Labour humiliated as council leader who oversaw bin strikes and bankruptcy suffers blow
The Labour leader of Birmingham City Council has been ousted with a vote of no confidence (Image: PA)A Birmingham Labour council leader at the helm during a bin strike that has lasted a year and who was in charge when the authority declared itself 'bankrupt' has suffered a humiliating vote of no confidence just six weeks before local elections.Birmingham City Council leader Councillor John Cotton received the slap in the face vote as Britain's second city goes to the ballot box in local elections for the 101-member council on May 7. The no-confidence vote tabled by the Conservatives was backed up by the Lib Dems, Greens and Independent groups to outnumber the ruling Labour group by two votes. Cllr Cotton will not have to step down before the election.He became the Leader of Birmingham City Council (BCC), Europe’s largest local authority, in May 2023. In September 2024 the council effectively declared itself 'bankrupt' after it issued a Section 114 notice which it blamed on a £760m bill for equal pay claims and the introduction of a new IT system.The local authority had to halt all spending, other than on services it must provide by law, such as social care, waste collections and protecting the vulnerable. In March 2025 all-out strike action by refuse workers began after a dispute broke out over the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles. The Unite union claimed the move meant about 170 affected workers faced losing up to £8,000. The union later said the decision would affect bin lorry drivers as well.Ahead of the local elections in the city on May 7, this month Mr Cotton said the latest council budget showed the city was "no longer bankrupt", and just last week he posted on social media calling for stalled talks to resume over the bin strikes with the union, Unite.In February last year the council said it would raise Council Tax by 21% over two years, the latest budget agreed a rise of 4.99%Labour leader John Cotton has been ousted with a vote of no confidence (Image: PA)An amendment, tabled by Birmingham Local Conservatives and supported by opposition councillors, passed after a heated debate in the chamber.It explicitly stated that Labour had broken Birmingham through years of financial mismanagement, service collapse and broken promises that have left the city on its knees, and that the council had no confidence in the leader.Leader of the Opposition and Birmingham Local Conservatives, Councillor Robert Alden said: “Today’s vote needs to be a turning point for Birmingham. Labour’s leader has lost the confidence of the council because Labour has lost the confidence of the people."They inherited a thriving city from the last Conservative-led Administration, which had been voted the cleanest city in Britain, and are leaving it broken."Bankrupt, buried in debt, with bins piling up on streets and residents losing faith in basic services, a city with so much potential has been held back by Labour’s failure. This was not just a vote of no confidence in one man; it was a vote of no confidence in 14 years of Labour failure.”Striking bin workers in Birmingham (Image: BirminghamLive)Shadow Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, Councillor Matt Bennett said: “We brought this motion because enough is enough. Birmingham deserves better than chaos and cover-ups. With local elections just weeks away, the people will now have their say and deliver the real change this city desperately needs."Opposition councillors from multiple groups, including former Labour councillors, joined Conservatives in backing the motion, reflecting widespread frustration across the chamber.BirminghamLive reports Labour ruled the council with a big majority when it was re-elected in 2022 but that majority has dwindled over the last 18 months due to multiple defections, resignations and two deaths.The vote itself was otherwise constitutionally meaningless and Cllr Cotton remains leader of the council.After the meeting a Labour spokesperson said: "This is a cheap trick with no implications for the leadership of the council, played by the Conservatives, supported by their allies in the Liberal Democrats and the Greens."We are carrying on with the job of investing £130m into frontline services across the city under the leadership of John Cotton."Express.co.uk have approached Birmingham City Council and Cllr Cotton for comment.
