No confidence vote over Birmingham City Council's handling of bins and fly-tipping fails
There were angry scenes as a vote of no confidence in Birmingham's waste services failed following alleged ‘filibustering’ – meaning there was no debate.
The city council’s opposition Liberal Democrat group had tabled a motion at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday calling for a vote of no confidence in the leadership’s handling of bins and flytipping.
But the item scheduled beforehand – a motion calling for an annual festival of Birmingham – ran over, meaning there was no time for debate on the final item of the agenda.
Both Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors accused the ruling Labour group of deliberately “talking out” or “filibustering” the waste motion.
Filibustering is the process of wasting time during a political debate to delay or prevent a vote.
The opposition repeatedly called on Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Muhammad Afzal, to cut off the speeches during the festival debate to get to the next item.
The Lord Mayor each time put the question to a vote, with the Labour majority voting to continue discussions around the festival. A request for extra time was also turned down.
Ninety minutes were allocated for the two motions at the end of the full council meeting held in the Holte Suite at Villa Park.
But by the time the festival item had been voted on – after more than 80 minutes – there was only enough time for Lib Dem councillor Morriam Jan to introduce and sum up the waste motion.
Lib Dem Councillor Baber Baz spoke only to second the motion and Conservative councillors Councillor Deirdre Alden and Councillor Simon Morrall received only a limited time to put forward an amendment.
Both the amendment and motion were voted down by the councillors present in the room.
Criticism of the administration’s waste services included that the collection rate stated by the council only includes missed collections for the household which reports it.
The council has previously said its collection rate is 99.5 per cent over the past five years – but opposition councillors have argued there could be many more households missed if there is a problem in a particular road or whole round.
Councillor Jan pointed also to the city’s flytipping problem which she believes is not being addressed, despite the council’s £7.2 million investment made last year and a £1.4 million boost in budget plans.
She said: “Finally I get to speak and finally I am going to get heard.
“The Lib Dem motion before you, short as it is, asks this chamber one simple question – if this council has no confidence in the administration’s management of the city’s waste management services, yes or no?
“I can say with total confidence – both he [Cabinet member Councillor John O’Shea] and his administration have not got things right.
“We as elected members continually receive complaints after complaints from constituents who after many weeks on end have no rubbish collections or household recycling or green, calls from residents who have assisted collections who find their rubbish uncollected while their neighbours’ is all gone, and residents who call because their whole road has been missed – house upon house – with full bins and crews who just sail past without stopping.
“Before I get shot down, this is not a criticism of the hard working waste management crews who have kept the service going although it is on its knees.
“This is about management of the essential service at the top of the administration.”
When Councillor Baz was told there was no time for his speech when seconding the motion he said: “Shame on every one of you over there.”
Councillor Deirdre Alden said: “I say to the people of Birmingham that I have to move my amendment formally because I have been stopped by the Labour Party from speaking about the disgusting state of the waste system under them because they talked this motion out.”
Councillor Morrall, seconding the amendment, paid tribute to litter pickers in the city and accused the council leadership of a “lack of transparency” at the meeting.
The amendment was voted down by 44 votes to 29, while the motion itself was voted down by 44 votes to 28.
Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Jon Hunt tweeted during the meeting: “Labour so desperate not to defend their dreadful record on waste management they are running a record filibuster. Scared of Cllr Morriam Jan?”
But Labour councillors criticised the opposition’s conduct during the meeting and defended the speeches on the previous festival item.
Councillor Liz Clements tweeted: “It’s 2022 and I’m sitting in a full council meeting where women Labour councillors are being shouted down by Tory councillors.”
Councillor O’Shea has previously said he is “confident” investment in waste services “will help to accelerate” improvement and that “together we can make our city cleaner and greener for all”.
