Council Tax Refunds for Missed Waste Collections- Rejected twice by Labour

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Two sets of bin strikes paralysed the city from 2017 ending only in March this year. Do you remember the inconvenience and mess for this basic service? Not only did they cause misery for thousands of residents with some not having any collections for 10 consecutive weeks, but they cost the city a over a staggering £15m in total.

Two years ago this week, I submitted a petition of over 14,500 signatories from residents calling for a proportional refund to their council tax. Calls for this apology refund was disgracefully voted down at committee- on the Labour Chair’s casting vote after it was tied 4-4 in December 2017.

Incredibly waste strikes resumed December 2018 lasting a further 3 months until March 2019. The final insult to residents..

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Council Tax Refund- Council Decision 4 – 4 Against

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The petition calling for a proportional refund to Birmingham City residents’ council tax for over 3 months of waste collections strikes gathered over 14,400 signatories triggering a decision by the Scrutiny Committee.

I was proud to commit on behalf of so many my argument why residents are entitled to a refund. Residents have received in 14 weeks of strikes, with some having 7 consecutive missed collections, massive inconvenience to a basic service and obligation by the Council. There was a huge impact to residents and the reputation of the city nationally as well as potential heath risks and the costs incurred by so many who took their waste to the local skip by themselves.

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An efficient Birmingham Council

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Efficiency is at the heart of any strong business and country. The answer cannot be relentlessly throwing more money good after bad, but living within our means, a strong growing economy, a fair society that works for everyone and crucially making sure that resources are directed to where they are needed and not wasted needlessly.

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Birmingham’s Labour Leadership in Council are undoubtedly wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax payers money on consultants instead of putting it towards front line services. Cllr Jenkins highlighted the case in Full Council where some £300,000 was paid to outside consultants to advise the council on the Service Birmingham IT contract- a contact that is part owned and negotiated at great cost to the city. £27,000 was spent on a report into school transport for special needs children which proposals that were unworkable, nonsense and ultimately ignored. Some £4 million has been paid to consultants since the start of 2014 to support Children Services- a department still in special measures and now being taken from the failing Birmingham authority into a governmental trust.

A PR Consultant was hired for almost £1000 a day to improve the image of the city.

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