Modernisation or ‘mutiny’? Council told by commissioners to speed up improvements on the bins
Modernisation or ‘mutiny’? Council told by commissioners to speed up improvements on the bins
Plus: The Conservative Party Conference is in town — Is it weird to be a Tory?
Dear Patchers — welcome to your Monday briefing. Bins! They’ve proved a bit of a problem for the city over the past decade, from strikes to missed collections and apparent “mutiny” by bin men. Now there are complaints that councillors haven’t been fast enough to implement an improvement plan. More on that in today’s big story.
Catch up and coming up: On Saturday, Jon Neale penned a historical hit about whether or not Birmingham can take the praise for being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. One member commented that it was a “great article that finally convinced me to upgrade to a paid subscription.” Very shrewd. Coming up this week, we’ve got an interview with the creator of hit play Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz and Alex Taylor returns to the University of Birmingham campus to find out if freshers week survived Covid. Then, at the weekend we’ll be returning to our reporting on West Midlands Fire Service, where the interim boss has announced he’s walking away as the organisation is “wholly impossible” to govern. Know anything? Email jack@millmediaco.uk.
Editor’s note: The countdown has begun at Dispatch HQ to our big first birthday. 1 November marks one year since our very first issue dropped into your inboxes and we will soon be announcing plans for our celebration event, to which all paying members are invited. There are currently 914 of you — we’d love to make that number 1,000 by the time November rolls around. For £8 a month — or £80 if you sign up for the year — you’ll get access to all of our long-form articles, events and our entire back catalogue. You know what to do.
“Very excited to support your project, it will be extremely valuable to investigate local issues and hold the council to account.” — Dispatch member.
Finally, we have a new sister title launching this week in Glasgow. The Bell is led by Robbie Armstrong and Moya Lothian-McLean and it’s set to bring in-depth journalism to the Scottish city. If you have friends and family up there, please let them know. You can sign up here.
From today’s sponsor: Described by the Guardian as “a rare gem” — and featuring six days of unforgettable events in Birmingham starting on October 15th — the renowned Fierce Festival has been bringing daring international contemporary performance and live art to this city for over 25 years. You can experience this year’s edition with a special Dispatch discount. Delve into an amazing world of performance, parties, politics and pop by clicking here to book tickets and get 20% off by using the code PATCHERS20 at checkout. But hurry: the discount runs out soon!
Weather
🌥️Tuesday: Sunny spells and the odd shower. Max 14°C.
🌦️Wednesday: Morning rain, afternoon sun. Max 15°C.
🍃Thursday: Mostly sunny with a bit of a breeze. Max 15°C.
🌥️Friday: Dry, sunny and cool. Max 15°C.
🌂Weekend: Cloudy with light rain and a moderate breeze. Max 15°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
Big story: Modernisation or ‘mutiny’? Council told to speed up improvements on the bins by commissioners
Top line: Birmingham City Council has come under fire from commissioners for failing to improve the city’s beleaguered waste service. A scheme to modernise the fleet of bin lorries is supposed to be implemented next Spring but has not yet been costed. At a scrutiny meeting on Friday, commissioners were quoted as saying:
“Commissioners note with concern that the Council does not appear to prioritise and act with determination and pace when programmes appear to go off track.”
Context: The waste service, set to move to a fortnightly schedule next year, has been plagued by reports of missed collections and a backlash from employees. Birmingham Live reported earlier in the year that bin men intended to stage a “mutiny” if faced with job losses and a crackdown on ‘task and finish’ — a practice that allows workers to clock off when they have completed their jobs for the day. There were even reports of workers vandalising clocking in machines.
The improvement plan: The Improvement and Recovery Plan that the council signed off in April is the authority’s strategy to stabilise following its effective bankruptcy. Part of the plan involves reducing waste collections to a fortnightly schedule that will require 25 fewer bin crews. However, to meet recycling requirements, a new fleet of lorries and food waste vehicles will be purchased. The plan was discussed at a scrutiny meeting on Friday, prompting the commissioners to make their comments. They specifically refer to the fact the council has not acted fast enough to allocate funding to the bin lorries:
“The papers record that the fleet modernisation programme, which is essential to deliver the changed services in City Operations is presently unfunded. However, officers are continuing to promote other schemes which require uncommitted capital to be allocated.”
A little progress? The council’s current battles over equal pay are thought to stem from a bin strike in 2017, when attempts to downgrade a role within the bin depots were met with walkouts. A union insider (GMB, UNISON and Unite all represent bin workers although the vast majority are members of Unite) told The Dispatch that contrary to what the commissioners say, progress is being made. We understand that the removal of those problematic roles that led to strikes and equal pay claims is on the cards. However, it is reported that staff affected will be offered either roles driving the new vehicles or awarded compensation.
The alternative plan: A Labour councillor suggested to The Dispatch that budgeting plans were on hold for the next week or two while the authority prepares to present its alternative recovery plan to the government. Local Government Secretary Jim McMahon invited Bimingham to bring him a proposal that “holds water” while speaking at a Labour conference fringe event last week. He said the new government would not ‘hang Birmingham out to dry’ like the previous administration.
Bottom line: If relations between the council and the unions are positive, that can only be a good thing. But the fact that the ‘fleet modernisation’ is yet to be costed will raise concerns. Getting the waste service under control will be crucial for the council because it is currently like a “wild west” as another Labour councillor described it to The Dispatch.
Photo of the week
Birmingham photographer Marcin Sz recently captured this shot of a man fishing in the Mailbox, his quiet canalside hobby watched over by the towering buildings.
Brum in brief
⚠️ Flooding destroys Birmingham school — donations roll in: A school for disabled children that suffered major flooding last week and is closed until Wednesday has received more than £6,000 in donations. 10 hours of rain caused such damage to the site that half of it is without electricity and equipment has been damaged beyond repair. The online appeal was set up by Liz Chambers, a parent of one of the school children, who said Victoria was a "special place" and a "safe haven" for kids like hers.
🐂 Bull Ring Indoor Market Transformation: The historic building could face demolition to make way for a new development. The proposal would add up to 745 apartments or 1,544 student bedrooms, along with communal spaces. Alongside this, the project aims to create a “crucial link” to the Smithfield masterplan and will feature green areas, retail outlets, and public spaces. Concerns about the loss of the historic market are acknowledged by developers, who plan to work closely with stakeholders. More information.
👴 Does the Tory Party have an age issue? According to CityAM, the Conservative Party is “taking a long, hard look in the mirror” at this year’s conference which began in Birmingham over the weekend. The beleaguered party is considering what went wrong and how to fix it at several events until Wednesday. One key issue is the rise in the average age of your typical Tory — now 63 years old. At a Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) event, the thinktank’s director Robert Colvile: “Being a Tory is quite a weird thing now, and being a Tory under 50 is a very weird thing.”
➡️On that note, a quick Dispatch from the Tory conference: Prominent Conservative Andrew Boff who was ejected from last year’s event after heckling then-home secretary Suella Braverman, spoke to our correspondent Josh Neicho this afternoon. Asked if he was going to do anything dramatic this year, he replied with a mock flounce: “I’m always dramatic.”
Home of the week
Live in one of the iconic Art Deco flats that sit just a stone's throw from Cannon Hill Park. This three-bed is available for £250,000.
Media picks
📰 Birmingham ballet made the broadsheets twice over the weekend. The Times covered director Carlos Acosta’s upcoming tribute to five great women who have lived in the second city, including Catherine Osler and Malala Yousafzai. The dance is the third in Acosta’s Birmingham Trilogy and makes good on his promise to introduce audiences to lesser-known names in choreography.
📰In a balllet-themed week, The Observer reviewed Birmingham Royal Ballet’s “witty revival” of La Fille mal gardée. It received an impressive four star review, with a particular appreciation for the clog dance, “performed by Rory Mackay with wide-eyed pleasure, that caught but didn’t exaggerate the fun”.
Things to do
Tuesday
🎭 Tuesday marks the first day of Birmingham Black History Month, kicking off with a play written by the city’s former poet laureate Casey Bailey. Never Grow Old is a time-travelling musical comedy about Carnival which runs at the Legacy Centre for Excellence until 12 October. Tickets £10.46.
🎃 Get ready for spooky season with a Halloween walk of Warwick, featuring a brand new character, the terrifying plague doctor. Suitable for ages 10 and up. Tickets £11.55.
Wednesday
👔 Meet and collaborate with other business owners at The Plough Harborne’s Business Den event. Free to attend for Harborne Village BID levy payers and £15 for non-BID members — food and drinks provided.
🎶 New musical and story of family and first loves, Becoming Nancy begins its month-long run at The Rep. It’s directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the man behind the musicals Legally Blonde and Kinky Boots. Tickets from £19.50.
Thursday
🗣️ Get philosophical and explore the debate around free will with Dr Jussi Suikkanen at The Exchange, accompanied by a performance from a Birmingham Conservatoire saxophonist. Tickets £7.21.
🩰 Luna, the final part of Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham Trilogy, explores the lives of five prominent women who have lived in the city and will premiere at the Hippodrome. Tickets from £20.