If there is one dispute that is synonymous with Labour's failure to manage Birmingham, then it is the bin strikes that took place during this year's summer. Birmingham City Council eased Unite the Union's anxieties about proposed changes to the waste management service by providing them with range of solutions to resolve it, like promotions and creating new positions with the same pay grade. But after dithering over special meetings to end the dispute, they surprised refuse collectors with redundancy notices instead. It is little wonder they felt they had no other alternative but to strike again.
Labour has not just betrayed waste collectors, but the entire city
Labour has not just betrayed waste collectors, but the entire city. Birmingham has always been a Labour stronghold collectively. Recently, Labour has plunged themselves to depths never witnessed before in the City since they were elected in 2012.
Even the New Statesman, a Labour publication, mentioned Councillor Clancy's inadequacies in its list of councils that have enforced stupid decisions. They listed Birmingham City Council's failure to manage Capita "Service Birmingham" due to spiralling costs. The scheme was designed to enable Capita to manage the authority's call centre, IT infrastructure, Library of Birmingham's IT and support and the collection of debts from 2005 at a cost of £55 million-a-year.
But they then increased to £120 million-a-year following a renegotiation in 2011. This caused Councillor Clancy to issue an embarrassing statement saying he was unclear about the facts.
Last year, the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel was established by Westminster after they overspent £49 million in the 2016/17 tax year.
They were condemned for failing to make significant savings through integrating the social services and the NHS. The Labour group has since had to rely on reserves to find an additional £78 million since this tax year started.
In December 2014, the then communities secretary, Eric Pickles, provided Birmingham City Council with a year to improve or face direct takeover from Whitehall.
The Panel's criticism led to the resignation of former council leader Sir Albert Bore.
This is an abysmal record Labour should be ashamed of
Labour has also failed to improve the City's children's services, which have been rated as a "disgrace" by Ofsted since 2009. They were so inadequate that they were taken away from Birmingham City Council's control last year. It helped cause notorious deaths like seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq in 2008, who starved to death, and Keanu Williams in 2011, who was murdered by his father.
This is an abysmal record Labour should be ashamed of. Luckily for them, it is only tribal loyalties among its voters that has kept them in power. That may change next year.
