Plans for major investment into Birmingham's musical heritage with update on historic Black Sabbath pub
A £1m culture fund has been approved with Birmingham set to bid for City of Music status
Birmingham City Council passed through its budget on Wednesday (March 4), with council leader John Cotton confirming a £1m culture fund to celebrate the city’s rich musical heritage.
He told the council chamber: “We’ve created a £1m culture fund – to develop a bid for City of Music status and celebrate everything from Black Sabbath to Lord of the Rings, St Patrick’s Day and the Ramadan Streets Festival.”
Asked about the bid and whether more should be done to mark the cultural impact of Black Sabbath, Coun Cotton said this week: “We’re really keen to celebrate the great musical legacy of this city.
“[This] spans a whole range of genres – you’ve got Black Sabbath at one end, I’ll give a shout out to Dexys Midnight Runners, and then the CBSO, the Royal Ballet and so on at the other end.
“So you’ve got a fantastic range of musical heritage in this city – what we’re looking to do is ensure that we are celebrating that as a city.
“So that bid for City of Music status, which we’ll bringing forward more details of shortly, will set out how exactly we’re going to celebrate Birmingham’s great musical legacy.”
The UNESCO "City of Music" status is a designation within the Creative Cities Network (UCCN) recognizing cities that prioritize music as a key driver for sustainable development, culture, and economic growth.
As of 2026, there are three UK cities, including Belfast (2021), Liverpool (2015), and Glasgow (2008) in the UK, that hold the official City of Music status.
Update on The Crown pub
The Crown in Station Street, known as the ‘birthplace of heavy metal’ as it was where Black Sabbath performed their first ever gig, has been vacant for many years despite its historical importance.
Campaigners fighting to ‘save’ the city centre street and its venues want to see the pub reopened to celebrate the legacy of Ozzy Osbourne and his bandmates.
Coun Cotton also addressed the future of the vacant Crown venue.
He said:“Conversations continue around The Crown and around ensuring that we are protecting assets that reflect Birmingham’s story,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).”