Birmingham’s bin strike drags on - why have we forgotten about Britain’s second city?
29 May 2025, 08:38
The Birmingham bin strike has been dragging on for 11 weeks - and yet, most of us are barely paying attention.
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I visited Birmingham with LBC’s Tom Swarbrick in early April. What I saw was appalling.
We spent the day travelling around the city, broadcasting live to expose the dystopian conditions people were enduring.
Rubbish was piled high on pavements, bags ripped open by rats that are only growing bolder. Among the waste: soiled nappies, used condoms, rotting food. That may sound dramatic, but it’s the reality.
Some streets genuinely weren’t fit for human habitation. How can this still be happening in a modern, developed country?
The strike started in early March - this was 11 weeks ago. The issue remains unresolved and waste is mounting up again.
Agency workers brought in to clear the backlog are overwhelmed. Some report being blocked from entering tips. Pest control teams can’t keep up and are struggling to recruit fast enough.
All this while council tax in Birmingham is rising by 7.49% this financial year. Yet basic services like bin collections aren’t being delivered.
The dispute has now escalated to the High Court, but only after pressure from central government.
We’ve been comprehensively covering the issue on LBC and LBC News, but much of the media has simply chosen to look the other way.
Council leader John Cotton still hasn’t turned up to talks with the striking union. A local campaign is urging residents to send ‘John Cotton Missing’ postcards to council HQ.
What kind of leadership refuses to show up while the city it runs sinks under rubbish?
This isn’t some minor administrative blip - it’s about public health, civic pride, and competent governance.
And let’s be honest: if this were happening in London, it would have been sorted weeks ago. The media, the mayor and ministers all would have sprung into action.
London gets swift solutions. Birmingham is left to rot.
The disparity is insulting. This is Britain’s second city – not a forgotten outpost.
Clean streets aren’t a luxury. They are the bare minimum anyone should expect.
This strike cannot be allowed to limp into summer. With rising temperatures, the health risks will only escalate.
People in Birmingham are paying more and getting less than ever in return.
The government must intervene. And the council leader needs to take this crisis seriously.
We - the media, the public, the country - must stop pretending this isn’t happening, just an hour from Euston.
Birmingham deserves better. And frankly, Britain should be ashamed that this is still going on.
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