Council still piling on misery after city's rubbish year

S Britain broken and can it be saved?

- Duncan Barkes

Labour's inability to end the waste collection stalemate has angered local voters

Not if the ongoing scandal in Birmingham is anything to go by.This week sees the first anniversary of industrial action by refuse collectors in the city. Aside from being utterly farcical, it shows how a local council controlled by Labour since 2012 and a Labour government have been unable to solve a crisis that affects more than a million people who fork out vast sums of cash to pay ever-increasing council tax bills.

Residents must be wondering what they are getting for their money as the sight of bin-bags became an omnipresent feature on their streets throughout 2025. The crisis began as Birmingham City Council grappled with financial insolvency and attempted to restructure its services, including waste collection.

Union Unite predictably went into bat for its members and when talks over job roles and pay broke down, January 2025 saw waste collection services disrupted by work to rule and intermittent industrial action.

Proposed council restructuring would see the role of Waste Recycling and Collection Officer abolished which, the union said, would result in pay cuts of up to £8,000 for around 170 workers.