Birmingham Labour have today refused to hear a debate or allow a vote on opposition calls for the declaration of a public health emergency. While rare, Birmingham City Council’s Full Council meetings do occasionally see debates cut short by the Labour Administration moving the vote be put before the debate is heard. In such circumstances, summing up is allowed and a vote is recorded. In today’s meeting, however, the debate, summing up, and vote were all quashed, as Labour forced a move to the next item without properly concluding Birmingham Local Conservatives’ motion declaring a public health emergency and a plan to end the bin strike and clean up the city.
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition & Birmingham Local Conservatives, said:
It is appalling that while residents have to deal with rats and rubbish from Birmingham Labour’s bin strike, they refuse to even discuss or vote on our motion declaring a public health emergency and our plan to end the strike and clean up Birmingham. Spineless Labour Councillors put their own reputation and procedural shenanigans ahead of the safety of Birmingham residents. It's shameful and cowardly. Once again, the Labour leadership in Birmingham are missing in action. First, they took 13 weeks to declare a major incident, having to be dragged kicking and screaming by pressure from the Local Conservative opposition. Even the Labour Government now admit there is a public health crisis in the city, yet Birmingham Labour continue to refuse to accept reality. Today they refused the offer from the Conservative Group to work with them to end the strike and clean up the city, then refused to even vote on a plan to end the strike and clean up the city.
Cllr Ewan Mackey (Con, Sutton Roughley), Deputy Leader of the Opposition & Birmingham Local Conservatives, said:
Birmingham Labour Councillors have just told Birmingham that Labour don't give a damn about the rats and rubbish and public health crisis facing Brummies. Refusing to allow any debate and then trying to play political games to avoid even holding a vote on declaring a public health emergency. 21,000 tonnes of rubbish on the streets, rats running wild, and Labour Councillors are playing games to avoid having to vote on their failures and the public health emergency, rather than doing the job they are meant to do - representing the concerns of residents. Labour is treating residents with contempt.