Birmingham Local Conservatives are renewing our call for a fundamental shake-up of the city’s waste service infrastructure after figures revealed Labour's ongoing bin strike has already cost taxpayers nearly £1 million for the police presence at picket sites alone, with wider substantial costs still being hidden from public view.
The figures, published in the Birmingham Mail, confirm that Labour's internal dispute with Unite has already racked up £846,695 in direct costs – and that’s just the start. The full cost, including service disruption, diverted staff, and the impact on other departments, is likely to be far higher.
Opposition councillors are demanding Labour finally adopt the Conservative proposal to relocate the council’s waste collection fleet away from the picketed depots - key flashpoints in the dispute - to alternative council-owned sites to prevent future disruptions and build a more resilient system.
Cllr Robert Alden (Con, Erdington), Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives, said:
Labour have let this strike run on for months, and now the bill is landing on residents’ doormats. Almost £1 million has been spent on policing the strike alone. That's money and manpower that could have been used to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour & Knife crime. £1 million's worth of policing hours, which could have been spent keeping people safe, chasing criminals, and preventing serious crime. Instead, Labour have refused to act, refused to listen, and refused to move the waste fleet to stop this happening again.
Birmingham Local Conservatives have proposed a clear plan: move the fleet, clear the rats and rubbish, and future-proof the service. Labour rejected it – and now Birmingham is paying the price for Labour's dogmatic socialism.
Cllr Timothy Huxtable (Con, Hall Green South), Shadow Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport, added:
This strike isn’t just about waste – it’s about wasted opportunity. Wasted money. Wasted leadership. Labour had a chance to back our plan for a cleaner city, and they chose chaos instead. It’s time they put residents first and adopted the changes we’ve been demanding.
Local Conservatives are demanding urgent action before further costs accumulate and trust in basic council services is eroded beyond repair.
