandering into a gallery after Primark

Who knew?

Certainly not the people who later pretended this was all unforeseeable.

🔌 So Why Was It Really Closed?

Here’s the awkward bit.

The Public didn’t fail. It was closed.

That’s not semantics — it’s reality.

Closure was:

A political decision

A strategic choice

A risk-management call

It was not:

Because the building was empty

Because nobody cared

Because it “didn’t work”

You don’t euthanise something because it’s thriving.

You do it because it’s inconvenient.

🎓 And Then Came the College (Cue Fog Machine)

After closure, the building was handed over for sixth-form use.

We were told:

“This is sensible”

“This solves the problem”

“This secures the future”

What we were not given:

The full lease

The valuation

The schedules

The mysterious “Concordat”

Clear answers on who pays for what

A neat, end-to-end public account

FOIs have been submitted.

Answers have been… creative.

Transparency has remained in short supply.

But don’t worry — it’s probably all fine.

(It always is, until it isn’t.)

🚨 A Fun Detour: Peterborough

Just in case anyone thinks this is all ancient history and harmless fun, let’s pop over to Peterborough.

There, a council disposed of a public building occupied by a college for nominal consideration.

Years later, officers decided:

> “Hmm… this might actually be unlawful.”

Police got involved.

People got nervous.

Paperwork suddenly mattered again.

Different town.

Same legal duties.

Which proves a vital lesson:

👉 Public asset deals don’t become lawful just because everyone stops asking questions.

🧠 Myth vs Fact (Because Apparently We Still Need This)

Myth: The Public was a waste of money.

Fact: Hundreds of thousands used it every year.

Myth: It failed.

Fact: It was politically closed while busy.

Myth: It didn’t fit West Bromwich.

Fact: It complemented New Square exactly as designed.

Myth: The council walked away.

Fact: The building still lives quietly on balance sheets and risk registers.

Myth: “Move on.”

Fact: Governance doesn’t have a sell-by date.

🧾 So What’s the Actual Issue?

This isn’t about nostalgia.

It isn’t about art snobbery.

It isn’t about being anti-college.

It’s about this:

A multi-million-pound public asset

Closed while operationally successful

Transferred under opaque terms

With unclear liabilities

Questionable upkeep

And no clean public account

That’s not moaning — that’s basic accountability.

🏁 Final Thought

The Public wasn’t a white elephant.

It was a busy, functioning civic asset that became politically awkward, financially uncomfortable, and administratively inconvenient — so it was quietly rebranded as a failure to make the paperwork easier.

Until the documents are on the table, the myths will keep doing the heavy lifting.

And in Sandwell, myths are cheaper than transparency.

Funny that.

#ThePublic #WestBromwich #Sandwell #WhiteElephantMyth #PublicMoney #CouncilWatch #FollowThePaperwork #Transparency #FOI #Governance #LocalPolitics #Regeneration