Birmingham election tensions heat up as councillor says you wont know what hit you

birminghammail.co.uk · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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An all-out Birmingham City Council election is taking place in MayAlexander Brock Local Democracy Reporter09:52, 26 Feb 2026Labour councillors were forced to defend their record in Brum as tensions over the upcoming election continue to ramp up.‌With local elections taking place in May, opposition councillors this week predicted that Labour’s reign at Birmingham City Council may soon be coming to an end.‌Council members gathered for a critical budget meeting on Tuesday, which saw more turmoil for the Labour administration after it failed to get its proposed budget through.‌READ MORE: Five moments from dramatic Birmingham council meeting amid 'shambles' jibeThe party’s majority has been diminished in recent months due to resignations, partly driven by anger over the council’s handling of its financial crisis and the ongoing bins strike.With all 101 city council seats up for grabs in May, Labour candidates will attempt to convince voters that the era of ‘bankrupt Brum’ is over and that they can offer “fresh ambition”.‌But other political parties and independents predicted Labour would pay a heavy price in the polls in just over two months’ time.“No matter what Labour try to claim, Birmingham feels like a bankrupt council to residents,” Conservative councillor and leader of the opposition Robert Alden told the council chamber on Tuesday.“Those of you with any fight left know what the message from residents is, those in the bunker won’t know what’s hitting the administration until May 7.”‌“Taxes have gone up while services have gone down.”He continued: “We’ve been knocking on doors across the city, speaking to thousands and thousands of residents,”‌“The message from residents is clear – they want to kick Birmingham Labour out and the best way to do that is by voting for the Local Conservatives on May 7.”Coun Roger Harmer, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, warned the council still faces several challenges, such as the bins dispute and the need to sell off more assets.“Time has run out for Labour’s rule of this council,” he said. “It’s been the most disastrous in our city’s long history and residents are determined to see change.”‌READ MORE: 'Powerhouse' or 'cesspit of Europe' - heated row over Birmingham's reputation“The residents of Birmingham have just had enough,” Jane Jones, an independent councillor who quit Labour last year, added.“I think with all regimes, there is always a time limit – there’s a sell-by date and I’m afraid Birmingham Labour group has reached theirs.”‌‘Fresh ambition with Labour’Birmingham specific-issues, such as the equal pay debacle and the disastrous implementation of an IT system, contributed to the financial crisis which engulfed the council.But Labour councillors have also repeatedly pointed the finger at the legacy of austerity and funding cuts during the previous Conservative government in Westminster.During his own budget speech, council leader John Cotton said residents across Birmingham faced a choice in the near future.‌“A choice between fresh ambition, unity and progress with Labour,” he said.“Or opening the door to a politics of division and despair, where Reform and so-called independents turn our communities against each other while investment in jobs, homes and opportunities is driven away.”‌Reform has previously insisted that it wants to show it would represent people of all backgrounds and faiths.Coun Cotton also defended the Labour administration’s actions in the fallout of the ‘bankruptcy’, saying the council had the “stability it needs to build a better future”.“It’s a future we can now seize because we had the resolve not only to make the right choices over the last two years – but to see them through,” he said.‌He added the city’s residents had been supported through the cost-of-living programme, food vouchers for children and the Warm Welcome Network.Coun Cotton spoke optimistically about Birmingham’s future too, saying there were plans to invest an additional £40 million in cleaner streets; increase funding to tackle fly-tipping and develop a bid for city of music status.READ MORE: Birmingham City Council elections - all you need to know about critical May vote‌He went on to praise planned regeneration projects such as Birmingham City FC’s Sports Quarter, HS2 and Digbeth’s “flourishing” creative quarter.Labour Councillor Lisa Trickett meanwhile went on the attack against the Tories, saying: “I will tell you the one thing I’m hearing [on the doorstep].“People assure you [they] will never vote Tory.‌“Because any credibility that the Tories have as a party of government went with austerity, when you actually plunged our nation and this city into crisis.“The only growth we saw under the Tories was actually a growth in food banks.”Article continues below“What we promise today and what a Labour government is giving us is an opportunity to put it right,” she added.The bins strike is now in its second year, with striking workers claiming they face a pay cut of £8,000.The council has disputed this figure and insisted that a fair offer had been made before negotiations came to an end last summer.