Latest news with #MajidMahmood
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Birmingham bin strike: Unite accused of 'targeting' school linked to councillor
The leader of Birmingham City Council has accused the union representing the city's striking bin workers of "targeting" the school attended by the children of the councillor in charge of leader John Cotton asked for an apology from Unite following the incident - the circumstances of which the union strongly denies. He said it was right that councillors themselves were held to account, but claimed that a school attended by the children of Majid Mahmood had been "targeted" by the said it visited the school to gather signatures of support by parents, but did not know that the councillor's children attended and said it was "simply a coincidence". The BBC had asked Cotton about the disruption of a city council meeting last week, and whether anger over the industrial action had taken its toll on said: "It's quite right that people who are elected are held to account and questioned but what I do think is absolutely out of order has been the targeting of people's families."For instance, I know that my cabinet member responsible for the waste service Majid Mahmood has been in a situation where the school that his kids go to has been targeted. That ain't on and that is not appropriate." Cotton added that he wanted an apology from Unite. "I speak also as a trade union member myself," he added. "I think the vast majority of rank and file trade union members would not consider that kind of behaviour to be appropriate."By all means, challenge us over our decisions and what we do as politicians but leave our families out of it." In a legal letter issued to the BBC, lawyers for Unite said its members had visited four schools in the past week, but they had nothing to do with specific pupils or said any suggestion of targeting families would be "anathema" to its members and that it had attended at the schools to hand out leaflets – which it said was a "legitimate campaigning activity".It added that on the day it went to Mr Mahmood's children's school it had also visited another school, and that "at both locations, the schools and parents of children were very welcoming" and had "engaged positively" with the union members added their client "does not know where anyone's children go to school". 'Friendly and relaxed' The new row comes as Birmingham's all-out bin strike enters its 15th week. It is not the first time the union's activities have been questioned. Delayed bin collections during the initial weeks of the strike were down partly to picket lines blocking trucks from leaving waste workers insisted they were only stopping lorries if they had safety concerns, but policing was for a time increased around depots and more recently an injunction was granted in the High Court to prevent picketers from delaying waste has always insisted that the actions of members on picket lines were lawful and lawyers said their client was involved in "significant campaigning efforts within the community" and this involved visiting schools to meet and have dialogue with local residents. It said these were "friendly and relaxed" events, adding that this week their members reported having obtained 150 signatures from parents in support."If... any councillor has seen staff or members of our client outside their children's school, that is simply a coincidence," a letter sent to the BBC read. "Any more general allegation of 'targeting families' is also untrue." Conciliatory talks between the local authority and Unite, chaired by the arbitration service Acas, have so far failed to reach a solution both sides can agree on. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Family has 'lucky escape' as flames rip through family home in Birmingham
A family had a lucky escape when a fire broke out in their Birmingham home. It is understood a fence caught alight before flames spread to all floors and the roof space of a property on Johnson Close in Hodge Hill just after 10.20am on Saturday (June 14). Neighbours alerted the occupants who quickly evacuated and called West Midlands Fire Service. READ MORE: "Avoid area" warning as 20 firefighters battle significant house fire in Birmingham READ MORE: Birmingham 'rat-run' road to be closed to drivers amid dangerous driving fears Read More: "Avoid area" warning as 20 firefighters battle significant house fire in Birmingham Around 20 firefighters attended and deployed a hydraulic platform in their efforts to bring the blaze under control. No one was hurt in the incident but the public were warned to avoid the cul-de-sac during the operation. The fire service said at 2.15pm that crews had stripped the roof back to the timber frames and the gas and electrics had been isolated. Around 50 per cent of the ground, first floor and roof space had been gutted and they were awaiting the arrival of the structural engineer to assess the damage. Local Councillor Majid Mahmood (Bromford and Hodge Hill) had been in contact with the occupants who wanted to express their deep gratitude to the firefighters and neighbours. Coun Mahmood said: "The family and I are incredibly thankful to the brave firefighters who responded so quickly and fearlessly to the incident on Johnson Close. "Due to their swift action, there were no injuries, and everyone is safe. Get the latest BirminghamLive news direct to your inbox "I have spoken to the family of those involvement and confirmed that nobody has been hurt. "The family are hugely thankful to their neighbours for their support throughout. "Also, thank you to the residents who have been in contact and offering support."
Telegraph
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Watch: Man dressed as a rat shames Labour over Birmingham bins crisis
A man has appeared at a council meeting dressed as a rat to shame Labour over the bin strike crisis engulfing Birmingham. The streets of England's second city have been plagued with rats amid growing mountains of uncollected waste after hundreds of Unite members walked out in a row with the Labour-run council. Appearing at a council meeting on Tuesday, the unidentified man asked officials when they planned to collect the rubbish, while he was dressed as a rat. 'Given reports of 21,000 tonnes of rubbish on our street, by what date does the council think it will have reduced the backlog, reduced the rat population and return our streets to an acceptable state?' he asked Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for the environment. Responding, Mr Mahmood said he sympathised with residents and praised police for making sure trucks could leave their depots 'unhindered'. The industrial action gripping Birmingham is causing misery for locals, with more than 17,000 tons of household waste piling up in the streets. Labour-run Birmingham city council has been forced to declare a major incident after residents claimed some neighbourhoods were being plagued by rats 'as big as small cats'. Earlier, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, attacked Unite and warned the strikes had got 'way out of hand'. The minister urged Unite – one of Labour's biggest donors – to quit its 'unacceptable' tactics and allow the streets to be cleaned for the sake of the long-suffering residents. Asked about the crisis on Tuesday, Mr Streeting told Times Radio: 'I certainly am concerned about the public health situation, and the poor conditions we're seeing for people in Birmingham as the bin bags are piling up. 'We see rats and other vermin crawling around. That's not good for public health. I think this dispute has escalated way out of hand.' He added: 'It is totally unacceptable that Unite, the trade union, has been blocking bin lorries from leaving the depot. 'I understand industrial disputes happen. I understand people have the right to withdraw their labour. That's part and parcel of industrial relations in our country. But what is not acceptable is allowing these sorts of unsanitary conditions to occur on people's streets. 'So I'm urging Unite to do the right thing, stop blocking the bin lorries, and allow people to get out there and clean the streets for the people of Birmingham who've suffered for far too long.' Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, was forced to intervene in the crisis last week after Sharon Graham, the Unite boss, accused her of standing by while the chaos unfolded. She has since been urged by the Tories to hand back £10,000 she has been given by the union. Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, has suggested the Army could be drafted in to 'assist the local charities and organisations' cleaning up the city. He told the Commons: 'Given what this Government has said, that they will do all that they can to bring this strike to an end, would the Deputy Prime Minister confirm that they will force the council to make that payment and deploy the army to assist the local charities and organisations that are helping themselves in clearing? They need the extra support.' Jim McMahon, the local government minister, replied: 'He does very well to go from zero to one hundred pretty quickly on that issue.'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rollout of Birmingham's fortnightly bin collections 'delayed' as bins strike chaos continues
The rollout of fortnightly bin collections has been 'delayed for now' as the bins strike continues to cause chaos across Birmingham. The city council today, Monday, March 31, declared a major incident as the ongoing industrial action takes it toll on the city, leaving an estimated 17,000 tonnes of uncollected waste. The strike, triggered by a dispute between the council and the Unite union over plans to scrap a certain role, has left residents having to endure huge piles of rubbish bags and rats in the street. READ MORE: Birmingham Council pledges extra help with rubbish for tower block residents as major incident declared But it has also meant the council's transformation of the waste service, which includes moving from weekly to fortnightly collections of household rubbish, will be pushed back. Weekly food waste collections and a second recycling bin specifically for recycling paper and cardboard were also set to be introduced in phases across the city from April onwards. "It is unfortunate the dispute means the changes we have planned for the city to transform waste services are delayed for now," council leader John Cotton said today, March 31. "I am absolutely committed to transform this service." He confirmed plans for fortnightly collections, food waste collections to reduce landfill, the new garden waste service and improved recycling were all on hold pending the end of the dispute. The crisis-hit council previously described its transformation plans as a key part of its recovery plan and a way to both significantly reduce costs and improve reliability. Earlier this month, Majid Mahmood, the council's cabinet member for environment, was asked whether there could be further financial issues along the line for the council amid such disruption. "Obviously there would be a cost element if [the transformation] is delayed because that's in the budget itself," he said. 'But we are hoping we can resolve this dispute. 'I urge Unite to come round the table and talk to us - we're willing to work around the clock to resolve this. 'We can then, together, deliver the transformation of the waste service.' 'We want to increase our recycling,' Coun Mahmood said of the planned changes to waste collection. 'I don't want to be seen having the largest council in the country and we've only got a recycling rate of 22/23 per cent. 'We need to be in the Champions League, not the Vauxhall Conference. 'I am more determined now than ever before to deliver that transformation.' Industrial action was launched over the council's plans to scrap the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, described by Unite as "safety-critical". 'The council could end this dispute tomorrow by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay,' Unite's national officer Onay Kasab has said previously. READ MORE: Birmingham bin strike live as 'major incident' declared to combat 17,000 ton rubbish backlog But the council's political leadership has insisted that a 'fair and reasonable offer' has been made. 'Not a single worker needs to lose a penny," Coun Mahmood said recently. 'Every worker has been offered the same grade and the same pay within the street scene division of the city council.' The council added its routes and working practices were fully risk-assessed and health and safety was 'everyone's responsibility'. External auditors recently highlighted numerous issues and missteps which contributed to the council's financial crisis, such as the equal pay debacle, inadequate budget setting, poor service management, demand led pressures and the disastrous implementation of a new IT system. Labour councillors have also pointed to the impact of funding cuts over the past decade or so.
BBC News
25-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Calls to halt fortnightly Birmingham bin collections as strike goes on
The ongoing bin strike in Birmingham means the plan to introduce fortnightly collections should be called off, opposition councillors industrial action in the city is over the Labour-run city council's plans to downgrade some staff and reduce their pay as part of bids to shore up the troubled authority's a letter addressed to the cabinet member for the environment, Conservative councillors requested the move from weekly to fortnightly bin collections be suspended until authority spokesperson said it was still "considering its options" on delaying the rollout, as a result of strike action by members of the union Unite. They also explained the move to a fortnightly collection of household rubbish would be introduced alongside weekly food waste collections and a second recycling bin specifically for recycling paper and would increase the amount of waste recycled and comply with the Environment Act 2021, the spokesperson added. 'Significant disruption and uncertainty' The strike action, involving more than 400 bin workers, has been happening on and off since has left rubbish piled high on streets across the city, with reports that rubbish has attracted rats and other a letter addressed to Majid Mahmood, the council's cabinet member for environment, Conservative councillors wrote that Brummies were already grappling with "significant disruption and uncertainty"."Adding a major overhaul to collection schedules will exacerbate an already untenable situation for households across the city," the shadow cabinet members added that fortnightly collections would be a "double whammy" amidst the burden of the strikes."We urge you to pause this plan until the industrial action is settled, the streets are cleaned and normal service resumes," the letter added."We believe that summer of 2026 is the earliest possible practical timeframe to allow the council to properly plan for this." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
