Who Really Runs Birmingham’s Bin Crisis?
Several councillors have said privately that they feel restricted in what they can say about the strike. Their concern is not the commissioners, but internal party dynamics.
If you want to know who truly runs Birmingham, do not look at the organisational chart. Look at the bins. Nothing exposes a city’s power structure faster than rats, rubbish and residents demanding answers that no one at the top seems willing, or able, to give.
Mondays official strike by agency refuse workers brought Birmingham’s waste service to a halt. No collections. No contingency plan. Agency workers were told to stay home but would still be paid. Whether that cost will sit with Job and Talent or Birmingham City Council is unclear, although unclear has become something of a house style.
Behind the chaos sits a simpler truth. The people expected to lead Birmingham are not the ones making the decisions.
The Chief Executive Who Is Not Running the Show
Unite’s correspondence shows that the Council’s Managing Director, Joanne Roney, could not conclude negotiations because she needed more time to deal with the commissioners. That phrase tells the story.
When a Chief Executive has to ask for permission from people outside the council, she is not running the council. She is relaying decisions made elsewhere.
Parliament has already confirmed that no settlement with workers can proceed without commissioner approval. Senior officers and elected members may speak, but they cannot act without the agreement of people appointed by Whitehall.
This is not local autonomy. It is managed control.
The Council Leader Playing Second Fiddle
Council Leader John Cotton’s position is equally restricted. Almost every significant moment in the dispute has depended on commissioner direction. He ended negotiations only after signals from above shifted. He presented an offer only after others had shaped it.
A leader who can lead only when allowed is not leading. He is commentating.
Enter Keir Starmer’s Man in Birmingham
This brings us to Sam Donoghue, Labour’s Regional Director. In practical terms, he is Keir Starmer’s man in Birmingham, responsible for ensuring that the Labour Group remains disciplined and aligned.
Regional directors hold considerable influence within party structures. They play a part in selections, re selections and disciplinary outcomes. Recent changes within Birmingham Labour have reminded councillors that this influence is real.
Several councillors have said privately that they feel restricted in what they can say about the strike. Their concern is not the commissioners, but internal party dynamics. These accounts are based on perceptions rather than proven fact, but perceptions shape behaviour all the same.
When we approached Sam for clarity during this crisis, he chose not to respond. No guidance. No explanation. No denial.
Silence can sometimes be strategic, but in this instance it simply raises more questions. When the person expected to keep the organisation steady goes quiet, the instability becomes impossible to ignore.
Meanwhile, Workers Gain Ground Publicly
While political leadership circles above the issue, Unite continues pressing its case, and the public response is increasingly sympathetic.
Council refuse workers are striking to defend their pay and conditions. Agency workers brought in to cover them have now taken their own action. They have raised concerns about the way they were managed and the pressures around their roles. These are allegations rather than findings, but the fact that the temporary workforce felt compelled to strike speaks volumes.
When the replacement workers down tools, the problem is not the workforce. The problem is the system.
Residents can see that. Voters can see that. Their patience is wearing thin.
Six Months Before an Election
Labour will soon be asking these same residents for their votes. Possibly while walking past streets lined with uncollected rubbish.
The crisis is becoming an electoral liability. Membership is reported to be declining. Fewer members means fewer funds. If Unite, one of Labour’s major donors, becomes dissatisfied with Labour’s handling of this dispute, the consequences will be felt both locally and nationally.
If support contracts, Sam Donoghue’s regional operation becomes harder to sustain. John Cotton’s leadership becomes more fragile. Labour’s once dominant position in Birmingham begins to weaken.
Political credibility is harder to rebuild than a missed bin round.
A City With Bins in the Street and No One Clearly at the Wheel
The bin strike has become a map of Birmingham’s political reality.
Commissioners have final say.
A Chief Executive seeks approval for decisions.
A Council Leader is constrained.
A regional party director influences silence among elected members.
Officers issue conflicting messages.
Two parts of the workforce have felt compelled to take industrial action.
This is no longer just an industrial dispute. It is a crisis of governance.
Until someone takes clear responsibility, Birmingham’s bins will not be the only thing overflowing. Voter frustration is rising fast.
The question now hangs over the entire situation.
Who is actually running Birmingham?
And until that question has a convincing answer, the crisis will continue to define the city more loudly than any press release ever could.